With residential loan production expected to decline by at least 30 percent this year, bank originators are looking at ways to cut costs without damaging their ability to handle an unexpected uptick in applications should rates unexpectedly fall. According to both lending executives and outsourcing firms, inquiries are picking up at vendors that process, underwrite and close residential mortgages. “The banks are tired of ramping up and then cutting back,” said Jeffrey Taylor, managing partner at Digital Risk ...