Mortgages

Even though the 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at its lowest level since mid-March, consumers are being cautious in returning to the market, Freddie Mac said.

Nearly all of the economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer in July expect the FOMC to reduce short-term rates, but less of them expect it to happen at the September meeting than the number who believed so last month.

The proposal would add reforms aimed at broadly prioritizing owner-occupant access and end the "test" or "demonstration" mode these sales have been in since 2002.

The number of properties sold over the past year was the fewest since 2009, the National Association of Realtors said.

The final rule governing the use of automated valuation models for home assessments is substantially similar to the initial proposal made last June.

It has become the 29th state to bar NTRAP contracts, with Illinois' legislation on it pending the governor's signature, according to American Land Title Association data.

Total housing starts increased 3% to a 1.35 million annualized rate last month, driven by a 19.6% surge in multifamily construction, according to government data released Wednesday.

Refinance transactions shot up over 15% to their highest volume in almost two years, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Some commenters on the Federal Housing Finance Agency's request for input about the Federal Home Loan Bank system mission demand more focus on affordable housing while others firmly advocated against member incentive programs.

Rocket Mortgage relied on a biased appraisal when it denied a borrower's refinance application in Denver three years ago, the housing agency claims.