Real estate

The Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriage legal nationwide could boost mortgage demand as it provides gay and lesbian couples with more financing opportunities and stronger joint property rights.

Life insurance companies reported a higher return on their private commercial mortgage investments in the first quarter, compared to the fourth quarter.

The differences in wealth and housing preferences between baby boomers and millennials is changing the residential real estate market, with a shift to rental properties among younger people.

Home equity line of credit delinquencies and net charge-offs have not increased as expected, largely due to the beneficial impact of improving home prices and steadier economic conditions, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

Mortgage-fraud risk appears to have normalized, as the overall rate of fraud declined in 2014 and there has been a shift to specific fraud types on the local level, according to Interthinx.

The New York City borough of Manhattan is the least affordable place for consumers making a low down payment to buy a home, according to a new report by housing and property data firm RealtyTrac of Irvine, Calif.

A greater share of millennials say they're likely to buy a home this year, adding to evidence that first-time buyers are finally entering the real estate market and fueling a jump in sales.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions has upgraded its sell-it-yourself real estate platform, Owners.com, and will offer a rebate to buyers who purchase a home through the site.

Home prices rose 1.2% in April, from the previous month, in the largest seasonal gain since 2005, according to FNC.

Bankers and commercial real estate developers are protesting new restrictions on construction lending, arguing they are poised to hurt credit availability and drive loans into risky, unregulated sectors.

Lennar Corp., the second-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that beat estimates as the revived economy spurs new housing demand.

Wells Fargo has hired two executives to expand its lending for manufactured housing, following the San Francisco company's purchase of a multibillion-dollar loan portfolio from GE Capital.

Purchases of new homes rose in May to the highest level in seven years, signaling the industry is gaining momentum heading toward the second half of the year.

Fewer consumers today believe it's difficult to get a mortgage than a year ago. However, the majority of survey respondents still think the origination process is too tough and that there are too few homes on the market.

Previously owned homes sold in May at the fastest pace since November 2009, driven by first-time buyers and indicating budding momentum in the residential real estate market.

A Lone Star Funds affiliate agreed to buy U.S. apartment landlord Home Properties Inc. in a transaction valued at about $7.6 billion, including debt.

Varde Partners has closed a $500 million fund that will invest in real estate securities, the firm announced this week.

U.S. consumers are increasingly using their credit cards rather than tapping home-equity credit lines to pay debts or finance a big purchase, according to Sanford C. Bernstein.

KB Home rose the most in three months after reporting fiscal second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates and a jump in orders for houses.

Black and Hispanic home-loan applicants in New York are more than twice as likely to be denied as white applicants, a study by StreetEasy found.