Origination

The program was previously available to first-time homebuyers only.

When the qualified mortgage rule took effect in January, many predicted the rule would stifle lending to low-income and minority borrowers. But a credit crunch never materialized, thanks to exemptions given to federal mortgage agencies.

Builders broke ground on 1 million homes in May, indicating the industry is picking up this quarter after a weather-induced slump to start the year.

Smaller banks face a tricky choice with jumbo loans: hold them and face rate risk, or sell them to a bigger bank and risk losing a customer. An unusual arrangement between the FHLB and a REIT could offer community banks a better route.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recognized a distinction in terms of the treatment of persons working for a company based upon their classification as employees or contractors.

Reasons for the lackluster performance range from the severe winter to rising home prices (which put mortgage payments out of reach for some buyers) to tight credit to stagnating incomes.

Confidence among homebuilders rose in June by the most in almost a year, a sign the residential real estate market is stabilizing after reeling from severe winter weather earlier this year.

The Bank of New York Mellon is planning to enter the reverse mortgage business.

Applications for mortgages to purchase new homes decreased 8% in May compared to April, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Friday.

Among the revelations: A large number of single-family homes built in 2013 weren't sold that year; single-family units, surprisingly, kept getting bigger; cash sales remain higher than before the recession.