Morgan Stanley reports that it will scale back its residential mortgage operations in the United States and the United Kingdom, and cut about 1,000 jobs.
The firm said that the move came in response to the continued deterioration of the mortgage markets. In addition, to cutting back the U.S. business, the firm will discontinue its UK-based residential mortgage lending business, Advantage Home Loans. Approximately 1,000 employees in the U.S. and the UK will be affected by this restructuring.
Morgan Stanley said it will continue to service mortgage loans in the U.S. through its Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc. platform, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Additionally, it will still offer residential mortgages to its retail brokerage clients through Morgan Stanley Credit Corp.
“Given the continued dislocation in the mortgage markets, we have restructured our residential mortgage business to ensure we are appropriately positioned,” said Anthony Meola, chief operating officer of the U.S. Residential Business at Morgan Stanley, in a release.