Read full story for latest details.

A sharp pullback in apartment and condominium construction led to a big decline in overall home building in April, even as single-family home construction remained strong, according to government data released Thursday.

Due to a processing error, borrowers received checks for less than what they were owed under a mortgage settlement reached with 13 mortgage servicers, the Federal Reserve said.

The mortgage interest deduction is one of the most expensive tax breaks on the books, but its benefits are distributed unevenly across the country, according to a new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The housing market is heating up, yet many house hunters are not prepared to take on the biggest purchases of their lives.