Economy

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level in three months, possibly because investors became nervous following the spread of a coronavirus in China and elsewhere.

Trade associations representing mortgage lenders and securities market participants are asking the Federal Housing Finance Agency to rethink a plan to restrict pooling options for loans sold into uniform mortgage-backed securities.

With interest rates expected to stay low while wages and the overall economy grow in conjunction, Fannie Mae again boosted its single-family mortgage origination outlook for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering bringing back the idea of imposing stricter criteria for purchasing mortgages in areas where residential Property Assessed Clean Energy financing is available.

The rate of home sales reached a 33-month peak in December, swinging the pendulum of supply and demand, and pushing value appreciation to a 19-month high, according to Redfin.

Southern Maine's superheated real estate market is presenting challenges to first-time homebuyers and expanding businesses, but shows no signs of cooling off.

Mortgage lenders' uptake of innovations in artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies has been relatively slow. It's an approach that may not be tenable in 2020.

Foreclosure activity during 2019 fell 21% from the previous year, but a few indicators show a change in direction could be possible, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Mortgage rates for the most part were stable this past week as the markets looked warily at economic and geopolitical events, according to Freddie Mac.

December home prices in Cuyahoga County were up over December a year ago in both the Cuyahoga County suburbs and the city of Cleveland.

A former Fannie Mae employee is facing more than six years in federal prison for participating in a scam involving discount sales of properties owned by the government-sponsored enterprise.

A rejuvenated housing market will help keep the economy chugging along despite the threat posed by a derailment in corporate spending.

A bankruptcy court judge denied a lender's motion to foreclose on properties controlled by an Austin real estate investor. But the judge then issued a warning, saying an exit plan better be ready by Feb. 2.

A lender that provided more than $388 million to finance one of Plano's biggest real estate developments has filed to foreclose on the project.

There was less credit available for the first time in four months in December, when lenders offered fewer conventional and government products, particularly Veterans Affairs-guaranteed loans, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Former CFPB Director Richard Cordray and consumer advocates have designed a proposed state consumer agency that would subject more financial firms and fintechs to state oversight.

The delinquency rate for commercial mortgage-backed securities ended 2019 at its lowest point in nearly 11 years, aided by increased issuance and the resolution of legacy transactions, Fitch Ratings said.

Bolstered by a high demand by both lenders and borrowers, 2020's commercial and multifamily loan volume is anticipated to shoot well past last year's record total but adapting to the LIBOR and CECL shifts will provide challenges, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The estimated number of mortgage professionals employed by nondepository institutions inched down in November 2019 following a surge in the previous month.

If Amazon.com's botched expansion in New York City offers a cautionary tale, Google is showing there's another way.