About 2 percent of mortgages actually go through a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac quality control check.

Mortgage firms that hope to acquire other companies can expect to pay anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000 in due-diligence costs as they put their targets under the financial microscope, according to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Finance over the past few weeks. The price quotes can vary greatly depending on the size of the company being targeted, especially if there’s a servicing portfolio and platform that needs to be looked at. “The cost absolutely varies...

All three loan-production channels saw significant declines in volume during the first quarter of 2014, but retail had the biggest downturn, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. Retail production declined 24.6 percent from the fourth quarter to an estimated $138 billion, the lowest quarterly volume since the fourth quarter of 2008. Retail lending, which includes traditional loan-origination offices and consumer-direct operations, was down 60.0 percent from the first quarter of last year, slightly worse than the 58.0 percent downturn in the overall market. However, retail is...[Includes four data charts]

Since that story appeared, we’ve talked to a few mortgage company CEOs who have said – tongue in cheek – that just about every mortgage firm is for sale.

A significant number of independent mortgage bankers failed to turn a profit during the first quarter of 2014, but many firms are tightening their belts and hanging on, thanks to a strong market for mortgage-servicing rights. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual performance report due out late this week, mortgage bankers saw their net profit margin on production and secondary marketing slump to a negative 9 basis points, said MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni. The number was preliminary, but it represents a huge decline since the gung-ho first half of 2013, when lenders generated about 120 bps in net income from production. Only about 55 percent of lenders participating in the survey, which is includes a large number of independent mortgage bankers, earned...

But legislators denied federal funding for a new pilot program – Homeowners Armed with Knowledge – that would broaden use of housing counseling tied to FHA originations and servicing.

The privately held nonbank has carefully ratcheted up the maximum from $750,000 to $1 million and now $1.5 million.

“I don’t think it gets sold for the time being,” said one analyst speaking under the condition his name not be used. “It needs lots of restructuring yet.”

Some 69.9 percent of homes purchased in April were completed with non-cash financing, up from a 69.7 percent share the previous month.

Retail lending, which includes traditional loan-origination offices and consumer-direct operations, was down 60.0 percent from the first quarter of last year, slightly worse than the 58.0 percent downturn in the overall market.