Mortgages

Almost seven years after the financial crisis, bond investors are rediscovering their appetite for new debt tied to the housing market.

The homebuilding industry enjoyed its best two months in more than seven years as it headed into its busiest season, even as it began work on fewer houses last month following an April surge.

Casey Crawford went from playing on a team that won the Super Bowl to running a mortgage company that he expects to originate almost $8 billion in U.S. home loans this year.

U.S. Bancorp has contributed $75,000 to the production of a video series that discusses the importance of having access to safe, stable housing.

The decline in foreclosures and short sales is contributing to the dearth of housing inventory, complicating the prospects for home buyers feeling the pinch of tight credit and lenders that need purchase mortgages to supplant refinancing once interest rates rise.

California Gov. Jerry Brown violated state law by diverting more than $331 million in mortgage settlement funds for uses unrelated to housing, a Superior Court judge ruled.

Throwing bodies at TRID implementation won't solve problems. Using technology to automate origination processes can help rein in costs and maintain compliance.

RealtyMogul.com said it reached agreements for a total of $250 million in capital, which it will use to offer new products.

Radian Group in Philadelphia began a sale of $300 million in senior notes.

Union Mortgage Group's Irina Hines has faced her share of unique loan scenarios, but says dealing with the stresses of the job are worth it when clients are happy.

Down payments decreased in size in the first quarter, as mortgage lenders loosen underwriting requirements in the quest for higher volume, LendingTree said in a report.

Southern California homebuilders Standard Pacific and Ryland Group said they agreed to merge, creating a company with about 74,000 home sites and resources to expand.

A new Department of Housing and Urban Development policy will make it easier for servicers to transfer certain reverse mortgages back to HUD instead of foreclosing on widowed nonborrower spouses.

Community West Bancshares in Goleta, Calif., said that a litigation settlement concerning its sale of residential-mortgage loans will reduce its second-quarter profit.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending June 12.

Highlands Bancorp in Vernon, N.J., has acquired LCD Mortgage, a residential mortgage originator in Totowa, N.J.

Transactions involving residential mortgage-backed securities should include a manager to improve accountability, Fitch Ratings has recommended.

A decade after home sales peaked, 15.4% of owners in the first quarter owed more on their mortgages than their properties were worth.

Several House lawmakers joined the call Thursday for a formal grace period for new mortgage disclosures that would go beyond an earlier decision by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro touted the Federal Housing Administration’s recent improvement on Thursday, saying it was on a trajectory to hit its statutory minimum and had recently seen a "significant uptick in refinancings."