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The Fed's Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, which covers a three-month period ending in October, shows credit standards on prime mortgages remained basically steady at 83 percent of reporting banks over the last few months. Of the nearly 14 percent that reported easing their lending criteria somewhat, the vast majority were large banks with assets of $20 billion or more, with only one smaller institution dialing down its standards.

In a continuation of its philanthropic efforts, The Five Star Institute participated as a tournament sponsor for the Texas Neurofibromatosis (NF) Foundation's Texas NF Golf Classic, which took place Monday, November 3, at the picturesque Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving. The Texas NF Golf Classic is an annual charity golf tournament to raise awareness and funding to fight neurofibromatosis (NF), a neurological disease that affects an average of one in every 3,000 people. It is more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis and Muscular Dystrophy combined. NF occurs equally in both men and women, in all races and ethnic groups. NF particularly affects children and can cause disfigurement, deafness, blindness, brain tumors, cancer, and even death. There is currently no cure or long-term treatment available for this debilitating disease.

According to Fannie's monthly volume summary, the mortgage giant's book totaled $3.12 trillion as of September 30, representing an annualized growth rate of 1.5 percent compared to August's decline of 4.0 percent.

The Commerce Department reported Monday that construction spending throughout September came in at an estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of $950.9 billion, down 0.4 percent from August but up 2.9 percent from a year ago.

Measuring its current data on active mortgages throughout the United States, analysts at Black Knight estimate 7.4 million American borrowers with 30-year mortgage loans could benefit by refinancing into a lower interest rate. As of the end of October, the average 30-year fixed rate was 3.98 percent, according to Freddie Mac, just up from a 16-month low recorded earlier in the month.

Auction.com's Rob Friedman has a new award for the mantle: The Internet Marketing Association (IMA) named the real estate marketplace's chairman and co-founder Internet Person of the Year.

As the U.S. homeownership rate continues to dwell near its lowest level in two decades, a new study from Zillow suggests more than five million additional households are waiting in the wings to step into the market as the economic recovery trudges forward.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment climbed to 86.9 in its final October reading, up from 84.6 in September and 73.2 last year. October's index was the highest since July 2007, the group conducting the survey reported.

Ocwen Financial, the nation's top non-bank mortgage servicer, announced Thursday that the company has taken a $100 million charge for a potential settlement regarding claims that it sent backdated foreclosure notices to thousands of borrowers. In a conference call with analysts, Ocwen executive chairman William Erbey left open the possibility that legal costs could drive the $100 million amount higher.

As home equity grows, more Americans are tapping into that equity more often when refinancing their homes, according to the latest quarterly refinance analysis report from Freddie Mac. In fact, the share of borrowers tapping their equity by cashing out at the time of refinancing has doubled from the same quarter last year as house price appreciation has risen across the country.