Mortgages

Contract signings to purchase previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in April, underscoring the housing market's challenge centered around a persistent inventory shortage.

Mortgage rates fell for the first time in four weeks, dropping 10 basis points as investors' concerns over a government crisis in Italy drove bond yields lower.

Single-family home rentals are especially important for families who can't squeeze into a one-bedroom apartment but don't have the money to buy a house.

The Rhode Island regional agreed to buy Franklin American Mortgage. With the acquisition it would have one of the nation's 15 largest bank-owned mortgage platforms.

Portland-area home prices jumped 6.7% in March compared with a year earlier, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index.

While the rate of underwater borrowers continues to decline, many cities still struggle with a deluge of homeowners with so little equity that they have limited incentive or ability to put their homes on the market.

Fannie Mae is warning mortgage lenders and servicers about possible fraud schemes in Los Angeles County involving "34 apparently fictitious employers being used on loan applications."

Mortgage applications decreased 2.9%, falling for the eighth consecutive week even as interest rates came down from their recent highs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The ability-to-repay standard is responsible for the reduction in loan application defects over the past four-plus years, according to First American Financial.

Marin's median home price spiked to $1.15 million in April, a 10% rise from the $1.045 million median price in April 2017.

Neighborhoods — specifically those closer to downtown, like southwest Detroit — have seen increased interest from buyers in recent years. And with the interest comes increased property values and sale prices.

To make its technology more relevant to the mortgage industry, Fannie Mae is taking a new approach to developing tools that engages lenders earlier in the process and makes lending more efficient.

Although mortgage default risk remains very low, it was the only category of consumer lending to experience increases both sequentially and year-to-year in VantageScore's latest update to its index.

In another sign that Palm Beach County finally has shaken off its long economic hangover, home prices hit another post-crash high in April.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed more than forecast in March, driven by rising demand and a lack of inventory, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data.

From D.C. to Chicago, here's a look at the 12 cities where homebuyers are getting the best bang for their housing buck.

While unprecedented debt levels pose risks, lenders say there won’t be any major upset to the economy for a number of reasons, including the view Bank of Canada won’t press ahead with higher rates if signs of stress emerge.

A decrease in the availability of existing single-family homes in Maine caused an uptick in both home sales and sale prices in April.

Lenders would have a lighter data-reporting burden, but they may end up deciding to collect the data anyway.

The number of single-family houses purchased by first-time homebuyers fell year-to-year as 2018 got underway, reversing a trend that has been in place since 2014.