Daily Dose

A slight drop in nationwide housing affordability was recorded in the second quarter of 2015, mostly due to rising home prices, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index released today.

Many Americans are gearing up to purchase a home in the coming years. According to BMO Harris Bank 2015 Homebuyers Report, 52 percent of Americans say they are likely to buy a home in the next five years.

A Trulia survey released Wednesday found that a key selling point for buyers are schools and areas that market quality schools. A good school district can be a determining factor for a buyer when purchasing a home, especially for families with children.

Mortgage applications remained mostly flat for the week ending August 7, 2015, but refinance applications reached their highest point since May 2015, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey released Wednesday.

As home prices reach a sustainable pace, a demographic shift in demand is moving toward city centers, according to Fitch Rating's second quarter 2015 U.S. Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Sustainable Home Price Report.

Lawsuits filed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., accusing Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and the Royal Bank of Scotland of fraud with regards to $840 million worth of mortgage-backed securities have been revived by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Home prices rose in almost all metro areas in the U.S. mostly due to the increase in home sales, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors.

Monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement, Joseph A. Smith, Jr. concluded his investigation of Ocwen Financial's Internal Review Group with the determination that issues surrounding the Atlanta-based servicer's IRG have been "sufficiently addressed," according to an announcement from Smith's office.

Quicken Loans reported on Tuesday that the gap between homeowner estimates and appraiser opinions of value in July was nearly double the gap between these values in May.

Credit unions' market share of mortgage originations are experiencing a growth spurt in comparison to other financial institutions. TransUnion research released Tuesday found that credit unions' share of all mortgage originations has increased from 7 percent in Q1 2013 to 11 percent in Q1 2015.