Economy

Seasonal hiring gave employment among nonbank mortgage lenders and brokers a boost in April and partially reversed an earlier decline despite growing signs of consolidation in the industry.

The federal government has opened a criminal investigation into whether traders manipulated prices in the $550 billion market for corporate bonds issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to people familiar with the matter.

Once again there were too many buyers and too few available homes in Tampa Bay and a few other parts of Florida in April.

Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed legislation that would have asserted state authority over local zoning efforts aimed at creating affordable housing in gentrifying neighborhoods.

Remax Holdings is focused on "what it does best" with its Motto Mortgage business and in facing off against Zillow's new home buying and selling initiative, a company executive said.

Citizens Bank's $511 million acquisition of Franklin American Mortgage will beef up the bank's servicing portfolio and diversify its origination business at a time when higher interest rates have put a damper on refinance volume.

There are almost 7 million coastal homes facing more than $1.6 trillion in potential storm-surge reconstruction expenses this year, representing a 6.6% cost increase from last year's hurricane season.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in April, underscoring the housing market's challenge centered around a persistent inventory shortage.

Single-family home rentals are especially important for families who can't squeeze into a one-bedroom apartment but don't have the money to buy a house.

The Rhode Island regional agreed to buy Franklin American Mortgage. With the acquisition it would have one of the nation's 15 largest bank-owned mortgage platforms.

Portland-area home prices jumped 6.7% in March compared with a year earlier, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index.

While the rate of underwater borrowers continues to decline, many cities still struggle with a deluge of homeowners with so little equity that they have limited incentive or ability to put their homes on the market.

Fannie Mae is warning mortgage lenders and servicers about possible fraud schemes in Los Angeles County involving "34 apparently fictitious employers being used on loan applications."

Marin's median home price spiked to $1.15 million in April, a 10% rise from the $1.045 million median price in April 2017.

Neighborhoods — specifically those closer to downtown, like southwest Detroit — have seen increased interest from buyers in recent years. And with the interest comes increased property values and sale prices.

To make its technology more relevant to the mortgage industry, Fannie Mae is taking a new approach to developing tools that engages lenders earlier in the process and makes lending more efficient.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed more than forecast in March, driven by rising demand and a lack of inventory, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data.

Freddie Mac's economists took a more bullish outlook than others on the 2018 mortgage market, raising its forecast by $30 billion citing higher-than-projected refinance activity.

Even as it struggles to shelter its rapidly growing population, Idaho built new housing units at a faster pace than all but one other state, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

If Atlanta wins Amazon's second headquarters, the region will get wealthier, but the demand for homes will soar and the gap between haves and have-nots will also likely surge.