May 8, 2024 | Premium Service | A year ago, we told our readers that things are changing in the world of nonbank finance. Yet there are still a number of firms in mortgage and specialty finance that are unprofitable and do not seem to be in any particular hurry to fix this situation. Below we provide updates on our portfolio as well as our view of mortgage finance on the back end of Q1 2024 earnings season.
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One name we hear about a lot from readers in the mortgage verse is Blend Labs (BLND), the techno mortgage lender that promises to change the world. After a capital raise and persistent speculation about rate cuts, BLND delivered triple-digit equity returns over the past 12 months, Bloomberg reports, for the lucky few that held the stock. But like many of the aspirational nouvelle finance/tech stories that came out of the COVID pandemic, the LT performance of BLND is not impressive. BLND is down almost 20% in the past month but has destroyed almost 90% of its value over the past five years.