Housing

Purchases of new homes climbed in February for the fourth time in the last five months as demand snapped back in the western U.S.

The House passed a bill late Monday to extend foreclosure relief for military service members through the end of next year.

Home prices rose in January as shoppers competed for a limited inventory of listings.

Eight years after the crash, the housing market still awaits the return of the first-time home buyer. Beyond the struggle to build credit to meet stricter standards, and the difficulty saving for a down payment amid skyrocketing rents and surging student loan burdens, there lies an even simpler explanation: fewer choices.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes dropped more than forecast in February as low inventory levels continue to limit progress in housing.

The Manufactured Housing Institute is calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to push the government-sponsored enterprises to purchase chattel loans.

As servicers downsize their loss mitigation units, housing counselors are finding the companies' designated points of contact are less experienced, making it more difficult to get packages approved for troubled borrowers.

Fixed-rate mortgage rates rose for the third straight week, in part due to higher inflation, Freddie Mac reported.

If the Federal Reserve raises short-term rates in June, market volatility will spur investors to buy long-term bonds, driving down the 30-year mortgage rate to around 3%, consultant Barry Habib argues.

It took an average of 46 days to close a residential mortgage loan in February, the shortest closing time since May, according to Ellie Mae.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's proposed addition to the Housing Choice Voucher Program represents a significant deviation from its stated mission of promoting homeownership.

The downturn in the refinance market led to a decline in total mortgage applications last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New-home construction rose more than economists forecast in February, led by the strongest single-family building in more than eight years, signaling continued confidence in demand for residential real estate.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.55% for the week ending March 15, according to Zillow Mortgages.

Confidence among homebuilders held in March at a nine-month low as sales prospects waned, a sign the housing market may be struggling to accelerate as the spring-selling season approaches.

Prosper Marketplace on Monday announced a three-year agreement to offer financing to consumers making improvements to their homes through the website HomeAdvisor.com.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac gave $186 million to the National Housing Trust Fund, their first such contributions to a fund designed to provide construction and rehabilitation of rental housing for low-income families.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is exploring ways to use $40 million it received as part of a private-label securities settlement to support small business development and job creation to help future homebuyers.

The American Bankers Association's mortgage subsidiary, ABA Community Bank Mortgage, has chosen BOK Financial Correspondent Lending to be its newest secondary market investor.

Single-family housing construction is set to top multifamily start for first time since the financial crisis.