Banks and thrifts repurchased fewer mortgages in 2012 than in any year since the buyback blight spread through the market in 2008, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of bank call report data. Banks and thrifts reported a total of $13.97 billion in repurchases and indemnifications on single-family mortgages during 2012, a 33.3 percent decline from the previous year. It was the third consecutive year of declining annual buyback activity after the industry reported a staggering ... [Includes one data chart]