Deteriorating secondary market pricing conditions helped drive mortgage profitability sharply lower in the fourth quarter of 2005, according to a new Inside Mortgage Profitability analysis of financial results from 28 lenders. Although the year ended with a thud, 2005 as a whole brought solid profit gains for most lenders compared with 2004. In fact, indicators of the market’s overall health were favorable: new mortgage originations were up a surprising 6.8 percent and topped the $3… [One data table included]