Origination

This is the year to invest in the Raleigh, N.C., housing market, according to Zillow's Hottest Housing Markets for 2018.

Increased equity levels are resulting in higher appraisals that are closer to owners' view of home prices now than they have been since March 2015.

There were fewer mortgage programs available to borrowers at the lower end of the credit spectrum in December, resulting in an overall decrease in credit availability.

Home sales and prices in metro Denver once again hit record highs in 2017, but the pace of price gains slowed as the market reached a higher altitude.

The Santa Fe-area housing market in 2017 saw the largest number of sales in more than a decade, and average home prices were some of the highest since the national housing bubble burst in 2008.

The IRS has taken corrective actions to speed up its income verification system, avoiding a possibly crippling slowdown for the mortgage industry, but long-term issues remain.

Consumer credit scores are improving, but many qualified borrowers are still hesitant about buying a house. New tools are helping lenders better assess risk and show consumers with lower credit scores they can qualify for mortgages.

The Denver judge, who last spring ruled that former foreclosure king Larry Castle and his law firm did not violate state laws designed to protect consumers against fraudulent charges, was biased and made several missteps during the three-week bench trial leading up to his decision, the Colorado attorney general's office asserts in its appeal of the verdict.

Consumer confidence in the housing market during December was better than it was 12 months prior but weaker than in November.

Homeowners can tap into more home equity than ever before, but deciding between a home equity line of credit and cash out refinance mortgage has gotten more complicated following recently passed tax reforms.