Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Vexed by Low Demand for Mortgages
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Slack demand for home loans continued to drag on earnings at Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. as the two largest U.S. mortgage lenders grappled for pieces of a shrunken market.
Even as interest rates hovered near historically low levels, new home loans tumbled 67 percent to $36 billion in the first quarter at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, the biggest originator. JPMorgan posted a 68 percent drop to $17 billion, and the bank predicted it would lose money on mortgage production for the full year.