Origination

MetLife Inc. stepped up its investment in commercial real estate last year, the life insurer announced.

In yet another revision of its mortgage rules, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed making it easier for small and rural lenders to make "qualified mortgages." Industry representatives said the changes are poised to make a big difference.

The Federal Housing Administration will make foreclosure protections available to a larger number of surviving spouses of deceased reverse mortgage borrowers.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in December by the most in a year, a sign the industry’s recovery remains uneven.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday proposed a series of regulatory relief measures for small institutions, especially those in rural areas, to help them provide credit while they try to follow the agency's tough mortgage rules.

The U.S. homeownership rate fell to the lowest in more than two decades in the fourth quarter as many would-be buyers stayed on the sidelines, giving the rental market a boost.

The reduction in the monthly mortgage insurance premium is an opportunity to fill a lackluster pipeline, but there are a few details originators need to be aware of that could cause them trouble.

Freddie Mac priced its first Structured Agency Credit Risk transaction of the year. The Series 2015-DN1 was upsized to $880 million from $775 million originally.

New Jersey’s largest home-grown savings bank continued to shed loans and deposits in the fourth quarter as it continues to wait to be acquired by a commercial bank from upstate New York.

Two affordable-housing organizations — one based in Old Saybrook and the other in Old Lyme — have joined together in a move that representatives say could lead to new housing opportunities.