Mortgage repurchases by banks and thrifts fell to $2.29 billion in 2018, the lowest annual total since institutions began reporting this activity on quarterly call reports in 2007. It would have been a lot lower without Bank of America. [Includes one data chart]

There was nowhere to hide in the fourth quarter of 2018 as mortgage banking income fell sharply both in loan production and servicing, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of earnings reports from publicly held companies. [Includes one data chart]

Several publicly held nonbank lenders took a beating on servicing hedges and other factors during the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of earnings reports. Seven public firms reported a combined loss of $120.53 million on mortgage banking activity during the fourth quarter. [Includes one data chart]

Despite hefty declines in their sales volume last year, Wells Fargo and PennyMac continued to rank as the top sources of third-party originations in agency mortgage-backed securities. [Includes one data chart]

Commercial banks and savings institutions increased the amount of mortgage servicing rights they handle for other investors in the fourth quarter of 2018, although valuations for the asset softened. [Includes one data chart]

Retail mortgage lending remained the dominant originations channel in 2018, but it lost some luster to third-party production channels. [Includes two data charts]

Commercial banks and savings institutions made money on their mortgage banking activity during the fourth quarter, but not that much. [Includes one data chart.]

Mortgage lenders that deliver loans into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities continued to face relatively few repurchase demands from the two government-sponsored enterprises last year. [Includes two data charts.]

The agency purchase-mortgage market saw a higher share of first-time homebuyers in 2018 and increased reliance on conventional financing rather than government mortgage insurance. [Includes one data chart.]

The mortgage industry is bracing for a flat year in terms of volume due to higher mortgage rates, a slowing economy and weak loan demand. [Includes one data chart.]