Mortgage rates

Refinance applications reached their lowest share in more than seven years even as mortgage rates fell last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

San Diego County's home market continued to show signs of decelerated growth in January, falling behind the national average for the second month in a row.

Contracts to buy previously owned homes jumped in February by the most since July 2010.

The industry expects to lean on technological efficiencies this year as higher rates and dwindling refinances test their businesses.

Affordability will be an issue in nearly half of all metropolitan areas as the home purchase season starts.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed in the 12 months through January at the fastest pace since July 2014, while nationwide the increase in property values also accelerated.

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan said the central bank should roll off both mortgage-backed securities and Treasury holdings when it begins to let its balance sheet shrink.

Rising interest rates made mortgage lenders bearish on their short-term outlook for purchase originations and that is affecting their expectations on profits.

The state's housing industry took a hit in February as the number of single-family homes and condominiums sold plunged last month and median sales prices remained flat.

South Florida's housing market may not be as frenzied as it was a few years ago, but the February figures from local Realtor boards show that sellers are still winning the price fight.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.23% for the week ending March 23, down from last week when it averaged 4.3%.

Purchases of new homes increased in February to a seven-month high, indicating the effects of the recent rise in borrowing costs on the residential real estate market have been modest.

Mortgage applications decreased 2.7% from one week earlier after the Fed announced a rate hike, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

February homes sales fell 2.6% in Wisconsin, but a shortage of homes on the market is leading to higher prices.

With interest rates on the rise, analysts say the Fed could start shrinking its unprecedented $1.75 trillion position in mortgage-backed securities by year-end.

Homes for sale listings are scarcer than they've ever been entering the spring selling season.

Mortgage rates are being pushed higher by the same economic factors that led the Federal Open Market Committee to increase short-term rates.

The strongest pace of single-family homebuilding in nearly a decade drove residential housing starts to a four-month high in February.

Slim pickings put a lid on home sales in the Twin Cities metro last month, the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors said.

Confidence among homebuilders is the strongest since the mid-2000s housing boom as sales prospects improve despite rising mortgage rates.