Finance

Conforming mortgage rates were unchanged this week even as the 10-year Treasury's yield rose in response to the European Central Bank's decision to slow its bond purchase program, according to Freddie Mac.

Bank of America has ended its agreement with PHH Corp. that saw the Mount Laurel, N.J.-based company perform private-label originations for Merrill Lynch.

More than $200 billion of the most poorly underwritten commercial mortgages originated before the financial crisis come due this year and next, many of them still underwater.

Two decades of experience with offshoring has shown that shifting operations work from knowledgeable, local workers to people in another country with oftentimes limited training comes with risks — of errors, of misunderstandings and of security lapses.

The Federal Reserve's mishandling of monetary policy in the 1970s opened the door to questionable products for unqualified borrowers, setting the stage for the housing crisis 30 years later.

Late payments on securitized commercial mortgages reversed course in September and resumed a climb that began in March, according to Trepp.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should face more questions about housing policy, especially the lack of affordable housing to own or to rent nationwide, said Fannie Mae Chief Tim Mayopoulos.

Deutsche Bank jumped in Frankfurt trading after a media report that the lender is nearing a $5.4 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a probe tied to residential mortgage-backed securities, less than half an initial request.

Strong home sales are boosting originations of Federal Housing Administration loans and opening the door for first-time buyers — developments that could portend the mortgage insurance agency receiving a positive report from auditors this fall.

Mortgage rates fell as investors purchased more 10-year Treasury bonds after the Federal Open Market Committee decided to leave short-term rates unchanged.

The Department of Justice wants banks to more fully cooperate with civil investigations. Companies now are expected to "materially assist" the agency in providing documents, access to witnesses and even inculpatory documentary evidence such as emails and text messages.

Eight years after high-risk, deceptive lending practices precipitated a near-meltdown of the global economy, we learned that at least 5,300 Wells Fargo employees created 2 million sham accounts that its customers apparently did not want, need or understand.

Deutsche Bank isn't the only lender wrestling with the U.S. to resolve an investigation into toxic mortgage bonds: Credit Suisse Group and Barclays are also each in settlement talks with the Justice Department.

Commercial mortgage loans held by life insurance companies provided lower returns in the second quarter than the previous one, according to the LifeComps Commercial Mortgage Loan Index.

Low interest rates are keeping the housing market strong even as affordability keeps declining, according to Freddie Mac.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle the first of three major U.S. mortgage-backed securities probes the bank must overcome before it can resume dividend payments.

Fannie Mae has awarded its latest "community impact" pool of nonperforming loans to an affiliate of the nonprofit New Jersey Community Capital.

Banks are to blame for delaying resolutions of U.S. mortgage investigations by failing to cooperate, a top Justice Department official said.

Freddie Mac plans to say it will start a pilot program to increase the amount of risk it shares with private mortgage insurers.

Arch Capital Group has planned a secondary public offering to raise some of the cash for its $3.4 billion acquisition of United Guaranty Corp. from American International Group.