Economy

Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level in more than a year and a half as falling oil prices and concerns about the strength of the euro drove investors to the safety of the U.S. government bonds that guide borrowing costs.

After the release of President Obama's plan to make housing more affordable by cutting mortgage-insurance premiums charged by a federal agency, bond investors responded by pushing up interest rates on the same loans.

President Obama is expected to announce a half-percentage-point reduction in the Federal Housing Administration's annual premium during a housing policy speech Thursday in Phoenix.

Consumers remained cautious about the housing market in December despite optimism that the economy is improving, according to Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday authorized the first use of drones for real estate photography.

The diversity of the U.S. population is at a tipping point and originators need to prepare to serve the needs of this growing pool of customers.

Angelo Gordon & Co. is seeking to raise as much as $750 million for a fund to invest in soured mortgages as banks and government agencies sell boom-era home loans at discounts.

The amount of commercial mortgage debt maturing is set to spike this year, when loans taken out during the height of the real estate bubble start coming due.

Takeovers among real estate investment trusts are poised to accelerate as shareholder activism increases and executives become more receptive to deals, according to research firm Green Street Advisors.

An independent mortgage bank will sell a mortgage servicing rights portfolio with $4.2 billion in unpaid principal balance, an advisor to the transaction announced this week.

Manhattan apartment prices jumped to the highest point since their 2008 peak as buyers competed for a limited supply of homes and deals were completed in new luxury developments.

Ranieri Partners and WL Ross & Co. are selling its commercial real estate advisory services company, Situs, to Stone Point Capital.

Mortgage denials in 2013 were comparable to those recorded a decade ago, analyses of HMDA data show, challenging perceptions about how easy lending really was during the era of "pulse" loans and "fog-a-mirror finance."

Madison International Realty in New York has acquired 5.3% of the outstanding shares of Monogram Residential Trust.

Leading commercial real estate lenders expect loan volume in 2015 to top 2014, driven by refinancing of maturing debt and strong market fundamentals.

The CFPB’s rapid pace is likely to continue this year as it tackles some of its trickiest areas yet, including payday loans, debt collection and overdraft protection, which are likely to have a significant impact on the financial services arena.

Kenneth Phelan was hired by the U.S. Treasury Department for the newly created position of chief risk officer, a role he previously took at Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Fannie Mae in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., has sold nearly $267 million of commercial loans to an investor group.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group fell after the Times reported in London that the U.K. lender could pay at least $7.7 billion to resolve claims of misconduct in its handling of U.S. mortgage securities.

Take a look back at National Mortgage News' top stories of 2014.