Originations

To monitor the health of lenders still operating, industry watchers should observe firms' abilities to meet covenant requirements, renew warehouse lines of credits and their activity in the mortgage servicing rights market, said Brian Brown, chief financial officer at Rocket Companies.

Updates will become effective on May 1 and a uniform mortgage-backed securities fee reduction will begin on April 1.

Generally positive news about the U.S. economy helped push rates lower, but worries about Congressional infighting over the debt ceiling could reverse the trend, Freddie Mac and Zillow said.

But lower mortgage rates and better traffic have made homebuilders a bit more optimistic, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

New U.S. home construction declined for a fourth-straight month in December, wrapping up a disappointing year for an industry that saw annual housing starts fall for the first time since 2009.

First tip: Don't rely too heavily on mobile to reach them.

Both government and conventional activity have picked up to start the year, as higher conforming amounts came into effect.

For those willing to experiment with the strategy, it could be a long-term differentiator.

Single-family property values during the year's final three months rose 9.2% year-over-year, but that bump fell below the 13.1% annual rise in the prior quarter.

The value of New York City's 1.1 million properties is projected to rise 6.1% for the next fiscal year, boosted by single-family home prices.