Origination

The Federal Housing Administration is facing severe challenges next year as some pressure it to lower premiums to deal with new competition from the government-sponsored enterprises, even while its insurance fund remains weak and it faces added scrutiny from GOP lawmakers.

Highland Capital Management LP won a $40 million jury award after successfully arguing Credit Suisse AG duped the Dallas-based debt manager into refinancing a shaky real-estate development.

Seer Capital Management is getting more bullish on U.S. commercial real estate. The $2.1 billion hedge fund firm, started by ex-Deutsche Bank AG executive Phillip Weingord, is planning a fund dedicated solely to buying the riskiest pieces of bonds backed by commercial properties, according to a presentation, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News.

Home sales dropped 5.2% in November compared to a year earlier, according to data published Thursday by Re/Max.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., along with 17 other Democratic senators, is urging Department of Housing and Urban Development officials to consider a reduction in FHA mortgage insurance premiums.

Yields on government-backed mortgage securities narrowed to the least relative to benchmark debt in more than two years, cushioning the blow of a slump in Treasuries for homebuyers.

The expiration of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Assistance program on Dec. 31 will have "repercussions" for the economy, according to Fitch Ratings.

Commercial and residential secondary-market platforms are under pressure to shift from loss-leader strategies to profitability as they enter their second year in a sector that's now more established and competitive.

Optical character recognition replaces a manual, error-prone process, but requires regularly testing and monitoring to get the most out of the technology.

The government conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was never meant to authorize lasting control over the housing sector, according to one of the people who advised Congress on the Housing and Economic Recovery Act.