Origination

The average price of a new home rose in Texas' four largest markets in January, with Houston leading the gains, according to HomesUSA.com.

Sales of new homes unexpectedly rose in December after a downwardly revised November reading, as lower mortgage rates and more-affordable properties offered some relief for buyers.

The secretary of housing and urban development plans to "finish out this term" but wants to return to "the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more."

While millennials comprise the largest cohort of homebuyers, the aging baby boomer generation has created 7.86 million more homeowners and 2.82 million renters age 60 and older — growth rates higher than any other demographic.

Freddie Mac closed its fifth LIHTC fund since 2018 and will make three investments in affordable housing through a partnership with National Equity Fund.

American Mortgage Consultants has acquired title search outsourcer String Real Estate Information Services as part of ongoing efforts to support all the services secondary-market clients need to conduct trades.

Arch Capital Group named Michael Schmeiser president and CEO of its U.S. mortgage insurance business as the former head moved up the corporate ladder.

As the Seattle-area real estate market has slowed over the past year, it's clear things have gotten better for buyers of the region's priciest homes. But people looking for anything resembling affordable housing haven't had the same luck.

The number of homes sold in Marin County, Calif., in January dipped 5.4% to 141 over the 149 homes sold in January 2018, according to CoreLogic.

The conventional market recaptured a lot of the first-time homebuyers it lost during the financial crisis, but service members instead have increasingly stuck with loans insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs.