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

For most of 2011, housing has been on a sideways path, 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

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

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has zeroed in on the secondary mortgage market, calling for reforms to what it sees as a major contributor to a sustained housing recovery. In testimony before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored

Typically, income and credit scores are main factors in determining mortgage rates, but a new study from the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics suggests that gender plays a substantial role. Brought to light by an AOL Real Estate

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the White House’s latest Housing Scorecard, a cumulative report that assesses a wide number of factors in the housing market. Like most

We all saw the headlines; CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI) fell 1.3 percent from September to October and 3.9 percent from last year, while LPS reported a 1.2 percent drop from August and the Case-Shiller, the granddaddy of them

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) added 20 more cities to its Improving Markets Index (IMI), further evidence that though housing remains tough in some markets, it is not only improving, but showing positive signs of growth in