More jobs slipped away from the mortgage sector.
The government reported that U.S. mortgage headcount was at 250,000 during January, falling from a revised 253,500 the prior month. Mortgage employment stood at a revised 262,900 during January 2009.
The data were compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
The number of people in “real estate credit” fell to 189,600 from 190,300 in December.
“Mortgage and nonmortgage loan brokers” were 60,400 in January, declining from 63,200 during December.
January mortgage employment activity was impacted by 174 Pasadena, Calif., layoffs by Bank of America Corp.
On the whole, U.S. nonfarm employment eased by 36,000 jobs in February, while unemployment was unchanged at 9.7 percent.
