Flagstar Reduces Staff as Volume Drops in 3Q

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. continued to cut expenses and address legacy issues in the third quarter as mortgage originations dropped by nearly 30% from the prior quarter.

This strategy reduced net income to $13 million in the third quarter, compared to $79 million a year ago.

“During the third quarter, we executed a series of companywide expense cutting initiatives, leading to a reduction in non-interest expense by almost $16 million from the prior quarter,” says Flagstar chief operating officer Lee Smith.

The Troy, Mich.-based bank sold $167 million in nonperforming loans during the quarter. It also laid off 331 full-time employees, including loan officers and account executives, as well as 115 long-term subcontracted employees.

Going forward, the company plans to increase its portfolio by purchasing MBS and “good quality” jumbo loans.

Flagstar originated nearly $8 billion in single-family loans in 3Q, compared to $11 billion in the prior quarter and $16 billion a year ago.

Company executives expect a 10% drop in originations in the fourth quarter.

Most of the 3Q loan production came from its correspondent channel ($5.5 billion) with the wholesale channel producing $1.8 billion, and the retail channel did $412 million.

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