April 14th, 2020 10:53 AM by Eric Fang
Wells Fargo, the largest lender and servicer in the nation, originated $48.0 billion of home mortgages in the first quarter, a sequential decline of 20.0%, according to results released before the opening bell Tuesday.
On the servicing front the news was grim. Wells revealed that its massive residential servicing portfolio declined in value by 29.4% from the prior period: $8.13 billion at March 31 compared to $11.52 billion at yearend.
In its first quarter earnings statement, Wells noted that to date, it has deferred payments for 1.3 million consumer and small business customers, a universe that includes residential mortgagors.
Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase, one of Wells’ closest competitors, reported $28.1 billion in new originations during the quarter, a sequential drop of 15.6%. Its retail/correspondent balance was almost equal at $14.1 billion to $14.0 billion, respectively.