Builder confidence continues to rise in the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), a key measurement of builder sentiment and an influential projection on future housing activity. Derived from a monthly survey that the

It’s the end of the year, and numerous analysts, media outlets and public figures are adding their two cents as to what 2012 will have in store not just for housing, but for the greater U.S. economy (and we’re

After the boom years, Lehman, Fannie & Freddie, Dodd-Frank, and a whole host of other reforms and failures seemed to set the real estate markets straight, but now it appears fraud might be coming back. A new piece in the

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against six former executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including the GSEs former CEOs, alleging that they misled investors and the federal government over the risky nature

Earlier today, Fannie Mae released its Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards (STAR) Program results for the third quarter of 2011, which measures the performance of servicers with an emphasis on foreclosure prevention. According to a press release on the program,

The Federal Reserve yesterday released its third quarter study of household debt, showing that households continued to decrease their debts following the stock market crash of 2008. Using two measures to track debt – the household debt service ratio

Leave it to a credit ratings agency to be the bearer of pleasant news. Fitch Ratings, one of the major ratings agencies in finance, stated in a report released earlier today that economic conditions in 2012 may be more

A particular mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has suddenly become costly for private lenders, as the weak housing market has exposed an unforeseen loophole in the mortgage’s distinguishing

Home values in the U.S. declined by 0.3 percent from September to October, according to the latest Zillow home index, a measure that formulates the median prices of metropolitan areas using the company’s controversial “Zestimates” data According to a

A good amount of the literature today on the housing market focuses on the various things that “hold housing back.” From tough lending environments to excess inventory, the topic is a common one, and all the reasons, from foreclosures

Mortgage lending has returned to its pre-bubble requirements, and some homebuyers are unable to meet private banks’ standards for income, credit scores and other financial factors. We’ve covered on numerous occasions the ascent of Federal Housing Administration loans in

First it was the 2011-2012 federal budget; then the Super Committee, and its potential $1 trillion deficit-cutting measures; now, it’s the payroll tax cut extension, and though all the previous moments of fiscal gridlock in Washington only mentioned housing

It’s one of the most common complaints among Realtors, builders and analysts – tight lending from private banks has not only restricted potential homebuyer’s access to credit, but has been one of the leading contributors to the housing downturn

At the close of the summer, appraisals were a hot topic, with builders and Realtors alike criticizing the shoddy documentation and lackluster criteria that often defined the appraisal experience. Though news about government assistance and foreclosures quickly overtook appraisals,

For most of 2011, housing has been on a sidewayspath, neither faltering nor rising above the sleepy market that took over after the immediate losses following 2007. A new piece by CNBC’s Albert Bozzo, though, suggests that 2012 will

New legislation introduced in the Senate yesterday would place Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on a 10-year timeline, liquidating the two GSEs and turning its components over to the private sector. According to a HousingWire report, the Mortgage Finance