Origination

The average price for a Spokane, Wash.-area home rose to $256,000 in January, as low numbers of properties for sale continued to put pressure on prices.

The pickings are still pretty slim for homebuyers in the Buffalo-Niagara area, but that may be starting to change.

Recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests lenders are growing pessimistic about the credit environment. But is that a sign of trouble ahead, or just sound risk management?

The state's tougher oversight has stripped Property Assessed Clean Energy of its go-to project financing status among contractors. That shift may result in adverse selection.

With a growing market share of home sales and wider breadth of services, Redfin posted significant annual revenue gains.

HomeStreet Bank will attempt to sell its stand-alone mortgage business and portfolio of servicing rights, a move that comes amid growing pressure from an activist investor to exit home lending and concerns about declining demand and regulatory challenges.

Refinance volume slipped following growth in mortgage rates, and loans refinanced through the Home Affordable Housing Program barely made a dent in overall volume, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Mortgage delinquencies in the fourth quarter were at their lowest level in nearly 19 years, helped by wage growth, low household debt and low unemployment, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Home sales fell for the third straight month in January, as buyers closed on 362 fewer homes than they did last year at the same time, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.

The year-over-year median home sale price dropped in January for the first time since February 2012 in metro Portland, according to new numbers from the Regional Multiple Listing Service.