Economy

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell by the most since January, reaching the lowest level since mid-2014 amid mounting evidence that the housing market is struggling.

Third-quarter profitability fell to 2008 levels in the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest report, suggesting the seasonally slower fourth quarter could be particularly challenging this year.

The Woolsey Fire in Southern California destroyed or damaged as much as $6 billion in real estate, a new estimate shows.

That old fixer-upper house down the block may have seen better days, but in an environment where new-home prices are on the rise, older homes remain in demand in many markets.

The sustained rise in home values will boost Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's loan limits for 2019, marking the second consecutive year in which it increased by nearly 7%.

Greenway Mortgage, a New Jersey lender that pledges to support charitable causes, is launching a consumer-direct digital mortgage division that will specialize in one-stop shopping for home renovations.

The proposal by Fannie and Freddie’s regulator to impose bank-like capital requirements would be relevant only if the companies leave conservatorship. But that hasn’t stopped lenders from requesting changes.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions plans to discontinue its buy-renovate-lease-sell business for single-family homes and sell its short-term inventory in order to cut costs and repay debt.

Rising prices and a lack of choices have pushed central Ohio home sales down for the third straight month.

After a September dip, the Central Texas housing market got off to a strong start in the fourth quarter, as home sales bounced back to hit a record high for October, the latest figures show.

Falling oil prices and continued volatility in the stock market resulted in the largest week-to-week decline in mortgage rates in over three years, according to Freddie Mac.

The effort to raise the threshold for transactions excused from appraisal requirements responds to concerns that the current threshold is outpaced by real estate prices.

Freddie Mac is expanding its Home Possible loan program to allow borrowers in rural locations to use "sweat equity" for down payments and closing expenses.

Fannie Mae's economic growth forecast for 2018 inched up slightly, but a strong labor market won't mean the same positive results for housing.

Carrington Mortgage Services has created a nondelegated correspondent channel, looking to build on relationships it has with originators that currently broker loans to the company.

The end of one-party rule in Washington could move the needle on efforts to devise a new housing finance framework.

A U.S. regulator's plan to boost capital in the mortgage-finance giants won't work unless investors get "compensated" for the billions of dollars the government has collected from the companies in recent years, one shareholder said.

Challenges will likely increase as interest rates rise and investors grow more concerned about a downward turn in the economic cycle.

Ginnie Mae is adding steps to its process for evaluating new issuers, including new notification requirements related to subservicer advances, servicing income, and borrowing facilities secured by mortgage servicing rights.

Borrowers buying new homes produced fewer loan applications than they did a year earlier due to October's rising interest rates.