Mortgage rates

Mortgage rates ticked up slightly this week with opposing trends in the stock and bond markets fighting for dominance, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage application activity was virtually flat from one week earlier, down just 0.1%, although there was a huge gain in Federal Housing Administration refinance volume, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Single-family home sales in the Rockford, Ill., region rose by nearly 11% in May thanks to declining mortgage rates and pent-up demand from winter, the Rockford Area Association of Realtors said.

The rate of annual home price appreciation rose again in May, offsetting the affordability gains from declining mortgage rates, according to CoreLogic.

As 30-year fixed-rate mortgages continue dipping below 4%, June had the most borrowers in position to refinance since late 2016, according to Black Knight.

It's a sign of just how strong the Bakersfield, Calif., single-family home market is that the 1985 house Realtor Leslie Walters is in escrow to sell July 8 was listed $30,000 above the city's $300,000 sweet spot — and still two solid offers came in within a week.

A cocktail of simmering home price appreciation, declining mortgage rates and stronger employment shot the country's housing market outlook to a three-year peak, according to Nationwide.

Mortgage application fraud risk declined for the second consecutive month in May as housing market dynamics shifted towards the buyers, First American said.

Pending home sales fell sharply in May, a sign that buyers may have a bit more bargaining power this summer in the Metroplex.

Average wages can't afford a median priced home in three quarters of housing markets around the country, but slowing appreciation shifts that balance, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Average mortgage rates dropped for the seventh time in the last nine weeks following news from the Federal Reserve of a possible near-term rate cut, according to Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to its lowest level since November 2016.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned U.S. homes increased in May, indicating Americans may be responding to declining mortgage rates.

From Seattle to Pittsburgh, here's a look at the 12 best housing markets for homebuyer purchasing power, characterized by a favorable combination of local wages and lower property values and mortgage rates.

The refinance share of mortgage applications climbed to the highest level since January 2018 as the average 30-year fixed interest rate continued tumbling, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Home price appreciation turned the corner into negative territory, with values down for the second straight month, according to Zillow. Before April, property values continued growing for 85 months in a row.

Will the runoff of MSRs leave a hole in the capital of the mortgage finance industry?

Sales of new homes fell to a five-month low in May, adding to signs of weakness in the sector despite lower mortgage rates.

Driven by job growth and low interest rates, central Ohio home sales jumped more than 5% in May, the biggest leap in two and a half years.

For months, Palm Beach County's tepid housing market seemed unaffected by the combination of a booming job market and rock-bottom mortgage rates.

People electing to remain in their primary residence for longer periods took more potential home sales out of the market than lower interest rates and higher income brought in, according to First American.