Economy

By selecting a niche, originators do not need to have the best rates to attract new business.

MetLife Inc. stepped up its investment in commercial real estate last year, the life insurer announced.

Stability is gradually returning to the housing market following the foreclosure crisis, according to Freddie Mac.

The Treasury Department has exceeded its authority by keeping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in conservatorship so long and taking all their profits, two legislative experts said Thursday.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in December by the most in a year, a sign the industry’s recovery remains uneven.

The U.S. homeownership rate fell to the lowest in more than two decades in the fourth quarter as many would-be buyers stayed on the sidelines, giving the rental market a boost.

Freddie Mac priced its first Structured Agency Credit Risk transaction of the year. The Series 2015-DN1 was upsized to $880 million from $775 million originally.

South Florida is inching closer to housing stability, according to a monthly report by Freddie Mac.

Two affordable-housing organizations — one based in Old Saybrook and the other in Old Lyme — have joined together in a move that representatives say could lead to new housing opportunities.

Mortgage interest rates rose by three basis points compared with the previous week, the first time there has been an increase since the last week of December, according to Freddie Mac.

Regulatory attention is supposed to be laser-focused on servicers right now, especially when it comes to how consistent they are in applying workouts. So regulators should be looking closely at whether loans have forbearance.

A judge rejected a bid by the U.S. to put on hold a series of suits by Fairholme Funds and other investors challenging the diversion of profits from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to the Treasury.

Fannie Mae recently released its Collateral Underwriter automated risk assessment tool, which evaluates the risk associated with appraisals. It does not accept or reject appraisals, nor does it provide lenders with an estimate of a property's value.

If Zillow is allowed to acquire rival Trulia, the company says it will maintain both brands' websites.

Purchase loan volume increased in December, reversing a four-month decline, according to the mortgage data firm Ellie Mae.

Before the Dodd Frank Act went into effect in 2010, the residential mortgage market was in an entirely different state — particularly in regards to servicing. Several large servicers dominated the market, but ultimately shed most of their servicing assets, creating a substantially large segment of midsize servicers.

Aiming to address a nationwide shortage of affordable housing, FHA has launched a risk-sharing pilot program that it hopes will encourage community development lenders to finance the rehabilitation of smaller multifamily apartments.

Arch Capital Group is repurposing a subsidiary to insure mortgages that are headed for private securitizations. Insuring such loans separately from the unit that works with Fannie and Freddie lets Arch offer more favorable terms to lenders.

You can team up with another mortgage originator to make sure you act on your marketing plan.

Mortgage applications were down for the first time this year as both purchase and refinance activity decreased.