Origination

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Feb. 1.

The Houston City Council has approved up to $400 million in contracts with six firms to build new housing and repair single-family homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Affordability remains a challenge for homebuyers, but barely any mortgage lenders attribute last year's sluggish home sales to insufficient consumer income or lack of loan products for new buyers, according to Fannie Mae.

China Oceanwide's acquisition of Genworth has been postponed until March, prolonging uncertainty about the fate of the acquired company's U.S. private mortgage insurance unit that could be resolved by the deal.

While home sellers gained the most money on their houses since 2006, the fading impact of tax cuts and slow rise of mortgage rates could shorten upcoming margins, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Sales of new homes rebounded in November to the strongest pace in eight months as lower prices helped to attract more buyers.

Mortgage and real estate professionals are navigating new technology to support a better consumer experience and grow their customer base, but those who lose sight of the end goal are in danger, according to Remax CEO Adam Contos.

Mortgage application defect risk was at its highest level in four years because of higher interest rates as well as natural disasters during the latter part of 2018, according to First American.

Mortgage rates moved up slightly after weeks of moderating, but are still low enough not to affect the upcoming prime home buying period, according to Freddie Mac.

Sales of single-family houses in Rhode Island dropped 15.6% in December from the same month a year ago, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said.