Mortgage rates

Mr. Cooper Group took a net loss of $136 million in the fourth quarter after lower rates hurt the mark-to-market value of its larger mortgage servicing rights portfolio harder than its peers.

The increase in average mortgage rates this week should not affect the spring home purchase market because other factors remain strong, according to Freddie Mac.

Millennial homebuyers took advantage of a winter lull in interest rates, using the opportunity to refinance their loans, according to Ellie Mae.

Home price appreciation tapered as buyers battling tight inventory and rising housing costs pulled back from the market, according to CoreLogic.

Home purchaser affordability declined in the fourth quarter, which also negatively affects the amount Americans have to spend on cost-of-living expenses, a report from Zillow said.

Sales of new homes unexpectedly rose in December after a downwardly revised November reading, as lower mortgage rates and more-affordable properties offered some relief for buyers.

While millennials comprise the largest cohort of homebuyers, the aging baby boomer generation has created 7.86 million more homeowners and 2.82 million renters age 60 and older — growth rates higher than any other demographic.

The number of homes sold in Marin County, Calif., in January dipped 5.4% to 141 over the 149 homes sold in January 2018, according to CoreLogic.

Rises in the amount of low down payment loans and private mortgage insurance due to tight affordability led to the most first-time homebuyers since 2006, according to Genworth Mortgage Insurance.

Freddie Mac again increased its origination forecast for the next two years, as the rate drops of the past few months are expected to boost refinance volume.

Financing poured into purchasing homes to flip in 2018, reaching the highest total since 2007, according to Attom Data Solutions.

A strong spring home purchase season is likely to further increase mortgage loan application defect risk, which already spiked in the past two months, according to First American.

With few headlines to drive up or down movement in the bond markets, mortgage rates held steady after declining for three consecutive weeks, according to Freddie Mac.

Toll Brothers Inc.'s new home orders dropped 24% in the fiscal first quarter, the steepest annual decline for the biggest U.S. luxury homebuilder since the depths of the housing crash in 2010.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes rose by more than forecast in January, snapping a six-month streak of declines and suggesting lower mortgage rates along with a strong job market are helping stabilize demand.

Home prices in the Portland, Ore., area rose last year at their slowest rate since 2012.

Mortgage applications increased 5.3% from one week earlier, as the stable rate environment enticed homebuyers into the market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Slower home price growth and cooled mortgage rates could bring buyers out in droves in 2019, according to NerdWallet.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in December at the slowest pace in four years, continuing to decelerate as buyers balked at purchases amid still-elevated housing costs and a falling stock market.

New-home construction in December fell to the lowest since September 2016, as builders held back during a turbulent month for financial markets.