The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Friday that sales of pre-owned homes rose 2.4 percent month-over-month in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million. It was the sixth time in the past seven months in which existing-home sales topped an annual rate of 5 million.

Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey saw a slight drop in the 30-year fixed rate to an average 3.63 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending January 22, the company reported Thursday. With the decline, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) remains at its lowest average since May 2013.

Based on home sales price information from mortgages sold to and guaranteed by the GSEs, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reported that its House Price Index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent month-over-month in November.

In an announcement on Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said loan officers at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase accepted cash, marketing materials, and consumer information in exchange for business referrals to Genuine Total, a now-defunct title firm formerly headquartered in Maryland.

In Ohio, Accurate Group announced its support for the imminent release of Fannie Mae's Collateral Underwriter (CU) in the form of enhanced appraisal processes, updates to the company's Valuation Compliance Report (VCR), and training and certification of its appraisal review team.

Members of the U.S. Supreme Court convened Wednesday to spar with attorneys—and each other—in a case that could narrow long-held interpretations of a federal law barring housing discrimination.

In the wake of the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) latest confidence index, builders convened in Las Vegas this week to discuss housing trends over the last few months and what they expect to see in 2015.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) weekly applications index climbed a seasonally adjusted 14.2 percent on a weekly basis for the week ending January 16, the group said Wednesday. The increase, which followed a 49 percent jump the week prior, put applications at their highest level since June 2013.

Builders broke ground on new residences at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in December, an increase of 4.4 percent month-over-month and 5.3 percent year-over-year, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. For the entire year, the government estimates homebuilders started on 1.01 million new units, making 2014 the first year since 2007 that starts topped the 1 million mark.

In a live-streamed "fireside chat" with Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries, HUD Secretary Julian Castro reiterated that 2015 will be a "year of housing opportunity," reusing a phrase he coined in a National Press Club appearance earlier this month.