Mortgage rates

When it comes to reversing their crisis-era bond buying, central bankers are focused on the destination. Traders in risk assets care more about what could be a painful journey.

The industry could see a boost in mortgage lending from regulatory changes, but other factors may slow growth.

Mortgage servicing assets are poised for gains in 2019. But as higher average mortgage rates spur lenders to sell servicing rights and diversify their loan offerings, servicers' work will also get more complicated and costly.

Home prices are outpacing wage growth across the Chattanooga, Tenn., region, but housing locally remains more affordable than in most of America.

Mortgage rates continued to drop this week with the positive effects already aiding housing, according to Freddie Mac.

Adjustable-rate mortgages in November had their highest share of closed loans since Ellie Mae started tracking this data in 2011 as rates for 30-year loans reached 5.15%.

Sales of previously owned homes rose for a second straight month and exceeded forecasts in November, suggesting consumer demand is picking up as price gains moderate amid more generous inventories.

Mortgage applications decreased 5.8% from one week earlier, although rates fell during the period to their lowest point in three months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New-home construction rebounded last month to the best pace since August while permits rose to a seven-month high, a sign homebuilding is potentially stabilizing even as higher prices and borrowing costs pose headwinds.

Orlando's red-hot real estate market may be cooling off.

The Buffalo Niagara housing market still is sizzling, although there are some signs it's not quite as hot as it was during the summer.

Ordinarily, declining property sales will cool the costs for housing. But existing-home sales have been underperforming their potential for 40 straight months and property values are still on the rise, according to First American Financial Corp.

October's rise in the supply of homes for sale could signal the housing market getting closer to equal footing for buyers and sellers, according to Remax.

Next year is unlikely to offer relief from higher rates or housing supply shortages, according to the consensus forecast from 24 of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's member firms.

Fannie Mae made a slight increase to its origination forecast, expecting housing affordability to improve in 2019 as mortgage rates remain flat and home price appreciation moderates.

Putting down 20% of the sales price has been the industry standard when buying a house, but less than half of consumers do that much, according to Zillow.

For the seventh month in a row, the number of homes sold in the Charlotte region decreased compared to last year.

Mortgage applications to purchase newly constructed homes continues to decline, driven by affordability concerns among potential buyers, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Mortgage rates dropped significantly due to economic fears driving the markets following several weeks of little or no movement, according to Freddie Mac.

Intense competition among homebuyers remains as shown by the continual growth of median down payments, according to Attom Data Solutions.