Economy

Recent moves to offer low down payment loans and cheaper mortgage insurance have been met with mixed reaction, as the opportunity for increased homeownership must be weighed against the potential of riskier lending practices.

NewDay Financial has agreed to a $2 million fine after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged that the mortgage lender engaged in an improper kickback scheme and used deceptive marketing tactics targeted at veterans.

A new report from Fitch Ratings found the percentage of loan principal a lender recorded as a loss after foreclosure was similar for agency and nonagency loans.

The Great Recession may have officially ended five years ago, but you wouldn't know it by looking at construction activity in Sonoma County, Calif.

The Arizona Department of Real Estate has disciplined a number of Tucson real estate agents for trust account irregularities and audit violations, and others for unlicensed real estate activity.

Former Congressman Barney Frank, co-author of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, is not opposed to changes in the eponymous legislation, but in some cases he thinks the rules should be tightened, rather than loosened.

The North Texas home market started the new year with another big jump in prices as median home sales prices rose 12% last month from a year ago.

Black and Hispanic Americans are twice as likely as white Americans to be denied a mortgage, according to a new report.

Wilshire Bancorp in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Manhattan Bancorp's mortgage lending division.

Consumer optimism toward the housing market grew in January, a sign that the improving economy has warmed consumers to the prospect of purchasing a home, according to survey results released Monday by Fannie Mae.

Mortgage fraud risk declined in the third quarter even as property valuation fraud risk increased, according to Interthinx.

It's a mortgage on top of a mortgage, and at least one lender is making these loans again through brokers.

The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority plans to sell $150 million of mortgage finance program bonds, starting with a retail order day on Monday.

One of the culprits in the building and bursting of the nation's housing bubble, the low-down-payment mortgage, is back in favor and readily available at a lender near you.

Michigan builders are expecting an 8% increase this year in new home construction permits, good news for the industry but still far below pre-recession levels of activity.

As the New Jersey Supreme Court considers whether to intervene in the Christie administration's regulation of affordable housing, the case has brought into focus a debate over the need for such housing among low- and moderate-income residents.

Ocwen Financial Corp., which agreed with regulators in December to improve its mortgage servicing, sent Nathan Fitzgerald a notice saying his loan was in default. If he didn't send a $2,266 check immediately, Ocwen said, it would foreclose on him.

Bank of America Corp., which had been warning investors to avoid U.S. government-backed mortgage securities, reversed its call this week. The reason: oil prices are stabilizing.

After struggling for years to build a hotel plaza across from the new 49ers stadium, Joe Montana is teaming up with an experienced and wealthy developer that already has its sights set on Santa Clara.

The relationship a loan officer took several months to cultivate can be destroyed by your servicing area in just 10 minutes, affecting potential referrals or future business. Here are a few ways you can avoid that.