Economy

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3.85% this week, up from 3.8% last week and the highest since mid-March.

Mortgage origination activity slowed in the first quarter compared with the fourth quarter of 2014, but showed improvement on a year-over-year basis.

Abid Gilani, a Wells Fargo senior vice president, was one of the victims in the derailment of an Amtrak train outside of Philadelphia on Tuesday.

WashingtonFirst Bankshares in Reston, Va., has agreed to buy direct mortgage lender 1st Portfolio Holding Corp. in Fairfax, Va.

With support from Bank of America, a nonprofit lender is trying to revitalize Detroit by offering no-down-payment mortgages at up to 150% of a home's assessed value. The idea is to provide borrowers with enough cash to buy run-down homes and fix them up, and if the program works as promised it could prove to be a template for lending in other cities — like Baltimore — that have large swaths of boarded-up homes.

PrimeLending, a subsidiary of PlainsCapital Corp., has created a program aimed at providing closing cost assistance for underserved communities.

ACORE Capital announced Tuesday its formation as a commercial real estate finance and risk management solutions provider.

ING Real Estate Finance said that Craig Bender will reclaim his position as managing director as ING relaunches its U.S. real estate lending operations.

Home values rose in April but could not fully make up for the decline the month prior, according to Quicken Loans.

A survey of housing experts found that, while most believe it will become easier to obtain a mortgage in the next few years, renters may still not buy homes because of their economic situations.

The number of mortgage loan products offered increased in April, driven by lenders adding the FHA's 203K home improvement program, VA offerings and jumbo products to their mix.

WASHINGTON — A new mortgage disclosure regime due to take effect on Aug. 1 is unlikely to cause closing delays, according to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray.

There continues to be improvement in the number of distressed homes nationwide, according to a report from CoreLogic.

Can Rupert Murdoch take an online fixer-upper and turn it into a digital real estate profit spinner? We're about to find out.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp.'s net earnings rose in the first quarter to $13.3 million, more than seven times higher than its income of $1.8 million during the same period in 2014.

More lenient capital requirements than expected from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were good news for two legacy private mortgage insurers, but another is facing a bigger deficit than initially thought.

In response to the guidance offered by one of our commenters recently, Freddie Mac sets the record straight about their review process.

A lot of bankers want on-balance-sheet mortgages declared ultrasafe under federal rules, and Wells Fargo executive Brad Blackwell explains why he thinks it's in their self-interest more than ever to live up to their arguments in favor of such a policy.

Genworth Financial Inc., the insurer divesting units after posting record losses, has sold 14% of its Australian mortgage-guaranty unit, the company announced on May 11.

Home prices climbed in 85% of U.S. metropolitan areas in the first quarter as low mortgage rates and the strongest labor market in almost seven years spurred demand.