Industries

For renter households in the U.S., new research on the current market has told a persistently troublesome story, with falling vacancy rates pushing rents higher and forcing households to spend greater shares of their incomes on housing.

Mortgage applications rose 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Dec. 4, compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

High loan-to-value ratio lending is gaining ground, spurred by the reintroduction 12 months ago of GSE-backed products that only require a 3% down payment, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Mortgage credit availability declined in November because of a reduction in the number of adjustable-rate mortgage programs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Homeowners continue to overvalue their homes, in comparison to what appraisers believe, although the gap has narrowed for three straight months, according to Quicken Loans.

There has been a sharp decrease in the number of incoming appraisers, largely due to outdated and untenable certification requirements. Here's how to fix the situation.

Luxury home prices fell in the third quarter, while the rest of the housing market rose in price, Redfin said.

More consumers expressed worries about the housing market, as prospects for higher income remained suppressed, Fannie Mae said.

Issues with upgrading software and ensuring pricing accuracy to comply with the consumer bureau's "integrated disclosures" have been magnified in wholesale loan transactions.

The number of homes in negative equity continued to shrink, but overall levels of negative equity remain high and are holding back a full-scale housing market recovery, according to Zillow.

American Homes 4 Rent, the largest publicly traded U.S. single-family home landlord, agreed to acquire a smaller competitor, American Residential Properties, in a deal valued at $1.5 billion, including debt.

When news broke in October that New York's Stuyvesant Town was being sold, observers expected the $3 billion loan on the property to be paid off without a glitch.

Mortgage rates went down as Treasury yields fell on weak manufacturing data, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Add retail customers to the list of groups raising concerns about possible high-pressure product-sales tactics at Wells Fargo; many of them are considering jumping ship in response, according to a new survey of customer attitudes at big banks. However, Wells' rivals shouldn't celebrate — they are at risk of losing customers, too, for a variety of reasons.

Private real estate investors and community-based financial institutions have developed innovative ways to preserve affordable-housing units that were in danger of losing subsidies, according to a new report.

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.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate improved by double-digit basis points in November, fulfilling Trepp's forecast for a large monthly improvement.

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.