Real estate

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed at a faster pace than forecast in the year ended February, a sign the housing industry may be gaining momentum amid low borrowing costs and continued job growth.

With low rates tempting more home owners to refinance and relaxed down payment requirements spurring more home sales, bankers are more optimistic about mortgage lending than they have been in some time.

Home prices have risen 4.6% over the last year, according to new data from Black Knight Financial Services, and experienced the largest monthly climb in prices since June 2014.

D.R. Horton Inc. agreed to buy the homebuilding operations of Seattle-based Pacific Ridge Homes for about $72 million in cash to expand in the U.S. Northwest.

D.R. Horton finds success in selling starter homes and looks to expand its Express Homes into more of its communities.

Some consumers wish they had jumped into the housing market when rates were even lower, but they are only going to go up from where there now, the chief economist of Redfin said.

Purchases of new homes slumped more than forecast in March from a seven-year high, a sign progress in the industry will be halting.

Mortgage brokers lead all other lenders when it comes to being real estate agents' preferred partners, according to the results of a survey from real estate information firm Inman.

Sales of previously owned homes climbed in March to the highest level since September 2013 as job growth and cheap borrowing costs helped sustain the progress in residential real estate.

The largest single-family home landlords plan to raise their rents as much as 5.7% this year as they shift focus from buying properties to boosting their bottom lines.

Real estate agents' satisfaction with lenders and the underwriting process is rising as distressed home sales decrease, according to the latest survey from the California Association of Realtors.

The residential real estate market remained healthy in February as home prices climbed and completed foreclosures fell year-over-year, mortgage technology firm FNC reported.

Interest rates remained stable as the real estate industry eyes the start of spring home-buying season, according to Freddie Mac.

An economist sees early signs that the housing market is gaining momentum but she is still wary of inventory issues.

Bank of America had mortgage banking income of $694 million, up from $412 million one year prior, as it originated $14 million of first mortgages in the first quarter.

Home values dipped slightly month-to-month in March, though they remained up from their 2014 levels, according to Quicken Loans.

Confidence among homebuilders rose in April for the first time in five months as prospective buyers returned to the market and sales climbed.

NMN's 9th Annual Mortgage Servicing Conference is coming up. Here are some of the can't-miss sessions and speakers on the agenda.

Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. posted their largest mortgage-lending gains in more than a year as the recovery in the market gains momentum.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions has raised the curtain on Residential Investor One, a new cooperative aimed at providing savings and services for real estate investors.