Rates Ending 2012 Near Record Lows

Fixed mortgage rates are finishing the year near all-time lows, trending down or holding...

5 Tips for First-Time Borrowers

If you’re thinking about buying your first home, that probably means you’re also going to...

Most Popular Reverse Mortgage to End

The nation’s most popular type of reverse mortgage is being discontinued by the FHA, at...

Record Year for Credit Unions

More borrowers are turning to credit unions to get mortgages, with the industry expecting...

Should You Refinance Again?

The way mortgage rates have been falling the past three years, a lot of homeowners are not...

Foreclosure Assistance Ads Unveiled

Federal officials are launching a new ad campaign to raise awareness of the assistance that...

Over Half Say Mortgages Easy to Get

Over half of Americans surveyed now think it would be easy to get a mortgage, the first...

1 in 3 Home Purchases a Short Sale

Short sales of homes in foreclosure outnumbered sales of bank-repossessed properties in the...

Strongest Home Price Gains Since 2006

U.S. home prices have posted their biggest increase in more than six years, according to...

Mortgage Deduction Safe for Most

Should you be worried that Congress will take away your mortgage interest deduction as part...

New Home Sales Flat Since Spring

New home sales declined slightly in October, but the real news today out of the Census...

No More Canceling FHA Loan Insurance

Borrowers who take out FHA home loans will soon be stuck with paying for mortgage insurance...

Mortgage Rates Find New Lows Again

Fixed-rate mortgages continued to fall to new record lows this week, amid indications of a...

Home Sales Up Despite Sandy

Existing home sales edged up in October, rising a seasonally adjusted 2.1 percent despite...

Mortgage Rates Hit New Record Lows

Mortgage rates fell to new lows this week, with the averages on both 30- and 15-year fixed-...

Foreclosure Discounts Shrink

Foreclosed homes just aren’t the bargain they used to be.

According to Zillow...

Most Damaging Credit Report Errors

You’ve probably heard that it’s a good idea to check your credit reports for errors once a...

Storms Put a Hold on Mortgage Demand

Mortgage applications suffered a big drop in the wake of Superstorm Sandy last week, with...

Quarter of Mortgage Applications Denied

Nearly one applicant in four who sought a home mortgage last year was rejected, according...

Mortgage Rates Show Small Decline

Mortgage rates eased back down slightly this week, remaining close to their all-time lows,...

Options for Disaster Mortgage Relief

Homeowners who have been adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy may be able to qualify for...

HARP for 2nd Homes, Income Properties

You probably knew that primary homeowners can refinance their underwater or low-equity...

New Home Sales, Home Prices Rise

New home sales posted a 5.7 percent gain in September, the Census Bureau reported today,...

MBA Head Calls for New Federal Agency

Saying that current policymakers aren’t working together, the head of the Mortgage Bankers...

Rates Down, New Home Construction Up

Fixed mortgage rates ticked back down again this week, with 30- and 15-year loans once...

Outlook for Mortgage Credit Mixed

Risk managers for U.S. banks are almost evenly divided over prospects for residential...

Five Good Reasons Not to Refinance

There are a lot of good reasons to refinance your mortgage, especially with rates as low as...

Appraisals Said to Lag Market Values

Problems with property appraisals negatively affected scheduled home sales for more than...

1.3M Fewer Underwater Loans in 2012

Rising home values lifted 1.3 million homeowners out of negative equity in the first half...

Romney Might Limit Mortgage Deduction

The long-cherished mortgage interest deduction could be limited under an overhaul of the...

BofA to Forgive 150k Second Liens

Bank of America is erasing the debt on 150,000 second liens for mortgage borrowers in...

Turned Down for Refinancing?

With mortgage rates once again falling to new record lows, many homeowners are looking to...

Pending Home Sales Decline

Pending home sales fell in August, but remain at a pace that puts them well ahead of last...

Housing Prices Looking Stronger

U.S. home prices continued to rise in July, according to two prominent surveys released...

Mortgages and the Younger Borrower

With home prices and mortgage rates as low as there are, it’s an attractive time for young...

Home Sales, Construction on the Rise

The housing market got a double jolt of good news today, with both existing home sales and...

Income Rules Relaxed for Refinancing

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are making it easier for borrowers with irregular income to...

Fed Acts to Cut Rates Even More

Hang onto your hats – it looks like mortgage rates could be headed down even further.

More Underwater Borrowers Refinancing

It’s gotten a lot easier to refinance an underwater mortgage through HARP.

Rethinking Adjustable-Rate Mortgages

You don’t hear a lot about adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) these days. That’s too bad,...

FHA Refinances Soar on Reduced Fees

Streamlined refinancing of FHA mortgages has exploded in the two months since HUD slashed...

Negotiating Your Best Mortgage Deal

Lots of people know that you should shop around for a mortgage to get the best deal. But...

Banks Claim $10B in Mortgage Relief

Major banks provided over $10 billion in mortgage relief to consumers in recent months as...

New Rules to Simplify Short Sales

Homeowners facing a job relocation or other hardship will soon be able to qualify for an...

First-Time Homebuyers Decline

Fewer first-home buyers are coming into the market, despite favorable home prices and...

Home Sales, Prices Show More Gains

U.S. home sales posted an annual increase for the 13^th consecutive month in July...

3 Questions Before You Buy a Home

With home prices and mortgage rates as low as they are right now, many renters are...

Fixed-Rate Loans Dominate Refinancing

Homeowners who refinance their mortgages are overwhelmingly opting for fixed-rate loans,...

New Mortgage Servicer Rules Proposed

New rules that would provide additional protections for consumers in their dealings with...

Rates Up Second Straight Week

Mortgage rates are up for a second consecutive week, the first time that’s happened in five...

Home Prices Rise 4th Straight Month

U.S. home prices continued their upward trend in June, increasing on both a monthly and...

Tap Your IRA, 401k for Down Payment?

Coming up with the down payment can be one of the biggest obstacles to home ownership. If...

FHFA Says No to Principal Reductions

A proposal to help struggling homeowners by writing off some of the principal on their...

Foreclosures Back to 2007 Levels

Bank repossessions of foreclosed homes have fallen back to pre-recession levels, the real...

Mortgage Rates, Home Sales Decline

Another week, another record low for mortgage rates.

Zillow: Home Prices Have Bottomed

U.S. home values appear to have bottomed out, posting their first annual increase in five...

Applying for a Mortgage Online

Applying for a mortgage online is becoming increasingly popular these days. But you may be...

Refinancing Soars on Falling Rates

Mortgage refinance demand took a big jump last week, approaching its highest levels of the...

Rising Prices Shrink Underwater Loans

The number of underwater homeowners fell by about 700,000 in the first quarter of the year...

When a 30-Year Loan is Better than 15

With interest rates as low as they are, a lot of borrowers are being tempted by 15-year...

Guarded Optimism Over Housing Market

Americans are feeling increasingly optimistic about the direction of the housing market,...

Mortgage Rates Keep Falling

Mortgage rates continued to fall this week, with average interest rates on both 30-year and...

More Signs of Rising Home Prices

Further signs of a strengthening housing market were reported today, even as other...

Recasting Your Mortgage to Save Money

If you’ve been unable to refinance your mortgage or get a loan modification, you may have...

New Home Sales Rebound

New home sales rebounded in May, hitting their strongest pace in more than two years,...

FHA Refinance Demand Doubles

Demand for FHA refinancing more than doubled last week, following deep reductions in fees...

New Foreclosures Trending Upward

Newly initiated foreclosures are on the rise, a sign that banks are moving more...

Underwater Loans Limit Housing Supply

The large number of underwater mortgages could actually be boosting home prices in some...

Mortgage Rates Reach New Lows

Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages fell significantly this week, dropping to new record...

Home Prices Showing Gains

U.S. home prices are rising at a rate not seen in nearly six years, posting consecutive...

Short Sales Getting Cheaper, Easier

Short sales can offer significant discounts for homebuyers, but are notoriously difficult...

Pending Home Sales Hit Bump

Pending home sales fell in April, breaking a run of three consecutive monthly increases,...

Refinancing to Rebuild Home Equity

Getting a lower interest rate is probably the main reason homeowners refinance their...

Refinancing Up as Rates Keep Falling

Mortgage refinance demand has risen for a third consecutive week, driven by sagging rates that...

Home Affordability Highest Ever

It’s more affordable than ever to buy a home, but restrictive lending requirements are...

Foreclosures Reach 5-Year Low

Foreclosure rates have fallen to their lowest level in nearly five years, led by big decreases...

Refinancing Jumps Under HARP 2.0

Applications for mortgage refinancing have seen a sharp increase since new, relaxed guidelines...

Mortgage Rates Keep Falling

Another week, another record low for mortgage rates. 

Overall Home Prices Show Gain

U.S. home prices posted a small gain in March, their first overall increase in eight months,...

Fed Study Rejects Standard Explanations for Housing Bubble

The most popular beliefs as to what caused the U.S. mortgage crisis and subsequent economic...

Foreclosures Pick Up Slightly

The foreclosure rate ticked up slightly in March, but remains well below its rate of one year...

Financing a Foreclosure Purchase

With so many foreclosed properties on the market these days, there are some real opportunities...

HARP 3.0 in the Works?

Rumors are flying today about a proposed HARP 3.0 that would further expand the program to...

Mixed Reports on Home Prices

Conflicting reports on home prices came out today, with one suggesting a long-awaited turnaround...

One-Third of Refinance Aps for HARP

Mortgage refinance applications were up sharply last week, including strong demand for new loans...

Financing a Home Improvement Project

Home improvement projects are popular these days, but getting financing for them can be...

15-Year Rates Hit New Record Low

Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages dropped sharply this week, with the lowest mortgage rates...

Rents, Home Prices Expected to Rise

Americans increasingly expect home prices and rents to increase over the next 12 months, a trend...

FHA Fees to Increase on Monday

Insurance rates for FHA mortgages are going up, effective Monday. 

An In-Depth Guide to HARP 2.0

You may have heard that there were some changes made recently to the government’s Home...

After Spike, Mortgage Rates Ease Back

Mortgage rates retreated this week, with 30-year loans falling back below the 4 percent mark...

Pending Home Sales Ease Off

Pending home sales fell slightly in February, but continue to run well ahead of last year’s pace...

Buying Now Cheaper than Renting

If you’ve been thinking about buying a home, consider this: In virtually every city in America,...

Housing Starts Down, But Permits Up

Housing starts cooled off in February, but building permits issued for new homes picked up at...

New HARP Rules Could Boost Underwater Refinancing

If you haven’t been able to refinance your underwater mortgage yet, now might be the time to do...

Purchase, HARP Applications Increase

The two sides of the mortgage market have been headed in opposite directions lately, with...

BofA May Trim Mortgage Debt for Some

Some underwater borrowers could see their mortgage balances reduced by an average of $100,000,...

The New FHA Streamline Refinance

President Obama has announced new guidelines to make it cheaper and easier for homeowners to...

$25B Settlement May Offer Little Help

Only 5 percent of underwater homeowners are likely to qualify for mortgage principal reductions...

Mortgage Rates Ease Back Down

Mortgage rates settled back down this week, following a brief spike that moved 30-year loans off...

S&P: Home Prices Hit Post-Crash Low

U.S. home prices have fallen to a new post-crash low, pushed by a significant downturn during...

Appealing a Property Tax Assessment

One of the small comforts for homeowners whose property values have fallen in recent years is...

Mortgage Rates Move Off Record Lows

Mortgage rates headed higher this week, following three consecutive weeks when 30-year fixed-...

The Other Foreclosure Settlement

The recent $26 billion foreclosure abuses settlement has been getting a lot of attention, but...

More Action Seen on Foreclosures

Foreclosure activity picked up in January, a possible sign that lenders are gearing up to tackle...

Foreclosure Deal to Benefit Troops

Servicemembers who were improperly foreclosed on will receive six-figure settlements as part of...

HARP Refi May Delay PMI Cancellation

The federal HARP mortgage refinance program can be a huge boon for underwater homeowners. But if...

New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 Million

Recent changes to HARP mean that some 6.7 million homeowners will be eligible to refinance their...

Housing Upturn Seen in 100 Cities

Nearly 100 U.S. housing markets are now regarded as “improving,” with home prices and other...

Half of Mortgage Refis are Cash-In

Nearly one-half of homeowners who refinanced their mortgages late last year did so by paying...

HAMP Expanded to Rentals, 2nd Liens

Owners of rental properties and homeowners burdened by secondary expenses are now eligible for...

Should You Buy a Foreclosure?

Should you buy a foreclosed home? The savings can be huge, but so can the hassles and pitfalls....

Two More Years of 4% Mortgage Rates?

The Federal Reserve announced this week that it does not plan to raise interest rates until 2014...

Calif. AG Rejects Mortgage Settlement

A settlement that could produce up to $25 billion in mortgage relief for homeowners is in doubt...

Using Gift Money for a Down Payment

Can a family member help you come up with the down payment for a mortgage? If so, are there any...

Details Hazy on Obama Refi Plan

A program to help homeowners save $3,000 a year by clearing away obstacles to refinancing was...

Do You Really Need to Put 20% Down?

There’s a widespread perception that you need to put at least 20 percent down to buy a home...

Home Sales End 2011 On High Note

Existing home sales ended the year on a positive note, posting a 5 percent seasonally adjusted...

Six Steps to a Great Mortgage Rate

At first glance, it seems that shopping for the best mortgage rate should be fairly...

Unskilled Appraisers Seen as Problem

Regulations intended to promote accurate real estate appraisals sometimes result in poorly...

VA loans for National Guard, Reserves

One of the best-known benefits of serving in the U.S. military is being eligible for a VA home...

No More Mortgage Insurance Deduction

A key tax deduction for recent home buyers expired on Jan. 1, as Congress declined to extend the...

Freddie Mac Gives Jobless a Break

Unemployed homeowners can now be excused from making mortgage payments for up to a full year on...

Consumer Mortgage Protections Sought

In its first action under its new director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is...

Lower Taxes, But Higher Mortgage Fees

Happy New Year – mortgage fees are going up.

Minority Borrowers to Share in $335M Countrywide Settlement

More than 200,000 mortgage borrowers will be entitled to a share of a $335 million settlement...