Economy

Mortgage rates increased for the second week in a row as the Federal Reserve decided to raise short-term interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.

Analysts at Kroll Bond Rating Agency predict issuance in bonds backed by commercial mortgages could hit $125 billion next year, even with borrowing costs rising as interest rates go up.

Mortgage stocks for the most part saw price per share gains in the wake of the Federal Open Markets Committee decision to raise short-term rates.

Real estate finance services provider Chronos Solutions in Frisco, Texas, has acquired San Diego-based mortgage technology company Cogent Road.

Credit scores on closed loans have declined for six consecutive months, according to the latest Ellie Mae Origination Insight report.

A new report from Fannie Mae suggests the millennial generation is getting a move on.

Mortgage applications declined 1.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Dec. 11 compared to a week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New-home construction rebounded in November, led by gains in single-family dwellings that signal the residential real estate industry will continue to support growth in the world's largest economy.

Affordable apartments have not been this hard to find in decades, and a new Mortgage Bankers Association study suggests there are ways existing public-private partnerships could do more to address the concern.

The agency released a plan Tuesday that would provide incentives for owners of manufactured housing communities to reform their practices if they want to tap financing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate improved from October to November, according to Fitch Ratings.

Total commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding increased in the third quarter, in a quarterly comparison, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The number of residential properties with negative equity continued to decline in the third quarter, according to CoreLogic.

Fannie Mae is offering yet another carrot to lenders that have lobbied extensively for relief from loan repurchases.

Potential homeowners won't let the Federal Reserve's potential rate hike this week prevent them from buying a house, according to Zillow.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency unveiled a new proposal Tuesday that would detail how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should serve three underserved markets: manufactured housing, affordable housing preservation and rural markets.

Confidence among homebuilders in December slipped further away from a decade high, a sign progress in the housing industry may moderate as developers fret over rising costs for lots and labor.

Freddie Mac plans to issue $976 million of multifamily mortgage-backed securities later this week.

The answer to lower costs, higher efficiency, and better record keeping for compliance lies in eSignature, e-documents, and e-mortgages, the foundation for which has legally been in place for 15 years now.

Mortgage lenders and servicers weary from a raft of regulatory changes in recent years may see some respite in 2016, but still face some tough issues ahead. Here's the most pressing.