Economy

New homes sold at a slower pace than projected in November, a sign momentum in housing is cooling as the year draws to a close.

Mortgage applications increased 7.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Dec. 18, compared to a week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Arch Mortgage Insurance introduced a new pricing program to better aligns a policy's risk with the amount of the premium. But analysts have expressed concerns about pricing competition.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency appears to be on course to decide next year whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should update their credit scoring models.

Existing-home sales plummeted in November confirming fears in the mortgage industry that a new consumer disclosure rule is delaying mortgage closings.

Vestin Realty Mortgage I Inc. in Las Vegas said it will seek to remove its common stock from trading on Nasdaq.

Sales of previously owned homes slumped in November to the lowest level since April of last year as a change in industry rules lengthened the amount of time it took buyers to close on a deal.

Home prices are likely to decline because of the increase in short-term interest rates, but observers are split on whether it will hurt or help sales.

Home prices rose in October as the improving job market stirred competition for a dwindling inventory of listings.

One factor usually overlooked is the supply of single-family homes that are locked up as rentals.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is giving private mortgage insurers some hope this holiday season that they might get a chance to offer deeper mortgage insurance on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loans.

The recovery in the housing market will slow dramatically over the next 10 months, according to Weiss Analytics.

Some mortgage investors are refusing to buy home loans that are at risk of violations of new consumer-disclosure rules. The problem appears to be worst among nonagency jumbo loans purchased by private investors.

Multifamily properties are getting pricy and new construction is putting upward pressure on vacancy rates, worrying banking regulators.

National Cooperative Bank has formed a partnership to invest $40 million in an effort to provide loans for resident-owned manufactured home communities.

CoreLogic has agreed to buy FNC, a provider of real estate software, for $475 million in cash.

Sen. Bob Corker championed a provision he added to the budget bill that would temporarily prevent the Treasury Department from recapitalizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and discussed other banking priorities in a sitdown interview.

Fannie Mae's final risk-sharing transaction of the year was with reinsurers.

Freddie Mac will begin issuing single-family mortgage-backed securities sometime next year via the new common securitization platform, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Thursday.

Lenders continued to ease loan standards across all types of mortgage products in the fourth quarter and they expect the trend to continue, according to Fannie Mae.