Lalita Clozel

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week not to review a mortgage-backed securities lawsuit renewed interest in a long-brewing legal conflict over the mandate of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act.

The House passed a bill late Monday to extend foreclosure relief for military service members through the end of next year.

Bank mortgage originations were up 7% in the fourth quarter of 2015, while the number of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured institutions that deal primarily in mortgages dropped more than 9% from a year ago.

While it searches for a permanent deputy director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has named David Silberman to serve as its acting No. 2 starting next week.

WASHINGTON — JPMorgan Chase and EverBank were released from business restrictions stemming from the foreclosure reviews that originated in 2011, but also face new civil money penalties for their earlier violations of those restrictions, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Tuesday.

Home values rose in 2015 — though at a declining pace — with overall rent payments also trending upwards, according to Zillow.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index in October signaled ever-stabilizing circumstances across a growing number of regions.

Mortgage application defects reached a record low in November, according to First American Financial Corp.

Technology hubs overlapped with the nation's hottest housing markets in 2015, according to a ranking by online brokerage Redfin.

Mid America Mortgage has launched a marketing portal targeting its business partners, Chief Executive Jeff Bode said in a press release.

Funds managed by Blackstone's private equity group will acquire a majority stake in the corporate parent of Stearns Lending for an undisclosed amount.

Moody's said it has acquired BlackBox Logic, a Denver-based residential mortgage-backed securities data technology company, for an undisclosed amount of cash.

Mortgage lenders said their per-loan profits declined 19% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With a probable Federal Reserve rate increase on the horizon, title insurance providers are optimistic about future real estate transactions, according to First American Financial Corp.

High loan-to-value ratio lending is gaining ground, spurred by the reintroduction 12 months ago of GSE-backed products that only require a 3% down payment, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Home prices rose 6.8% in October compared to the same month last year, according to CoreLogic.

Loan modifications declined 18% during the third quarter to 337,000, a sign of an improving market, according to Hope Now.

Home prices rose slightly in September, posting year-over-year growth of 5.5%, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index is pursuing its slow climb, but still shows housing recovering unevenly across the nation.

Mortgage rates remained steady during the week ending Nov. 25, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.