Housing

Wells Fargo has hired two executives to expand its lending for manufactured housing, following the San Francisco company's purchase of a multibillion-dollar loan portfolio from GE Capital.

The price of homes rose 0.3% in April from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Purchases of new homes rose in May to the highest level in seven years, signaling the industry is gaining momentum heading toward the second half of the year.

Fewer consumers today believe it's difficult to get a mortgage than a year ago. However, the majority of survey respondents still think the origination process is too tough and that there are too few homes on the market.

Previously owned homes sold in May at the fastest pace since November 2009, driven by first-time buyers and indicating budding momentum in the residential real estate market.

A Lone Star Funds affiliate agreed to buy U.S. apartment landlord Home Properties Inc. in a transaction valued at about $7.6 billion, including debt.

U.S. consumers are increasingly using their credit cards rather than tapping home-equity credit lines to pay debts or finance a big purchase, according to Sanford C. Bernstein.

KB Home rose the most in three months after reporting fiscal second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates and a jump in orders for houses.

Black and Hispanic home-loan applicants in New York are more than twice as likely to be denied as white applicants, a study by StreetEasy found.

Pressure from community groups forced Valley National Bancorp to strengthen its commitment to lend in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in order to win approval for a Florida acquisition. Other banks, too, are now placing CRA efforts front-and-center as they aim to sell deals to the public and their regulators.

Homebuyers snapped up properties more quickly in May, the brokerage firm Redfin said.

Mortgage rates dropped as Europeans worrying about a Greek default beefed up investments in American mortgage-backed bonds.

Optimism abounds in Fannie Mae's survey of mortgage lenders for the second quarter of 2015.

Residential mortgages for new purchases increased in May, after a steady decline for the previous 12 months, according to Ellie Mae's monthly volume report.

Amalgamated Bank in New York has reached an agreement with a real estate firm to provide construction loans for apartment and condo buildings in New York.

One mortgage executive says there is a continuing need for lenders, real estate agents, consumer groups and government to educate consumers to their options when it comes to financing a home.

The homebuilding industry enjoyed its best two months in more than seven years as it headed into its busiest season, even as it began work on fewer houses last month following an April surge.

U.S. Bancorp has contributed $75,000 to the production of a video series that discusses the importance of having access to safe, stable housing.

The decline in foreclosures and short sales is contributing to the dearth of housing inventory, complicating the prospects for home buyers feeling the pinch of tight credit and lenders that need purchase mortgages to supplant refinancing once interest rates rise.

Down payments decreased in size in the first quarter, as mortgage lenders loosen underwriting requirements in the quest for higher volume, LendingTree said in a report.