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Attorney General Eric Holder has given U.S. attorneys across the country 90 days to judge whether or not they want to bring cases against specific individuals for their alleged roles in 2008's mortgage crisis, according to reports.

The latest price index from FNC Inc. shows the nation's average home price moved up 0.1 percent in December, turning around after a 0.1 percent decline in October and no notable change in November. Home prices fell 0.2 percent through 2014's fourth quarter compared to the third, putting annual growth at about 5 percent compared to 5.2 percent in November and 5.7 percent in October.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index fell two points in the association's February reading, coming in at 55 for the month, the group said Tuesday. NAHB Chairman Tom Woods said February's slight decline is "largely attributable to the unusually high snow levels across much of the nation."

More than one in three homeowners with mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) could stand to save money by refinancing now that the agency has lowered its annual mortgage insurance premium, according to a study released by the Urban Institute (UI).

"It's got to be positive for housing, because all your consumer numbers are going in the same direction," said John Silvia, managing director and chief economist with Wells Fargo, who was one of the 39 panelists to participate in the survey. "With more jobs, higher wages, and income growth, you always see an increase in consumer confidence."

The hearing, entitled "Regulatory Relief for Community Banks and Credit Unions," was a gathering of the committee's lawmakers to discuss the effect of recent regulatory burdens placed on smaller banks and credit unions in response to the financial crisis.

Late last year, real estate firm Zillow reported that renters living in the United States paid a cumulative $441 billion in rents throughout 2014, a nearly 5 percent annual increase spurred by rising numbers of renters and climbing prices. Results from a more recent survey conducted by Zillow and Pulsenomics suggest that rent prices will continue to be a problem for the aspiring homeowner for years to come.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said Thursday that new home purchase applications rose 29 percent from December to January, not including any seasonal adjustments. The group pulled its data from its monthly Builder Application Survey, which tracks application volumes from mortgage subsidiaries of homebuilders.

The national median price for existing single-family homes in the fourth quarter of 2014 was $208,700, up 6.0 percent from the same quarter in 2013, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). That was better than the third quarter, which saw 4.8 percent annual growth.

Castro faced the House Committee on Financial Services and explained why he believes that FHA is in a "strong" position to lower its premiums by 50 basis points down to 0.85 percent despite the MMI Fund's value falling well short of the 2 percent threshold it is required by law to maintain.