While all six companies were profitable in the third quarter, most had earnings which were down from the prior periods, with MGIC setting a milestone.

This is the second acquisition deal Old Republic has been involved in this year, after selling its title production business in January.

April was a mixed bag for title companies, executives said on earnings calls, but some are expecting a stronger market the rest of the year.

Publicly traded lenders, including UWM, Rocket Mortgage and Guild Mortgage, saw personnel expenses increase significantly throughout last year.

The private mortgage insurers reported just 5% less business versus the third quarter and 33% more new insurance written over the fourth quarter 2023.

Private mortgage insurers are having a strong year so far, although most had flat business in the third quarter, industry results show.

Three of the four largest title insurers were profitable in the third quarter; First American's loss should set it up for future gains, its execs said.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. became the first US company outside of the tech sector to surpass $1 trillion in market value.

New insurance written in the second quarter was only 2% lower year-over-year, the smallest drop in nearly three years.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s cash pile hit yet another record as billionaire investor Warren Buffett confronted a dearth of big-ticket deals. Operating earnings also rose, buoyed by his collection of insurance businesses.

At the same time, market share among a trio of the mortgage insurers shifted, data compiled by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods found.

The conglomerate reported fourth-quarter operating earnings of $8.48 billion on Saturday, versus $6.63 billion for the same period a year earlier, helped by an increase in insurance underwriting earnings and investment income amid higher interest rates and milder weather.

This business, tied to the mortgage origination outlook, is becoming ly attractive for 2024, according to BTIG.

The Southeast regional bank plans to use the deal's sizable proceeds to pay down wholesale borrowings and restructure its securities portfolio. Numerous banks have made similar moves in recent months.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. contended with rising prices, a troubled insurance market and a dearth of deals in the second quarter.

Property and casualty players have struggled to maintain profitability as they deal with a greater frequency and severity of accidents, combined with higher costs to repair or replace damaged vehicles, as well as heightened costs linked to extreme weather events.

Buffett said he expects earnings at its insurance underwriting operations — which are less correlated to business activity — to improve this year.

Auto-insurer Geico reported a full-year underwriting loss of almost $1.9 billion as inflation ate into margins alongside elevated claim frequency and severity.

All six companies were profitable in the fourth quarter and the full year, but had far less new volume than in 2021.

The conglomerate held more than 433,000 shares of Jefferies, the New York-based investment bank, as of Sept. 30, according to a quarterly filing Monday.