Market Conditions

The second-largest provider of U.S. mortgages through brokers is bringing back a debt type that that’s almost disappeared since the financial crisis: Interest-only loans.

United Wholesale Mortgage plans next month to expand access to the mortgages to borrowers beyond the wealthiest Americans who use so-called jumbo loans. Interest-only mortgages carry higher risks because they can leave homeowners facing a jump in their bills down the road.

The move by the family-owned lender, which grew more than 40-fold after the crash by working with brokers as banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. abandoned them, is the latest sign of how lending standards are expanding in the wake of the crisis.

Mat Ishbia, the Troy, Mich.-based company’s chief executive officer, said he isn’t embracing a return to misguided practices.

“It’s for a savvy borrower who can afford the higher […]

Previously owned homes sold in May at the fastest pace since November 2009, driven by first-time buyers and indicating budding momentum in the residential real estate market.

Closings on existing properties, which usually occur a month or two after a contract is signed, rose 5.1% to a 5.35 million annualized rate, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for a 5.26 million pace. The share of first-time buyers matched the highest level since September 2012.

Employment gains, rising incomes and still-cheap borrowing costs are combining to propel sales after a period of uneven demand from late 2014 through early this year. The prospect of higher interest rates as the Federal Reserve considers tighter monetary policy may be encouraging more Americans to take the homeownership plunge.

“Given the combination of rates being low but expected […]

Purchases of new homes rose in May to the highest level in seven years, signaling the industry is gaining momentum heading toward the second half of the year.

Sales climbed 2.2% to a 546,000 annualized pace, exceeding all forecasts in a Bloomberg survey of economists and the most since February 2008, Commerce Department data showed Tuesday in Washington. Readings for February through April were revised up.

Stronger employment and income prospects are bolstering would-be home buyers, allowing them to take advantage of relatively cheap borrowing costs even as home prices appreciate. The sales gains indicate residential real estate should withstand increases in borrowing costs as the Federal Reserve prepares to start tightening policy later this year.

“People are feeling more secure about their jobs, and when you’re feeling more secure about your job, you’re more likely to put down roots and buy a home,” Mark […]