Housing

People's United Financial in Bridgeport, Conn., reported higher first-quarter profits as it increased lending for both commercial and residential real estate.

Rates for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose slightly last week, as recent figures showing an active home-sales market suggest homebuyers are taking advantage of current conditions, according to Freddie Mac.

Home prices rose 0.4% in February from the prior month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as job growth fueled demand for a scant supply of listings.

Home sellers realized a 17% average gain in price in March, the highest average gain since December 2007, according to RealtyTrac.

Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes rose more than projected in March, indicating resilience in demand heading into the spring selling season.

Bucking their rent-not-own reputation, millennials are looking forward to buying a home, but many have grossly underestimated just how much they'll need for that all-important down payment.

Its first-quarter earnings fell nearly 50%, to $69 million, as revenue declined and it took a $13 million loss on debt repurchases.

New-home construction in the U.S. slumped more than projected in March, reflecting a broad-based retreat that showed the industry lost momentum heading into the busiest time of year.

The National Association of Realtors is teaming up with a coalition of environmental groups, taxpayer advocates and insurance companies to push Congress on flood insurance reforms.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders was little changed in April, indicating the housing market lacked momentum as the spring selling season got under way.

M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y., for the first time was able to report a full-quarter impact from its acquisition of Hudson City Bancorp, which took about three-and-a-half years to complete because of regulatory challenges.

Freedom Mortgage has agreed to pay $113 million to settle government allegations that it failed to comply with Federal Housing Administration requirements for originating and servicing FHA-insured loans.

While soaring real estate prices and ludicrous rents have ceased being news in places called Pacific Heights or Park Slope, the dual tsunamis of gentrification that submerged both coasts are moving inland.

The tax benefits of homeownership, which generations of U.S. residents have counted on, have been elusive for typical buyers since mortgage rates started tumbling in 2008.

Even while FHFA finally embarked on a principal reduction plan, critics argued it was a dangerous idea that made Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac less safe while helping relatively few people.

Purchase mortgage activity, which normally picks up in March and April, is getting an extra boost from an improving economy, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

FHFA Director Mel Watt acknowledged that the principal reduction program may seem "too small and too late."

The number of new foreclosure filings in the first quarter stood at their lowest level in more than nine years, RealtyTrac reported.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans dropped to the lowest level in almost three years, aiding homebuyers during the housing market's busiest season for transactions.

Mutual of Omaha Bank and an affiliate of PlainsCapital Bank in Dallas have partnered to sell residential mortgages.