Each month of 2011, outstanding mortgage balances in the U.S. declined by an average of $30 billion, according to a recently released report from Moody’s Analytics and Equifax. The report attributes the decline to defaulted loans being written off. Agg…
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Economy Adds 243,000 Jobs in January, Unemployment Rate at 8.3%
In a report released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that could be described only as the Republicans’ worst nightmare, the economy added 243,000 jobs in January the strongest month-to-month gain since last March as the unemployment r…
States’ Deadline for Decision on Robo-Signing Settlement Gets Pushed
It will be at least three more days before the industry learns how many and which states have agreed to the robo-signing settlement that was proposed last week. The deadline for state attorneys general to opt in has been pushed from February 3 to Febru…
CoreLogic Records 4.7% Drop in Home Prices in 2011
Year-end data from CoreLogic shows home prices fell by 4.7 percent over 2011. It marks the fifth consecutive year the company has recorded an annual decline in residential property values. CoreLogic performed a separate calculation, which illustrates j…
Potestivo & Associates Announces New Hires
Rochester Hills, Michigan-based Potestivo & Associates recently announced the addition of two attorneys and a new director of information technology. Daren S. O’Connell will serve as an associate attorney supporting the firm’s Michigan foreclosure depa…
Rates Give Back Last Week’s Increases, Setting New Record Lows
Average mortgage interest rates have reversed from the upward blip reported last week. Declines this week completely erased the previous week’s increases, as the average rate attached to the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, and…
Claims for Unemployment Insurance Improve as January Ends
First time claims for unemployment insurance fell 12,000 for the week ended January 28 to 367,000, reversing half of the increase of the previous week, the Department of Labor reported Thursday. Continuing claims for unemployment insurance fell 130,000…
Real Estate Professionals Feeling Brunt of Recession
The effects of the housing crisis are widespread, but nowhere do they hit home more than in the real estate community. Eighty-eight percent of real estate professionals in a recent survey said they have lost money since 2008 or are living off significa…
National Servicing Standards Emerge in New Homeowner Bill of Rights
The mortgage servicing system is badly broken and would benefit from a single set of federal standards, according to White House officials. President Obama on Wednesday introduced what he’s termed the Homeowner Bill of Rights – principles that he says …
FHFA Solicits Investors for REO-to-Rental Sales
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Wednesday issued a notice to investors interested in buying government-owned REOs in bulk for use as rental properties, encouraging them to register with Fannie Mae in order to pre-qualify as an eligible bid…
