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FMI, the Raleigh, N.C.-based provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, has forecast an 8% increase in construction activity for 2013. Robust growth in residential construction, as well as a few strong markets in nonresidential and non-building construction, will contribute to the expansion, the report said.

Too many contractors taking on too much low-bid work just to stay alive may soon result in a market shake-out, according to a report by FMI, a leading provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry.

FMI’s third-quarter nonresidential construction report index has dropped 5 points, putting it back at second-quarter 2010 levels. On the rise is the number of contractors participating in self-funded projects as a financing partner with owner/developers, the report said.

A May 16 report from the Mortgage Bankers Association added another bright note to the housing market, with the percentage of U.S. homeowners behind on their mortgages falling to the lowest level since 2008. The delinquency rate for residential mortgage loans decreased 7.4% during the first quarter of 2012.

Foreclosures are not improving at the same rate, however. The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process as of March 31, 2012 was 4.4%, relatively unchanged from the previous quarter and down one basis point from 4.5% a year ago.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has announced a comprehensive reform plan for the housing finance system that would transition Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to a new mortgage securitization system for single-family and multi-family conventional mortgages.

The Home Builders Institute (HBI) has named John Courson, the former president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), as its new president and CEO. Courson is a nationally recognized housing industry spokesperson and government affairs expert who served as MBA's president and CEO from 2008 to 2011. His initial priorities at HBI will be to identify new revenue streams and create new programs for the non-profit organization.

Uncertainty in the market and difficulties of getting projects approved are putting the brakes on non-residential construction, according to a survey just released by FMI, a leading provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry. 

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An analysis published by the Wall Street Journal showed that the nation’s 10 largest mortgage lenders denied 26.8% of loan applications in 2010, an increase from 23.5% in 2009. 

Canadian economists have expressed concerns about a correction in the housing market north of the U.S. border, where record borrowing, low interest rates and eager home buyers have created a building boom over the last several years.