Subservicing vendors continued to make gains in the fourth quarter as the appetite for outsourcing grew. In short, some MSR owners just don’t want to deal with the hassle of loan processing and regulations. (Includes data chart.)

2019 was a banner year for warehouse mortgage providers, thanks to strong nonbank originations in the primary market. And now it appears that 2020 could be even better.

Loan applications took a dive last week but for the most part lenders remain optimistic about the months ahead. Meanwhile, a fintech lender plans to buy a bank, an industry first.

The mortgage delinquency rate hit a record low at the end of last year, helped by a strong economy. There were a few signs of performance issues, including an uptick in certain delinquency types and foreclosure starts.

Big gains by Mr. Cooper and NewRez boosted the combined portfolio of the top five servicers, offsetting further declines at Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America. (Includes two data charts.)

Nonbanks are on pace to surpass depository institutions as the largest class of agency servicers sometime early this year. (Includes two data charts.)

Mortgage lenders were happily writing as many loans as possible during the second half of 2019. But not surprisingly, closing times increased.

Some of the largest home lenders reported fourth-quarter results this week and the writing is on the wall: Home lending in the final three months of the year may have eclipsed a very good third quarter.

The stock market boomed in 2019 and mortgage stocks followed right along. Mortgage insurance equities had nice gains but the top performers were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Includes data chart.)

Most subservicing vendors continued to see a growth in contracts during 3Q19, but a few specialists are heading for the exits: Ditech (via a bankruptcy sale) and RoundPoint, which is being bought by Freedom Mortgage. (Includes data chart.)