Economy

As policymakers take another crack at housing finance reform, federal leaders and the housing lobby are once again perpetuating the false notion that ending government guarantees would cause the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage to vanish.

Housing inventory hit positive territory for the first time since 2015, but starter home volume is at a low for recent years, according to Trulia.

Sales of previously owned homes rose more than expected in the first gain in three months, indicating that job gains and tax cuts are supporting demand despite low supply.

Thanks to eager homebuyers, the Albuquerque metro housing market continued an upward trend last month, despite a short supply of single-family homes for sale.

Home sales took off in the Portland area last month, perhaps as buyers tried to get ahead of rising mortgage rates.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson told lawmakers that overly rigid False Claims Act enforcement had forced lenders to suffer financially for what were just minor errors, but that lenders' fears of being sued were dissipating.

Home Captain, a fintech company that looks to increase mortgage-lead conversion rates, completed a Series A financing round led by Spring Mountain Capital.

Developers built nearly 24,000 apartments in the Twin Cities since 2010 in what's been seen as a booming market. But the action this year and next will blow all that away.

The homeownership rate in the Buffalo Niagara region dropped to its second-lowest level in 25 years in 2017, according to new data released by the Census Bureau.

A stronger than expected refinance market led Fannie Mae to increase its origination projections for the first quarter by nearly 4% in its March outlook.

Quicken Loans affiliate Amrock Inc. is appealing a jury verdict ordering it to pay $706.2 million to analytics company HouseCanary in a legal dispute over a software licensing agreement.

The lender acquired Esperanza Mansion, the hotel, restaurant, and wedding venue overlooking Keuka Lake, N.Y., that closed its doors in 2016, after no bids were received at a foreclosure auction on March 7.

A recently released report explores some of Duluth, Minn.'s housing challenges, including the high cost of building a single-family home in the city.

Close to a third of all home purchases were made by millennials over the past year, but tight inventory and affordability issues prevented them from reaching their buying potential, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Only a small percentage of borrowers are deterred by the higher rates seen this year, even with the additional cost making it tough for first-time buyers to find affordable properties.

Forget about the millennials. North Texas homebuilders are betting that boomers will be among the biggest buyers of new houses in the next few years.

Fannie Mae is about to roll out a new underwriting system that will address some concerns about layered risk that cropped up after it raised its maximum debt-to-income ratio.

New-home construction cooled by more than expected in February on a reversal in the volatile multifamily category, while building remained on pace to contribute to economic growth this quarter.

A day after the Senate passed regulatory relief, top House Republicans vowed to have a big say in the final version before the bill heads to the White House. That raised fresh questions about how quickly the Dodd-Frank reforms will become law.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders slipped to a four-month low in March while remaining above historical averages, indicating developers expect demand to withstand rising mortgage rates.