Housing

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.

Contrary to popular narrative, low interest rates are one of the reasons to be excited about the long-term outlook for housing.

Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages rose for the second straight week, according to Freddie Mac.

New home purchase mortgage application volume increased month-over-month in February, as mild weather and low rates encouraged a busy start to the spring buying season, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Home-price appreciation is a welcome development for households whose nest eggs were shattered by the residential real estate bust that began a decade ago.

Cities may be the top choice for millennials who rent apartments, but young homebuyers are moving in droves to the suburbs, where prices are lower and backyards are plentiful.

Mortgage applications ticked up slightly last week, as low refinance activity continued to offset gains in new purchase applications, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

First mortgage originations climbed in February as home equity loans declined, according to Equifax.

The national foreclosure inventory decreased 21.7% to about 456,000 in January, according to CoreLogic.

Consumers were feeling moderately confident about the housing market in February, Fannie Mae said.

The number of homeowners who would benefit from refinancing their mortgage has swelled since the beginning of the year, according to Black Knight Financial Services.