Data from Trulia shows that once all costs are factored, buying a home is 44 percent cheaper than renting at this point.

Three industry analysts gave testimony before a Senate committee on housing finance reform Tuesday. While all three experts expressed support for more private capital and less government involvement, the proposed degrees of government support varied. Currently, about 90 percent of single-family mortgages have some form of government backing.

LenderLive Network Inc., an end-to-end mortgage services provider, hired two industry veterans for executive positions.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt in Q4 was up by $21.8 billion, or 0.9 percent, from the previous quarter and up $29.7 billion, or 1.2 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2011.

According to Fitch Ratings, prime RMBS mortgage pools issued since 2010 had an average conditional prepayment rate (CPR) of about 42 percent, more than twice as fast as the rates of outstanding prime loans securitized in earlier vintages. Generally speaking, Fitch explained high refinance activity tends lead to more "performance volatility" since loans remaining in mortgage pools are usually of poorer quality. However, Fitch is seeing a different trend this time around.

Nearly half of respondents in Fannie Mae's most recent housing survey said they expect home prices to rise in the next 12 months, up from 45 percent in January.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will continue to maintain their dominant role in the housing market, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

Mortgage debt for U.S. households was roughly unchanged quarter-over-quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Household Debt and Credit report. Mortgage debt stood at $8.03 trillion in Q4, making up the largest component of household debt. At the same time, overall consumer debt increased by $31 billion to $11.34 trillion, a slight 0.3 percent increase from the third quarter. Despite the growth, the report noted consumer debt has still seen a significant decline after peaking at $12.68 trillion.

Freddie Mac's net profit for 2012 totaled $11 billion, a marked turnaround from 2011's net loss of $5.3 billion. According to the company's earnings release, the increase reflects a decrease in delinquent single-family loans, improved national home prices, and a higher income tax benefit. Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton attributed the reversal to last year's strengthened housing market and the company's efforts to "minimize legacy losses and build a strong book of business."

According to Interthinx's latest Mortgage Fraud Risk Report, the company's mortgage fraud risk index climbed to 159 in last year's fourth quarter, representing a 16 percent increase from Q3 2012 and 9 percent increase from Q4 2011. Reflecting the national trend, the number of "very high risk" metros spiked from 70 in Q3 to an unprecedented 125 this quarter, the report revealed. In addition, 26 states have at least one newly added "very high risk" metro.