Finance

Subprime originations are climbing in multiple consumer loan categories, including mortgages, but the increase is much smaller in the home loan sector than it is in other markets, according to TransUnion.

Confidence among homebuilders plummeted by the most since 2014 as the highest borrowing costs in eight years restrain demand, adding to signs of a cooling housing market that will weigh on the Federal Reserve's debate over how far to raise interest rates.

The end of one-party rule in Washington could move the needle on efforts to devise a new housing finance framework.

A U.S. regulator's plan to boost capital in the mortgage-finance giants won't work unless investors get "compensated" for the billions of dollars the government has collected from the companies in recent years, one shareholder said.

Ginnie Mae is adding steps to its process for evaluating new issuers, including new notification requirements related to subservicer advances, servicing income, and borrowing facilities secured by mortgage servicing rights.

Accessory dwelling units are gaining attention as a way to boost the supply of rental housing; dedicated financing could help those who need it the most.

Fannie Mae completed 10 traditional and front-end credit risk insurance transactions during 2018, sharing $2.6 billion of risk, including $192 million in its final deal of the year.

A reduction in Ditech Holdings' quarterly net loss fell short of what the company needed to avoid the possibility of another Chapter 11 filing.

Beazer Homes USA is working to encourage competition among its approved lenders in order to help control upward pressure on home prices and lending rates that could slow sales.

Ginnie Mae officials are concerned about unusual activity with Department of Veterans Affairs cash-out refinances and are investigating the causes, as well as whether predatory lenders are taking advantage of veterans.

If falling volume and rising costs weren't bad enough for nonbank mortgage lenders, an extended run of tight gain-on-sale margins is further eating into their profits.

UBS Group sold tens of billions of dollars' worth of residential mortgage-backed securities by "knowingly and repeatedly" making false and fraudulent statements to investors about the loans backing those trusts, the U.S. Justice Department said in a civil suit filed Thursday.

D.R. Horton Inc. fell the most in more than three years after executives at the builder said the market for homes is getting "choppy" and that the pace of order growth may slow next quarter.

Mr. Cooper Group — the new name following the combination of Nationstar Mortgage and WMIH Corp. — posted a $54 million third-quarter profit and announced plans to buy Pacific Union Financial, as well as make other strategic acquisitions.

Continued diversification of its business lines and better margins in its securitization activities helped Redwood Trust overcome steep mortgage origination declines and post nearly 14% annual growth in net income during the third quarter.

Ocwen Financial Corp. recorded a deeper quarterly loss of $40 million after acquiring PHH Corp., but still expects the deal's economies of scale to eventually lower costs and restore profitability.

While the foreclosure crisis is over and federal regulators are being less assertive on enforcement actions, mortgage servicers must remain vigilant about compliance, as state agencies are stepping up their own oversight, according to Standard & Poor's.

Although forecasts anticipate a continuing drop in overall originations, private-label residential mortgage-backed securitizations backed by newer loans are expected to keep increasing through next year, according to Bank of America.

Returns on mortgage-backed securities in October lagged Treasuries by 37 basis points, the most since November 2016.

A low-rated segment of an index that most closely tracks the performance of U.S. mall mortgage loans saw its biggest decline in more than a year in October.