Real estate

Commercial mortgage-backed securities risk as measured by an index of underwriting and macroeconomic variables is up 11 points from 2013. That's still below its 2007 level, a researcher noted Thursday.

Here are three ideas that can be implemented between now and Jan. 2 to get your business in 2015 off to a flying start.

A recent study found that homeowners who choose not to refinance lose out on tens of thousands of dollars in savings.

Mortgage lending, particularly for bigger banks, cooled some in October as home buying season ended. Meanwhile, loan pricing deteriorated again, showing that lenders are still cutting rates to land the best credits.

Lereta, a real estate tax firm in Covina, Calif., has acquired Industry Consulting Group, a property tax services company with offices in Dallas and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Historically, net worth has been the primary, if not sole, criteria used by lenders in segmenting mortgage customers.

Title insurance premium volume decreased in the third quarter compared to a year earlier due to a struggling purchase market and declining refinance activity.

PennyMac formed the new division to provide multifamily and other commercial loans under $10 million.

One in five U.S. housing markets are now less affordable than their historic average as price gains outpace income growth from New York to San Francisco.

Here is a checklist of important items in order to get a report approved in record time.

Home prices rose 6.1% in October from a year earlier, representing 32 consecutive months of appreciation, according to CoreLogic.

The Synergy Award commends technology initiatives and alliances that encourage the integration of software and processes to promote automation, efficiency and broad mortgage industry use. Learn about this year's finalists and see who won the 2014 MT Award.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly dropped in October as tighter credit and weak wage gains held back would-be buyers.

More property owners are jumping on a drop in financing costs and loosening terms to pay off their mortgages.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions, a mortgage technology company in Luxembourg, has acquired Owners.com, an online property listings service in San Francisco, for $20 million.

Some topics of conversation for mortgage originators to discuss with their real estate referral partners.

Bond investors are wresting higher yields from landlords in the fledgling business where rental homes are financed by credit markets.

The number of mortgages refinanced grew by four percentage points in October from September, according to an Ellie Mae report.

October housing sales figures in California remained tepid despite the lowest mortgage rates in 18 months, according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors.

Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in October to a one-year high as low borrowing costs helped sustain the recovery in residential real estate.