Underwriting

Funding for housing counseling represents a minuscule fraction of total spending on housing-related initiatives. Still, some question whether taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck.

Mortgage credit availability increased last month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Lereta, a real estate tax firm in Covina, Calif., has acquired Industry Consulting Group, a property tax services company with offices in Dallas and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Fannie said it will immediately begin accepting applications for fixed-rate 97% loan-to-value financing of borrowers with FICO scores as low as 620. Freddie, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach, delaying the start of the program, requiring credit counseling, and in some cases only allowing FICO scores as low as 660.

Title insurance premium volume decreased in the third quarter compared to a year earlier due to a struggling purchase market and declining refinance activity.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set terms for letting borrowers put down as little as 3% of a home's cost to get mortgages, a step criticized by Republican lawmakers as a return to risky lending.

The Federal Housing Administration said no county in the nation will experience a decrease from this year's loan limits.

Zillow research shows entrepreneurs get fewer loan quotes than salaried workers despite higher incomes.

Profits from originating mortgages dipped during the third quarter, with independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of banks reporting an average gain of $897, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Here is a checklist of important items in order to get a report approved in record time.

Despite the opinions of many that low-down-payment mortgages didn't cause the housing crisis, the fact is that these types of loans did contribute mightily to the bubble that burst.

The government-sponsored enterprises' regulator has increased Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits in 46 high-cost counties.

New initiatives meant to increase access to credit have rekindled the debate over whether housing counseling is the best and most cost-effective way for preparing consumers to become mortgage borrowers.

Lenders who make or buy non-qualified mortgages are learning how to get more of a handle on the risks, in part by ensuring they don't stray too far away from QM boundaries.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac updated their representation and warranties frameworks in a move designed to encourage mortgage lenders to ease credit restrictions by limiting repurchase requirements.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's new low down payment loans products may not represent such a risk to the Federal Housing Administration program as some have feared.

The Federal Housing Administration's mortgage insurance fund is finally in the black, but not strong enough that the agency is likely to lower premiums anytime soon.