Capital One to Sell $17 Billion Worth of Mortgages to Credit Suisse -- Update
May 08 2018 - 12:39PM
Dow Jones News
By Austen Hufford
Capital One Financial Corp. is selling about $17 billion worth
of mortgages to a subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group AG as part of
its exit from the single-family home-lending business.
The move comes after Capital One said in November that it would
stop originating residential mortgage loans and home-equity lines
of credit, citing the complex and competitive nature of the
business and the interest-rate environment. Capital One said
Tuesday it reached a deal to sell the first and second-lien
mortgages to DLJ Mortgage Capital Inc.
Interest rates on typical single-family mortgages have remained
well below those seen before the financial crisis. The 30-year
fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.55% last week, according to data
from Freddie Mac, marking its second consecutive week above the
4.5% mark. The last time average fixed mortgage rates were above
4.5% in consecutive weeks was January 2014. Rates averaged above 6%
from 2006 to 2008.
"We determined that our originations business did not have
sufficient scale to be competitive in a market where scale really
matters," Capital One Chief Executive Richard Fairbank said on a
call with analysts in January.
Capital One expects to complete the deal and record a gain on
the sale in the current quarter. The company had about $16.63
billion worth of total home loans on its books as of March 31.
"Strong market demand enabled us to negotiate and sign this
complex transaction more quickly than we thought possible," Capital
One financial chief R. Scott Blackley said Tuesday in prepared
remarks.
Capital One isn't alone in rethinking its home-lending strategy.
Last month MB Financial Inc. said it would no longer originate
residential mortgage loans outside its Chicago-area home market
because of high competition and low margins in the sector. The
Chicago-based bank said it would continue to hold residential
mortgage loans on its balance sheet.
As a result of the sale, Capital One said it would resume
repurchasing shares of its common stock through June 30.
Shares of Capital One were up about 3% at $91.43 in morning
trading in New York.
Write to Austen Hufford at austen.hufford@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 08, 2018 12:24 ET (16:24 GMT)
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