Economy

Julian Castro, secretary of housing and urban development, said 2015 will be a year of "housing opportunity" as the economy continues its rebound.

Yields on government-backed mortgage securities that guide U.S. home-loan rates widened to the most relative to Treasuries in almost three months as refinancing soars amid lower borrowing costs.

Standard & Poor’s agreed to a one-year suspension from rating certain commercial mortgage bonds and $80 million in fines to settle charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys Generals offices.

Justin Wheeler, who was named CEO last week of Berkadia Commercial, the commercial-mortgage business owned by Berkshire Hathaway and Leucadia National, said global investors are increasingly betting on U.S. property.

Mortgage application volume for the period ending Jan. 16 reached its highest level since June 2013, led by a 22% increase in refinance applications, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New residential construction in the U.S. rose more than forecast in December, capping the best year since 2007 and signaling the industry will probably keep expanding this year.

Mortgage brokers and nonbank lenders who operate outside the reach of federal bank regulators are thriving in Canada after the country introduced a half-dozen mortgage rules since 2008 to cool its soaring home prices.

The federal government's recent decisions to lower annual premiums for new borrowers and reduce down payment requirements suggest it has little interest in making room for private capital in the mortgage market.

In the past, the most prominent tax breaks have generally been treated as equals — the mortgage deduction is pretty much the same as, say, the capital gains preference or the charitable contributions write-off. But they're not equal.

Movement Mortgage, with more than 1,600 employees, will build a new national headquarters at the Bailes Ridge Business Park in Indian Land, S.C.

Same-sex married couples who own their homes can now change the way their property is deeded, holding it in a way that wasn't available to them before the same-sex marriage became legal in Florida this month.

Houston-area home sales hit a record high in 2014, but with low oil prices expected to drag down regional growth, the local real estate market is poised for a slower year ahead.

Standard & Poor's will be suspended for a year from rating bonds in one of its most lucrative businesses in a $60 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Obama Administration's decision to cut the FHA annual premium by 50 basis points will do little to boost a lagging housing market where banks are looking for near-zero lending risk.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions promoted John Vella to the new position of chief revenue officer in a bid to grow beyond its relationship with embattled former parent Ocwen Financial.

MGIC on Tuesday reported an increase in its quarterly earnings, as the company slashed its losses and boosted net premiums.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders hovered in January close to a nine-year high, indicating the residential real estate market is poised to expand this year.

The Ocwen spinoff Altisource Portfolio Services delivered notices to more than 800 employees and hundreds of contractors this week as part of the company's scramble to reassure investors.

First-timers may return to the market in greater numbers this year, however, according to some analysts, who point to low interest rates, a stronger job market and high rents, all of which make buying more attractive.

The city of Owensboro, Ky., has plowed through a complicated process that led to a mass foreclosure action against 21 problem properties, most of them residential. Now, the city has its sights on another set of similar problem properties for foreclosure.