Mortgages

Mortgage application defect risk was at its highest level in four years because of higher interest rates as well as natural disasters during the latter part of 2018, according to First American.

Mortgage rates moved up slightly after weeks of moderating, but are still low enough not to affect the upcoming prime home buying period, according to Freddie Mac.

Sales of single-family houses in Rhode Island dropped 15.6% in December from the same month a year ago, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said.

The Houston region registered increases in new-home sales and prices in December, bucking the trends in other large Texas cities, a new report showed.

The agency's acting director said he welcomes lawmakers' “insight and perspective” on how to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Ginnie Mae has restricted loanDepot's ability to securitize Veterans Affairs mortgages because of apparent churning of recent originations.

Planet Home Lending is finding ways to grow in an uncertain rate environment by diversifying its products and expanding its retail branch network.

Mortgage originations for the next two years will be higher than previously expected as lower interest rates at the end of 2018 will lead to more refinance volume, Freddie Mac said.

Bay Area adjacency without the exorbitant home prices make Sacramento, Calif., an attractive option for consumers, according to Redfin's migration report.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell for the third straight month in December, yet another sign the housing market is struggling amid elevated property prices and borrowing costs.

Mortgage application activity decreased 3% from one week earlier as rates for conventional loans continued to move higher, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Even with a vibrant residential real estate market in Maine's major cities, homeowners in the state tend to stay put longer than those in the 50 largest American cities.

Sales of single family-homes in the Tampa Bay area plunged in December as prices again rose.

Current housing market conditions are sending the real estate and mortgage industries back to the drawing board to craft strategies ultimately in support of customer acquisition and retention at a time when competition is tight.

A White House spokeswoman said the administration wants to work with Congress on a housing finance reform plan, providing evidence that changes might not be imminent.

Fixing the housing finance system is "the last piece of unaddressed business from the financial crisis," according to a summary of to-do items released by the Banking Committee's chairman.

Some hopeful souls in Washington believe the commercial banking industry will return to originating and servicing higher-risk mortgages, but most banks are more likely to continue withdrawing from the sector.

With its new round of funding, the mortgage fintech company will look to expand its geographic reach and reduce the mortgage closing process to a week in 2019.

PulteGroup's housing-finance unit recorded a year-to-year decline in its capture rate for the fourth quarter, as competition in the market intensified.

The same TILA-RESPA integrated disclosure errors continue to plague mortgage lenders, though those documents have been required for over three years, a report from MetaSource said.