Economy

Funding for housing counseling represents a minuscule fraction of total spending on housing-related initiatives. Still, some question whether taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck.

Mortgage credit availability increased last month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Consumers were more optimistic about their ability to buy a home in November compared to the previous month, according to Fannie Mae.

Lereta, a real estate tax firm in Covina, Calif., has acquired Industry Consulting Group, a property tax services company with offices in Dallas and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Historically, net worth has been the primary, if not sole, criteria used by lenders in segmenting mortgage customers.

Renters figure to stay renters, at least for the next three years, according to a new report by Freddie Mac.

Mel Watt, down payment, homeownership, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA

Fannie said it will immediately begin accepting applications for fixed-rate 97% loan-to-value financing of borrowers with FICO scores as low as 620. Freddie, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach, delaying the start of the program, requiring credit counseling, and in some cases only allowing FICO scores as low as 660.

With some proposals still outstanding, mortgage bond market participants are concerned that eminent domain attempts would spread if a municipality makes inroads with a proposal.

Older homeowners have emerged as the pillar of the housing market following the collapse in 2008.

Title insurance premium volume decreased in the third quarter compared to a year earlier due to a struggling purchase market and declining refinance activity.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set terms for letting borrowers put down as little as 3% of a home's cost to get mortgages, a step criticized by Republican lawmakers as a return to risky lending.

Officials at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae all heaped praise on nonbank mortgage lenders for stepping up to provide loans for home purchases at a time when many banks have scaled back.

PennyMac formed the new division to provide multifamily and other commercial loans under $10 million.

Six years after a global financial crisis exacerbated by the lack of transparency in the market for U.S. mortgage debt, regulators are planning only a small step toward offering the public more information on trading.

The days of megadeals worth tens of billions of dollars for mortgage servicing rights are over.

Increased fixed costs and poor business intelligence are hurting independent mortgage bankers' bottom lines.

The State Regulatory Registry, which runs the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, says that mortgage loan originator and company renewals for 2015 are off to a strong start.

Profits from originating mortgages dipped during the third quarter, with independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of banks reporting an average gain of $897, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Principal reductions for underwater borrowers would cost approximately $89 billion, according to Black Knight.