Real estate

Rising mortgage rates are offsetting higher demand and stifling the market potential for existing-home sales, according to First American Financial Corp.

Expanded lending across a broad range of categories and extremely low unemployment in Hawaii pushed up the Honolulu bank's quarterly profit.

The foreclosure presale inventory rate fell year over year by 30% in December, signaling the most improvement of any year on record, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Quarterly profit fell at SunTrust Banks in Atlanta as noninterest expense rose 8.4% and its loan-loss provision increased.

The Connecticut bank said a spike in business lending and residential mortgages gave its fourth-quarter earnings a boost.

As the country's homes for sale inventory declines, prices and the percentage of homes going under contract quickly are rising, according to Redfin.

Fourth-quarter profits at Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., climbed 65% to $54.6 million from a year earlier, helped largely by acquisitions and increases in mortgage banking and other fee income.

The increase for the month represented the fastest annual pace of appreciation recorded in 2016.

Builders broke ground on more homes than forecast in December as a jump in apartment construction helped cap the seventh straight yearly increase, a report from the Commerce Department showed Thursday.

In a candid, in-depth exit interview, Ted Tozer discusses Ginnie Mae's growth during his seven years at the agency's helm, the need for comprehensive housing finance reform, big banks' retreat from mortgages, counterparty risk management and more.

While precise definitions vary, the term generally describes a smooth customer experience that may not even require a phone call or branch visit.

As mortgage rates continued to move higher, the share of home purchase loans began to increase in December, according to Ellie Mae.

Confidence among homebuilders retreated in January from an 11-year high, suggesting optimism has plateaued following Donald Trump's election victory, a report from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo showed Wednesday.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's proposed guidance has stirred up a debate on elevation standards as flooding occurs more frequently and in more unexpected places.

The default rate on first mortgages increased a single basis point in December compared with November but was down 13 basis points over the same month last year, according to the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices.

To meet a 20% down payment, homebuyers on average have to spend more than two-thirds of the average annual income, according to a report from Zillow.

The Seattle company warned that fourth-quarter profit could fall more than 80% from a year earlier.

Higher interest rates will add stress for millennials looking to buy a home, according to an analysis from Fitch Ratings.

Bank of America Corp.'s fourth-quarter mortgage revenue almost doubled to $519 million from a year earlier.

PNC's fourth-quarter profit improved on higher lending to corporate customers for real estate and other loans.