Originations

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in September by the most since the end of 2013, indicating the residential real estate market is cooling from its recent brisk pace.

Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell three basis points during the week ending Oct. 29, as the market increasingly expects the Federal Reserve to hold off on raising rates, according to Freddie Mac.

A major investor in insurance giant American International Group is calling on the company to break itself up into three companies to get out from under its designation as one of only four systemically risky nonbanks.

New York Community Bancorp has agreed to buy Astoria Financial for about $2 billion in cash and stock, combining two of the largest New York-area banks to create an institution with about $64 billion in total assets.

Consumer demand to purchase housing increased slightly in September, compared to a year earlier, according to Redfin.

Radian Group's private mortgage insurance subsidiary pulled back from certain pricing discounts that have driven competition in recent months in that business.

While national mortgage fraud risk is on the decline, here's a look at six markets where loan defects are rising.

Nobody thought it would be pretty, but last quarter's results were even worse than expected, and low fee revenue is largely to blame. Trading and mortgage banking were particularly bad, and few of the big banks managed to offset the declines.

Mortgage application volume fell 3.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Oct. 23, compared to the previous week.

Flagstar Bancorp reported a third-quarter profit, as it originated more residential mortgages and recorded higher fee income.

Genworth Financial agreed to sell a European mortgage insurance operation to AmTrust Financial Services Inc. as CEO Tom McInerney divests assets to bolster capital amid tighter regulation on companies that back home loans in the U.S.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a faster pace in the year ended August, a sign the industry continues to strengthen on improving demand.

Combined with the disparate impact theory, recently recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court under the Fair Housing Act, the HMDA rule further compounds legal risks and business challenges to lenders.

The financial condition of the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance fund has improved “significantly” over the past year, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro predicted late Monday.

First Mortgage Corp. in Ontario, Calif., has stopped originating mortgages and plans to cease operations.

Home prices increased 0.3% from July and 5.5% year-over-year in August, putting them just below their precrisis peak, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson's term as chairman of the MBA underscores how the consumer-direct mortgage channel has grown from a quirky novelty to the force leading a technology revolution.

Purchases of new homes slumped in September to a 10-month low, disrupting a trend of steady improvement this year in the industry.

Housing markets across the U.S. continue to gradually improve, according to Freddie Mac.

Consumer demand for apartments continued to rise in the third quarter, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.