Industries

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors recently challenged college students to examine how community banks survived the financial crisis, and the contest highlighted innovative strategies used by Main Street banks such as Bank of American Fork in Utah.

The government-sponsored enterprises are buying conforming mortgages with as little as 3% down, but the new policy can't improve the housing market by itself.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a slower pace in the year ended May, keeping more properties within reach for prospective buyers.

Demand for apartment rentals continued to rise in the second quarter, while the use of debt financing declined, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.

The California Housing Finance Agency has ended its use of a U.S. Treasury liquidity program that the agency had relied on since 2009.

Home prices rise 1.1% from April to May, according to Black Knight's Home Price Index report.

Signs of optimism are growing for acquisition, development and construction loans as banks hone strategies in a market transformed by the crisis.

The range of loan products offered by mortgage lenders and investors has been narrow since the housing crisis, but a few underserved niches are starting to make a comeback.

Housing markets are steadily improving nationwide, according to the latest Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index.

Demand for home purchases rose in June although more slowly than in previous months, the online real estate brokerage Redfin said. The firm also projected a slowdown in the rise of home values.

The U.S. economy was stronger than expected, according to Fannie Mae's analysis of this year's second quarter.

Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., reported a 40% increase in second-quarter earnings as stronger fee income from mortgages helped it overcome a considerable shrinkage in loans.

Purchases of new homes unexpectedly retreated in June and prior readings were revised down, painting a picture of less robust improvement during the industry's busiest time of year.

Ares Management LP and Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP are merging to create Ares Kayne Management LP, an alternative investment group whose $113 billion in assets will rank it among the world's biggest private equity firms. Ares Management's real estate group provides debt and equity financing for commercial properties.

One of the biggest U.S. mortgage lenders is looking to disrupt the disruptors in the market for peer-to-peer loans.

F.N.B. in Pittsburgh reported higher second-quarter profit as it booked more commercial real estate and business loans.

National Penn Bancshares in Allentown, Pa., said its second-quarter profit improved as increased real estate lending offset higher expenses.

U.S. housing-finance reform may be even more remote thanks to a provision in the Senate's transportation bill that uses the mortgage giants as a source for funds, according to lawmakers and industry groups.

Old Republic International Corp. doubled its title insurance revenue during the second quarter, while First American Corp.'s commercial title business was a significant driver of growth.

Texas Capital Bancshares in Dallas has formed a mortgage correspondent aggregation business line, to complement its existing mortgage finance business.