Mortgages

The housing finance agency, which is increasingly at the forefront of reform discussions, has been without a permanent chief for almost two years.

Growing home prices plus rising interest rates are putting a damper on mortgage lending, which pushes the market to seek out less qualified borrowers and increases the risk of fraud.

City National Bank said the foundation will buy houses and hold onto them until the buyer lines up financing.

Despite recriminations about how the crisis and ensuing regulations have tightened loan access, an actual assessment of mortgage credit availability finds the situation is more complicated.

Strong growth in the bank's core business of multifamily lending was offset by higher rates it paid on CDs and borrowed funds.

The pressure is on for banks to lean more heavily on capital markets, wealth management and other nonmortgage sources of fee income. That could get tougher in upcoming quarters.

A new credit score that includes consumers' cash flow alongside their credit score is winning praise for its potential to help expand access to credit, but some worry it gives the credit bureaus even more data that could be compromised.

Despite an overall weak mortgage originations market, Flagstar Bancorp's third-quarter earnings grew 20%, due in large part to its ongoing efforts to diversify operations.

The Federal Housing Administration is making it easier for reverse mortgage servicers to submit insurance claims by expanding the types of supporting documentation it will accept on defaulted loans.

There are ways to fix vacant housing. So why can't we manage to do it?

Donald Layton, who has run the mortgage giant since 2012, discussed the busy agenda leading up to his departure and says Freddie can serve as a "technical adviser" in GSE reform talks.

The Portland, Ore, company also benefited from lower expenses and an improved efficiency ratio.

Federal regulators have issued answers to frequently asked questions on appraisal regulations.

The Federal Housing Administration is looking to streamline its single-family loan servicing requirements to align them with industry standards and upgrade outdated technology.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have launched an online clearinghouse with resources to assist lenders in serving borrowers with limited English proficiency.

Policymakers must avoid reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act that would reopen the door to the predatory lending practices that contributed to the mortgage meltdown.

BofA hasn’t taken advantage of the benefits of owning Merrill Lynch; weakness seen despite stronger bank earnings.

Can community land trusts and Community Reinvestment Act reform fuel investment to stop urban blight?

Barred by regulators from adding assets for at least another six months, the bank has only one main lever to pull to boost returns.

How banks and network providers combat real-time payment fraud; online banks try new pricing strategies; the Most Powerful Women in Banking call for greater leadership diversity; and more from this week's most-read stories.