Housing

The availability of home loans for low credit score borrowers remains very tight by historical standards but there might be some loosening in 2016 if the Federal Reserve begins raising interest rates.

Mortgage applications dipped slightly during Thanksgiving week on lower refinance activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's disclosure rule potentially slowing down the loan process, institutions need to focus on communication strategies to keep young borrowers at the closing table.

Home prices rose 6.8% in October compared to the same month last year, according to CoreLogic.

Loan modifications declined 18% during the third quarter to 337,000, a sign of an improving market, according to Hope Now.

HomeUnion has formed a mortgage-brokerage division that will focus on investors in single-family rental homes.

Kal Raman has resigned as president and chief executive of Xome, the digital platform of the nonbank mortgage servicer Nationstar Mortgage Holdings.

Home prices rose slightly in September, posting year-over-year growth of 5.5%, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

As affordability worsens near city centers, first-time homebuyers will move to the suburbs in greater numbers, according to 2016 predictions from Zillow.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes rose less than forecast in October after declining in the prior two months, showing residential real estate is cooling heading into the quieter selling season.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index is pursuing its slow climb, but still shows housing recovering unevenly across the nation.

Mortgage rates remained steady during the week ending Nov. 25, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

The percentage of mortgage applications with defects declined in October, according to First American Financial Corp.

Purchases of new homes rebounded in October from a 14-month low and order backlogs reached an eight-year high, indicating a pickup in residential construction.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Wednesday that conforming loan limits for mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain at existing levels except in 39 high-cost counties.

Mortgage applications fell 3.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Nov. 20 compared to one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Home prices rose 5.7% in the third quarter from a year earlier as buyers competed for a tight supply of properties on the market.

A new Fannie Mae program allowing non-borrower income to count in qualifying homeowners for low-down-payment loans received near-universal praise from industry representatives and federal officials at a recent housing symposium.

Rising incomes and other affordability markers have tempered the impact of rising home prices in hot West Coast markets, according to Pro Teck Valuation Services.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed more than forecast in September from the same month last year, signaling residential real estate is sustaining momentum.