Housing

The long-delayed approval of the merger of M&T and Hudson City should have been a bright spot in postcrisis M&A, but a small footnote from the Fed quickly reminded bankers that dealmaking will remain a demanding process.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is planning to issue a final rule in the next 12 months to require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to better serve underserved markets, including manufactured housing, the agency said Thursday.

The rate of mortgage applications dropped 6.7% in the week ending Sept. 25, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Asian Real Estate Association of America has launched a two-year partnership with Radian Group's mortgage insurance unit.

A bipartisan group of housing experts is seeking to inject more discussion about the mortgage market into presidential campaigns.

Existing-home sales are predicted to increase this month after an unexpected August drop, according to Auction.com's latest Real Estate Nowcast.

The key to housing finance reform is a new securitization model that allows the private sector to price and absorb the majority of housing credit risk.

Interest rates for mortgages decreased from July to August, according to the most recent data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose 5% in July from the same month a year earlier, propelled by improving demand and limited supply.

Home prices nationwide rose 0.4% from June to July, according to Black Knight Financial Services.