The first quarter of 2018 comes to a close on Sunday, with many conventional lenders happy to see it end, but that doesn’t mean the origination downturn – courtesy of higher rates – was a horror show by any means. Certain shops posted modest production declines compared to the fourth quarter of 2017 and several increased lending compared to 1Q17, according to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Trends. But perhaps the biggest shot in the arm came from ...