Nick,
It's almost impossible to determine from just these few photos but normally cracks in the mortar joints are signs of building shift which could be due to foundation movement or possible water intrusion. I do notice a couple of items here that would lead me more toward the water intrusion direction.
1) Brick appears to be wet in some of the areas in the center of the first photo
2) Foundation at the earth is covered by debris. This area should be at a minimum 4" below the last corse of brick which will reveal the concrete foundation or cmu block depending on the process used to build the basement walls.
Finally,
In the first photo I would also be suspicious of the fact that there appears to be newer windows, facia, drip edge, and possibly a newer roof. These are all signals that there may have been an issue with moisture.
I would be curious if you can tell if the interior walls have recently been paired as well?
I also suggest looking in the attic at the underside of the roof decking for signs of water staining as well as newer looking sections of decking. This would surely confirm the reasonable suspicion of water damage at some point.
Sorry so long winded but this is not a simple one answer type question...
Jeff
