From the start of QM to the end of quantitative easing, the past year saw plenty of big news in the mortgage and financial markets. As the new year rolls in, MReport is taking a look at some of the biggest FHFA headlines of 2014.

From the start of QM to the end of quantitative easing, the past year saw plenty of big news in the mortgage and financial markets. As the new year rolls in, MReport is taking a look at some of the biggest origination headlines of 2014.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) seasonally adjusted mortgage application index ticked up 0.9 percent for the week ending December 19, the trade group reported Wednesday. Unadjusted, the index rose 0.4 percent.

It's been a rollercoaster year for the U.S. housing market, but analysts at Realtor.com say the patterns seen in 2014 could be the foundation for more stable growth in the coming year. In its year-end review, Realtor.com outlined some of the major trends seen in 2014 that signal a strengthening housing recovery.

A day after Ocwen Financial Corp. announced a multi-million dollar agreement to resolve investigations by New York's top regulator, investors and market watchers remain skeptical that the company's problems are settled.

Real estate investment trust Redwood Trust, Inc., announced the addition of former Fannie Mae executive Karen R. Pallotta to the company's board of directors.

Amid reports of subdued home sales in the year's closing months, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) delivered a piece of good news in the form of continued house price gains. The agency's latest House Price Index (HPI) showed a month-to-month gain of 0.6 percent in October, picking up steam after posting no change in September.

According to a third reading released Tuesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annualized rate of 5.0 percent in Q3, up from an earlier estimate of 3.9 percent and an estimate of 4.6 percent in the second quarter.

In its latest Nowcast projections, online real estate auction company Auction.com calls for pre-owned home sales to fall between seasonally adjusted annual rates of 4.79 and 5.18 million for December, with a targeted number of 4.98 million.

Sales of newly built single-family properties fell 1.6 percent month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 438,000 in November, according to a report from the Commerce Department. October's sales rate was revised down to 445,000, meaning the month actually saw a decrease as opposed to the slight increase that was originally recorded.