Economy

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings returned to profitability in the second quarter after the previous quarter's significant loss.

The title and real estate services portion of Fidelity National Financial Inc. earned $160 million in the second quarter, up from $142 million one year prior because of higher revenue and margins.

Ares Commercial Real Estate reported a higher second-quarter profit on growth in principal lending and mortgage banking.

There was a six-basis-point decline in the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage during the week ending July 30, Freddie Mac said in its latest weekly report.

Prospect Mortgage will end any activities being undertaken as part of marketing services agreements because of regulatory risk.

Consumers hold tight to the belief that servicers are only concerned about their ability to make payments, despite a growing industry focus on customer experience.

The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill that would delay the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement of the new TILA-RESPA integrated disclosure rules. It also approved two additional bills addressing the qualified mortgage rule and GSE executive compensation.

Regulators have given the merger between CIT Group and OneWest Bank the green light — so long as CIT comes up with a revised Community Reinvestment Act plan. This condition is good news for the low-income communities impacted by the merger and sets a strong precedent for regulators' review of future bank deals.

EverBank Financial, driven by growth in jumbo mortgage originations, had second quarter home loan volume of $2.7 billion, up from $2.2 billion one year prior.

Down payments increased in size in the second quarter, as competition for homes picked up this summer, according to LendingTree.

BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., reported higher second-quarter earnings as mortgage banking and loan growth offset an increase in expenses.

Fewer Americans signed contracts in June to buy previously owned homes, representing a pause in the housing market's momentum.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is still not producing enough adequately-trained examiners necessary to monitor Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to an inspector general report.

A survey from Fannie Mae found that lenders use credit overlays in a limited manner, with some variations based on channel.

The price of loans that underlie commercial mortgage-backed securities fell from May to June, according to DebtX.

Flagstar Bank far outpaced expectations for its second-quarter results due to high loan sales and a strengthened portfolio from the subtraction of lower performing loans.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors recently challenged college students to examine how community banks survived the financial crisis, and the contest highlighted innovative strategies used by Main Street banks such as Bank of American Fork in Utah.

The government-sponsored enterprises are buying conforming mortgages with as little as 3% down, but the new policy can't improve the housing market by itself.

A dispute over pay for the chief executive officers at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could put Barack Obama and House Republicans together in an unusual alignment against a housing official appointed by the president.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a slower pace in the year ended May, keeping more properties within reach for prospective buyers.