The Federal Reserve yesterday released its third quarter study of household debt, showing that households continued to decrease their debts following the stock market crash of 2008. Using two measures to track debt – the household debt service ratio

Leave it to a credit ratings agency to be the bearer of pleasant news. Fitch Ratings, one of the major ratings agencies in finance, stated in a report released earlier today that economic conditions in 2012 may be more

Cook County commissioners are moving forward with an enforcement ordinance against vacant properties despite a lawsuit from the Federal Housing Finance Agency against the city of Chicago for similar measures, reports the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Lisa

Top producer Michael Bauknecht has joined the @properties Lincoln Park office as a broker

A particular mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has suddenly become costly for private lenders, as the weak housing market has exposed an unforeseen loophole in the mortgage’s distinguishing

Home values in the U.S. declined by 0.3 percent from September to October, according to the latest Zillow home index, a measure that formulates the median prices of metropolitan areas using the company’s controversial “Zestimates” data According to a

A good amount of the literature today on the housing market focuses on the various things that “hold housing back.” From tough lending environments to excess inventory, the topic is a common one, and all the reasons, from foreclosures

Mortgage lending has returned to its pre-bubble requirements, and some homebuyers are unable to meet private banks’ standards for income, credit scores and other financial factors. We’ve covered on numerous occasions the ascent of Federal Housing Administration loans in

First it was the 2011-2012 federal budget; then the Super Committee, and its potential $1 trillion deficit-cutting measures; now, it’s the payroll tax cut extension, and though all the previous moments of fiscal gridlock in Washington only mentioned housing

A Chicago ordinance requiring banks to maintain vacant properties has been met with resistance by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which has filed a lawsuit against Chicago to prevent the ordinance’s enforcement, according to HousingWire. Originally passed in

It’s one of the most common complaints among Realtors, builders and analysts – tight lending from private banks has not only restricted potential homebuyer’s access to credit, but has been one of the leading contributors to the housing downturn

One out of every 10 homes in Chicago is vacant, and with additional foreclosures expected in 2012, several non-profits in the Chicagoland area are approaching the vacancy pickle in ways that anticipate pending programs from the federal government. Reported

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) has announced that the greatly anticipated new version of its public records solution, Realist® NextGen, will be going live overnight

At the close of the summer, appraisals were a hot topic, with builders and Realtors alike criticizing the shoddy documentation and lackluster criteria that often defined the appraisal experience. Though news about government assistance and foreclosures quickly overtook appraisals,

For most of 2011, housing has been on a sideways path, neither faltering nor rising above the sleepy market that took over after the immediate losses following 2007. A new piece by CNBC’s Albert Bozzo, though, suggests that 2012

As if the Chicago apartment scene was not already busy enough, Chicago Real Estate Daily’s Alby Gallun reports that three huge deals have transpired in the final month of 2011, putting the finishing touches on what could be the