Mortgages

Home prices rose 5.8% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier as buyers competed for a tight supply of listings.

An increased level of home-purchase mortgage applications led to continued improvement in the U.S. housing market in December, according to Freddie Mac.

The volume of all mortgage loan applications declined 4.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Feb. 19, compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Economic data and corporate earnings reports released Tuesday make it easy to remember why the housing market is expected to be one of the economy's bright spots for years to come.

Nationstar Mortgage is in the market with the second rated securitization of what are nonperforming Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loans, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., has entered the residential mortgage market and hired a banker to lead the new loan group.

Purchases of new homes dropped more than forecast in January as contract signings slumped in the western U.S. by the most since May 2010.

Despite dire predictions by banks and others that new mortgage rules by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would cut off access to credit, the industry is performing well two years after the regulations went into effect, according to the agency's top official.

The inventory of homes for sale in the U.S. declined in January, while home prices continue to rise, according to Zillow.

Meaningful rules encouraging Fannie and Freddie to do more with manufactured housing would allow more lenders into the market and make pricing more competitive.

Bank mortgage originations were up 7% in the fourth quarter of 2015, while the number of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured institutions that deal primarily in mortgages dropped more than 9% from a year ago.

Low- to moderate-income consumers and minorities face a difficult time when it comes to buying a home in New York, according to an affordable housing advocacy group.

Sales of previously owned homes unexpectedly rose in January to the second-highest pace since early 2007, indicating the industry will keep prospering.

The affordable housing market has dried up in major cities across the country. In response, regulators and lenders are looking into new programs to get people back into single-family homes while also exploring ways to encourage multifamily developments.

Home values in 20 U.S. cities steadied in the year ended December, putting residential real estate on healthier footing to contribute to the economic expansion.

Law enforcement authorities raided the headquarters of United Mortgage Trust in Grapevine, Texas, on Feb. 18, seeking documents related to the company's management.

The Treasury Department will invest an additional $2 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program into a federal fund that seeks to protect homeowners from foreclosure.

About half of U.S. consumers expect their homes to keep rising in value this year, even with three years of increases under their belt, according to LoanDepot.

Mortgage loan delinquencies declined in January, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Bank of America on Monday will launch a 3% down payment home loan in partnership with Freddie Mac, but the bank will not retain any risk if the loans default. That’s because it will immediately will sell the loans and servicing rights to Self-Help Federal Credit Union, a Durham, N.C., community development lender that's on a mission to put more low- and moderate-income families into homes of their own.