Economy

The financial crisis turned a lot of Americans into renters, because they couldn’t keep paying their mortgage, or because high unemployment and stagnant wages in the ensuing years forced them to put off homeownership.

The Federal Home Loan Bank system is not a private country club and shouldn't be operating as one. Captive insurance companies represent new potential to expand homeownership opportunities for credit-worthy borrowers.

Strong demand for rentals will keep pace with new construction over the next few years, the government-sponsored enterprise says.

There were 3.1 million homes and condos sold during 2015, a nine-year high. From the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul to Salem, the capitol of Oregon, here's a look at the 10 markets with the biggest year-over-year percent increases in home sales.

Home prices rose in 81% of U.S. metropolitan areas in the fourth quarter, even as the pace of sales slowed from earlier in the year, the National Association of Realtors said.

Foreclosures nationwide continued to decrease in December, according to CoreLogic.

The market for U.S. government mortgage-backed securities remains deeply liquid despite signs that trading conditions have weakened, according to researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Walter Investment Management Corp. has named David Schneider as president of servicing and originations at Ditech Financial.

The price of the loans underlying commercial mortgage-backed securities declined 210 basis points during 2015, amid a broad rise in interest rates, according to DebtX.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's indirect response to Quicken Loans' Super Bowl 50 commercial implicitly warns consumers to be wary of technology, which points to a bigger problem: does the CFPB even know what it wants from the mortgage industry?

Funding needed to construct houses is fairly plentiful, but homebuilders are still having trouble lining up financing to purchase and develop land. As a result, buildable lots are in short supply — and far more expensive.

The San Francisco Bay Area housing market has seen values that have risen to unsustainable levels, according to Fitch Ratings.

The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index fell 1.7 points to 81.5 in January, reflecting the effects of decreasing housing affordability.

The nonbank mortgage sector ended 2015 with 12,300 more full-time employees than in December 2014.

Hotel property owners will discover that interest rates have climbed, if they try to refinance loans this year, Fitch Ratings said.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in January, on a decline in some Federal Housing Administration and conventional offerings, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Genworth's U.S. mortgage insurance business earned $179 million in 2015, but the parent company lost $615 million as it still has problems with its long-term care insurance product.

Mortgage lenders are ramping up marketing and point-of-sale processes, in order to prepare for an environment in which home sales are expected to cool down, according to a new report by Stratmor Group.

Housing policy focused on government guarantees and the 30-year mortgage hasn't done much to help low- and middle-income homeowners build wealth.

Computershare has agreed to acquire Capital Markets Cooperative for $71.2 million.