Real estate

Walter Investment Management Corp. subsidiary Ditech Financial will begin to enroll a number of rejected loan applicants in a new program aimed at helping people qualify for a mortgage.

The average down payment percentage rose 49 basis points for a conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage between the first and second quarters, according to LendingTree.

Home purchase lending hit its highest point since 2007 as low interest rates and growing consumer confidence continue to support the housing market.

The percentage of vacant bank-owned properties is larger now versus a year ago as banks are completing more foreclosures, according to Attom Data Solutions.

The owner of 9 West 57th St., an entity controlled by real estate developer Sheldon H. Solow, is using the loan to refinance the building, cashing out $485 million of equity in the process.

Home purchase sentiment fell in August as home price expectations and other components decreased from record highs one month ago, according to Fannie Mae.

Purchase loans experienced a 52% seasonal increase on a quarterly basis during the second quarter, reaching the highest level both in terms of volume and dollar amount since 2007, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Home prices rose again year over year in July and are expected to do the same this time next year, according to CoreLogic.

Home prices have returned to their precrisis peaks, but homeownership rates keep on slipping.

The executive who sold North Fork to Capital One for billions of dollars and later revived BankUnited discusses his plans, and reflects on a long career, now that he is retiring as BankUnited's CEO.

The slow start to Fifth Third's 3%-down mortgage illustrates some of the logistical challenges with such programs, which are on the rise across the industry.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has long been a staunch defender of the mortgage interest deduction. But the group's president and CEO now says he's open to Congress reducing, or even eliminating, the tax break.

More homeowners think now is a good time to sell a home than buy one, according to Zillow.

The first reboot of S&P 500 Index group weights in almost two decades has arrived, shaking up stock portfolios and conjuring an industry out of real estate investment trusts that will infuse at least one lightweight ETF with sudden riches.

Home purchase applications are at their highest level in almost five years but a level that is still considered weak, according to the Freddie Mac Multi-Indicator Market Index.

Plenty of banks have ended their federal loss-share deals early, but despite the incentives to wind them down, plenty more still have these crisis-era arrangements in place. It may be due to varying deadlines, mistakes calculating loan values or worries that they still might need the coverage for home equity lines.

The National Association of Realtors is urging policymakers to implement reforms meant to qualify more condominium buyers for Federal Housing Administration loans.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes increased more than forecast in July, indicating further strength in the housing market.

When Andy and Amy Isaacson looked at buying a home in Palo Alto, Calif., for their expanding family, the least expensive one they could find was $1.5 million.

Interest rates for conventional purchase mortgages fell month-over-month in July, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported.