Mortgage banking became more profitable during the second quarter of 2006, although earnings this year are still below the level set during the first half of 2005, according to a new Inside Mortgage Profitability analysis of public company earnings. A group of 31 lenders, including most of the top originators and servicers in the business, reported a combined $3.38 billion in mortgage banking income during the second quarter. That was up 17.8 percent from the… [One data table included]