Exploring what kind of role the government should play in the troubled housing finance system was the focus of a U.S. Treasury-HUD conference yesterday. That may sound pretty wonk-ish, but the evolving answers carry wide implications for home ownership and a stable housing market.

The New York Times reported that the Obama Administration appears to be focusing “largely on drafting a new and improved version of the current system.” That would mean the government continues to subsidize mortgage loans made by private companies. One proposed scenario is a system in which private companies would provide a greater role in funding home loans while at the same time leaving room for the government to step in to keep things calibrated, according to The Washington Post.

To be determined is the future of Freddie and Fannie Mac. The private entities  guarantee most new home loans but they  suffered from losses due …

A new report from HUD and the Census Bureau showing recent residential permit, construction start, and completion data.

As rates dropped below 5 percent over the first two months of the year mortgage refinance volume increased and purchase volume remained unchanged. In its market composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, the Mortgage Banker’s Association (MBA) reported refinance volume increasing 1.8 percent over the previous month and purchase loan volume decreasing 2.7 percent over the same period.