Mortgage rates

Mortgage application fraud risk came in hot at the start of the year, but two housing market conditions worked against each other to bring growth to a halt, according to First American Financial Corp.

Median home sale prices in the Bay Area dipped ever-so-slightly in March, marking the end of a record-breaking seven-year streak as even high salaries and low-interest rates failed to entice buyers into the country's most expensive market.

Mortgage rates dipped after four weeks of increases, finally mirroring the drop in the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield, according to Freddie Mac.

Millennials closed mortgage loans at their fastest pace in four years as lower interest rates pushed up purchasing power and incentivized them to pull the trigger, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage applications decreased 4.3% from one week earlier although concerns over the global economy resulted in falling interest rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Military service members are a crucial market segment for lenders because they are younger than other demographics and a steady group of borrowers unfazed by independent economic concerns.

Freddie Mac increased its origination forecast for 2019 by nearly 4% from last month as lower interest rates will result in more borrowers refinancing than previously expected.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes rebounded in March by more than forecast for the second gain in three months, adding to signs of stabilization in the housing market.

Growing wages combined with flat mortgage rates handed homebuyers' increased affordability with a 2.4% boost in purchasing power for February, according to First American Financial Corp.

Mortgage rates are low, the job market is on fire and, in a mysterious disconnect, Palm Beach County, Fla., home sales lagged again in March.