Real estate

Regulators sought to limit improper contact between lenders and appraisers, but policies of the two mortgage giants encourage the kind of practices that contributed to the housing crisis.

Technology developed by SmartZip analyzes 2,000 variables about a housing market and its homeowners to help real estate agents and lenders identify consumers most likely to sell their house or need a new mortgage.

Welcome news for America's renters could be unhelpful for the Federal Reserve.

Borrowing conditions in the apartment market have improved in the second quarter as property owners benefit from the low-rate environment after the Brexit vote, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.

D.R. Horton Inc., the largest U.S. homebuilder, reported an increase in fiscal third-quarter earnings as a limited number of existing properties on the market helped fuel demand for new houses.

Home prices rose 5.6% in May from a year earlier as buyers competed for a scarcity of listings, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said in a report.

Thanks to lower interest rates and higher job growth, the market for existing-home sales is performing very close to its potential, according to First American Financial Corp.

Sales of previously owned homes unexpectedly climbed in June to the highest level in more than nine years, giving a boost to residential real estate as it approached the end of its busy selling season.

Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., reported strong momentum from mortgage growth and acquisitions.

Property valuation firm LRES will now offer commercial evaluations as a result of its March acquisition of InsideValuation.

There were patterns of racial disparities in mortgage originations in the St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minneapolis metropolitan statistical areas, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

Karl "Chip" Case, the co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller Index of home prices, has died at 69.

The value of owning a home has never been greater, at least according to one figure buried in a monthly Commerce Department report.

MGIC Investment Corp. earned $109 million in the second quarter, as an income tax provision for the period cut into net income.

Mortgage origination volume is now expected to grow in 2016 versus the prior year, according to Fannie Mae.

In markets where consumers spend a substantial amount of income on housing, it's often cheaper to rent than buy. But in these expensive markets, owning a home is more affordable.

RealtyTrac is renaming its parent company Attom Data Solutions as it rolls out a new property database that links different data sources into a centralized resource.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported higher second-quarter earnings on solid growth in revenue and loans for investment properties.

New home construction in the U.S. rose more than forecast in June, providing some momentum for residential real estate near the end of its busy selling season.

Confidence among homebuilders declined in July from a five-month high, showing the construction industry remains in a slow, if unspectacular, recovery as the busiest part of the selling season comes to a close.