Mortgage industry profits tank in '07

Mortgage companies lost an average of $560 on every loan they originated last year, compared with the $50 per loan they lost in 2006, continuing a downward trend that began in 2004, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual cost study.

While loan origination and ancillary fees grew on a per-loan basis, they did not keep pace with increases in production operating expenses, which grew 7 percent to $3,663 per loan, the study found.

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