Origination

Although housing values have noticeably flattened in recent months, the share of buyers expecting the search for a new residence to become harder grew, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Prices also fell roughly 0.3% in November from a month before, according to a seasonally adjusted data of national prices from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller.

The company spent the last two months cutting sales, marketing and payroll expenses but couldn't achieve a breakeven point, its CEO said.

This move comes at a time when the largest HECM producer sold its operations to a rival and another filed for bankruptcy.

Despite 2022's slew of interest-rate hikes from Chair Powell and colleagues, financial conditions are the loosest since last February as investors bet fading inflation will allow the central bank to soon cease raising borrowing costs and then cut them later this year.

The bank holding company is taking the business purpose lender into the corporate fold and out of its own silo, executives said.

The National Association of Realtors index of contract signings to purchase previously owned homes increased 2.5% in December to 76.9, according to a release Friday.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency will be looking at the government-sponsored enterprises as a means of doing more to address renter affordability challenges.

Despite the significant annual increase, home buyers saw signs of affordability returning in the latter months of the year.

But several recent news developments are creating the perception that the risk of a recession is on the wane and that could end the downward pressure on rates.