WASHINGTON, D.C. – RealEstateRama – Independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $1,924 on each loan they originated in the third quarter of 2019, up from a reported gain of $1,675 per loan in the second quarter of 2019, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) newly released Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report.
“A surge in refinance activity and a healthy purchase market led to robust mortgage volume in the third quarter, pushing up production profits to a high not seen since the fourth quarter of 2012 ($2,256 per loan),” said Marina Walsh, MBA’s Vice President of Industry Analysis. “The increase in profits was primarily driven by declining production expenses and higher loan balances, which mitigated the effects of lower basis-point revenue.”
Added Walsh, “With higher prepayment activity seen from borrowers refinancing, net servicing income did take a hit for the second straight quarter. Overall, it was a strong summer for independent mortgage banks, with 91 percent reporting profitability.”
Key findings of MBA’s third quarter of 2019 Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report include:
- The average pre-tax production profit was 74 basis points (bps) in the third quarter, up from an average net production profit of 64 bps in the second quarter of this year.
- Average production volume was $781 million per company in the third quarter, up from $601 million per company in the second quarter. The volume by count per company averaged 2,880 loans in the third quarter, up from 2,312 loans last quarter.
- Total production revenue (fee income, net secondary marking income and warehouse spread) decreased to 349 bps in the third quarter, down from 370 bps in the second quarter. On a per-loan basis, production revenues decreased to $9,142 per loan in the third quarter, down from $9,400 per loan in the second quarter.
- Net secondary marketing income decreased to 281 bps in the third quarter, down from 287 bps in the second quarter. On a per-loan basis, net secondary marketing income increased to $7,424 per loan in the third quarter from $7,411 per loan in the second quarter.
- The purchase share of total originations, by dollar volume, decreased to 60 percent in the third quarter from 74 percent in the second quarter. For the mortgage industry as a whole, MBA estimates the purchase share was at 62 percent last quarter.
- The average loan balance for first mortgages reached a study high of $276,053 in the third quarter, up from $268,520 in the second quarter.
- The average pull-through rate (loan closings to applications) was 73 percent in the third quarter, up from 70 percent in the second quarter.
- Total loan production expenses – commissions, compensation, occupancy, equipment, and other production expenses and corporate allocations – decreased to $7,217 per loan in the third quarter, down from $7,725 per loan in the second quarter. From the third quarter of 2008 to last quarter, loan production expenses have averaged $6,481 per loan.
- Personnel expenses averaged $4,871 per loan in the third quarter, down from $5,186 per loan in the second quarter.
- Productivity increased to 3.1 loans originated per production employee per month in the third quarter, up from 2.3 loans per production employee per month in the second quarter. Production employees includes sales, fulfillment and production support functions.
- Servicing net financial income for the third quarter (without annualizing) was a loss of $62 per loan, compared to a loss of $74 per loan in the second quarter. Servicing operating income, which excludes MSR amortization, gains/loss in the valuation of servicing rights net of hedging gains/losses and gains/losses on the bulk sale of MSRs, was $43 per loan in the third quarter, compared to $42 per loan in the second quarter.
- Including all business lines (both production and servicing), 91 percent of the firms in the study posted pre-tax net financial profits in the third quarter, up from 85 percent in the second quarter.
MBA’s Mortgage Bankers Performance Report series offers a variety of performance measures on the mortgage banking industry and is intended as a financial and operational benchmark for independent mortgage companies, bank subsidiaries and other non-depository institutions. Eighty percent of the 338 companies that reported production data for the third quarter of 2019 were independent mortgage companies, and the remaining 20 percent were subsidiaries and other non-depository institutions.
There are five Mortgage Bankers Performance Report publications per year: four quarterly reports and one annual report. Media wishing to view a copy of either report should contact Adam DeSanctis at (202) 557-2727 or 
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Adam DeSanctis
(202) 557-2727