Economy

The year opened with hopes that regulatory and enforcement pressures would abate for the mortgage industry. The reality has turned out quite differently.

From funding sources to home prices, here's a look at five questions lenders must ask themselves before they can safely originate 1% down mortgages.

Credit risk transfers have emerged as more than just a method for mitigating taxpayer exposure. They could be a key component of comprehensive housing finance reform.

Closed for nearly 30 years, the massive Michigan Central Station in Detroit is widely known for its ornate architecture and haunting emptiness and decay, but so far has missed out on the surge in redevelopment happening in the city.

The percentage of people who said July was a bad time to buy a home increased to a survey high because of rising prices, according to Fannie Mae.

In June 2007, the Orange County, Calif., median home selling price hit $645,000 — a high point near the end of that era's crazy, risky lending and home buying insanity. In less than two years, a violent downturn slashed the typical local home's value almost in half.

The nonbank mortgage sector had its largest one-month employment gain in a year, as independent mortgage bankers and brokers enjoyed stronger-than-expected originations during the second quarter.

Old pastures, tired citrus groves and vacant land are quickly transforming into metro Orlando neighborhoods, with about 4,000 new houses underway during the most recent quarter, a new study shows.

Home sales in Connecticut got a bit of a pop in June, rising to their highest level for the month since 2006 and prices inched up modestly.

With fewer CMBS deals coming to market — partly as a result of risk-retention rules — an independent finance company like Ladder Capital can’t always wait to piggyback on Wall Street’s transactions.

The government-sponsored enterprise is still looking for the right balance between offering a product that's attractive to investors and a cost-effective way to reduce risk.

Home prices in Canada’s largest city posted their biggest monthly drop in at least 17 years in July and sales plunged as government efforts to cool the market and the near-collapse of a mortgage lender made buyers leery.

After launching construction lending support via Encompass in February, Ellie Mae sees shrinking construction loan closing times and increased volume.

Homeowners who live near Trader Joe's may benefit from more than just easy access to cookie butter and other popular specialty items, a new study suggests.

Housing construction in the Twin Cities metro rose nearly 17 percent in July, but most of that gain was apartments.

So-called transitional lending has traditionally been kept on balance sheet; but it’s become attractive to bundle the loans for transactions called (take a deep breath) commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations. Can investors stomach the features these deals sported before the crisis?

Long the top choice for international buyers in the U.S., Florida also leads the country for foreign buyers selling off their real estate stakes.

Saying he was fed up co-existing with town officials, the owner of a 1750s-era house on Main Street in Rowley, Mass., has put the home and the 6.8 acres it sits on up for sale and is encouraging developers to build affordable housing there.

FHFA Director Mel Watt said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot use alternative credit models until other issues are resolved first.

A bipartisan duo of lawmakers is set Tuesday to introduce a bill designed to increase homeownership opportunities for “credit invisible” consumers.