MORTGAGE

U.S. households continued to shave debt in the fourth quarter as mortgage balances declined, while there were tentative signs Americans are increasingly willing to spend, according to a report released on Monday by the New York Federal Reserve.

U.S. households continued to shave debt in the fourth quarter as mortgage balances declined, while there were tentative signs Americans are increasingly willing to spend, according to a report released on Monday by the New York Federal Reserve.

Bank of America Corp appears to be going it alone in not selling mortgage loans to Fannie Mae, a move that, while sending an angry signal to the nation's largest mortgage-buyer, could force the bank to charge less attractive mortgage rates.

Bank of America Corp appears to be going it alone in not selling mortgage loans to Fannie Mae, a move that, while sending an angry signal to the nation's largest mortgage-buyer, could force the bank to charge less attractive mortgage rates.

Arizona and Florida were ground zero for the housing boom and subsequent crash, but the multifamily sector is finally showing signs of life, with developers again planning new projects.

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams defends the Fed's aggressive monetary policy, citing continuing reverberations from the housing crash.

The recent U.S. housing bubble and resulting severe recession discouraged an entire generation of potential home buyers, who see ownership of a residence as far riskier than preceding generations did, a top U.S. central banker said Friday.

January sales of new single-family homes in the U.S. declined 0.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 321,000, but December sales were revised upward, suggesting a nascent housing market recovery.

The Bank of America Thursday said that it would no longer provide new mortgages to Fannie Mae following the escalation of disagreement over who should be bearing the cost for defective mortgages.

At least one large financial institution has approached the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with an offer to buy out the remaining mortgage-backed toxic waste bonds it received from AIG as collateral for a $19.5 billion bailout in 2008, according to Bloomberg News, as banks are looking to profit from what many see as an incipient turnaround in the U.S. housing market.

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates rose to 3.95 percent in the week ending Feb. 23 from a record low of 3.87 in the previous week, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates have bounced off a 26-year historic low in the week of Feb. 22, 2012. However, the forecast for 2012 and beyond for rates is still muted.

U.S. central bank officials have good reason to be skeptical about the strength of the economy: excessive optimism has caught them flat-footed before.

The Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA), overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, detailed a plan on Tuesday for the companies' uncertain futures, grappling with the challenges of political hostility, reluctant private investors and a fragile housing market.

Sales of existing U.S. homes rose 4.3 percent to 4.57 million in January, up from a revised 4.38 million in December, according to the National Assocation of Realtors, marking further improvement in the housing market as interest rates remained low and the job market saw gains.

Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled last week as demand for loan refinancing sagged, an industry group said on Wednesday.

I hear it every day—President Barack Obama is going to win; Republicans don’t have a chance; none of the GOP candidates are electable. This is the chorus of the mainstream media.

Existing home sales are expected to rise in January as the broader economy improves, according to analysts and industry experts.

British bank Lloyds is to strip five current and former senior bankers of more than 1 million pounds in bonuses over their role in the mis-selling of payment protection insurance , the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

A report this week showing rampant foreclosure abuse in San Francisco reflects similar levels of lender fraud and faulty documentation across the United States, say experts and officials who have done studies in other parts of the country.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released a report Tuesday calling on Germany to raise its property taxes dramatically. The group has also called on Denmark, Norway, and the U.K. to do the same.