The New York Federal Reserve's year-end Survey of Consumer Expectations showed little change between November and December, though there was a small pullback in Americans' financial expectations, according to results released Monday. The results mirror the latest National Housing Survey results released last week by Fannie Mae.

In a mortgagee letter issued Friday, HUD announced that the reduction in annual premiums—which will bring premiums down to 0.85 percent on most FHA loans—will affect mortgages with case numbers assigned on or after January 26.

Florida-based Aces Risk Management (ARMCO), a provider of Web-based audit technology for the financial services industry, has tapped mortgage quality control expert Phil McCall to serve as COO.

With 2015 less than two weeks underway, Fitch Ratings is the latest forecaster predicting great things for housing in the coming year. However, unlike other commentators, whose projections were based on encouraging market trends, the ratings agency says it's a combination of recent government actions that reinforces its view.

Taking data from its monthly home price tracker, Black Knight Financial Services found in its latest report that while high-value properties in the country's hardest-hit states have made solid strides in recovering to their pre-crisis peaks, low-value homes are still struggling to make progress.

Oregon's Department of Finance and Corporate Securities (DFCS) is now using the National SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) Test with Uniform State Content, making it the 46th state agency in the country to streamline its originator licensing process.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported Thursday that its Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) edged up to a reading of 115.7 in December. The clear driver behind the increase was an announcement earlier in the month that both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are launching new 97 percent loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage programs for qualifying homebuyers, said Mike Fratantoni, MBA's chief economist.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said Friday that the national unemployment rate was down to 5.6 percent by year-end 2014, bringing that number down to its lowest level since June 2008. Economists had expected the jobless rate would fall slightly to 5.7 percent and that non-farm payrolls would increase by 245,000.

A day after the White House announced plans to cut the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) mortgage insurance premium by 50 basis points, politicians and commentators are still wrestling with the reduction's potential impact on the housing market, the mortgage insurance industry, and the agency itself.

Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) fell to 3.73 percent (0.6 point) in the last week, a decline of 14 basis points from the end of 2014. The 30-year fixed started off last year at an average 4.51 percent.