Government

In California, Stearns Lending, Inc., appointed Kathleen L. Vaughan to the newly created role of EVP of national third-party production.

As part of its ongoing efforts to diversify its mortgage services, Newbold Advisors has tapped the talents of 25-year veteran Jim Horne. He will serve as managing director in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Horne has decades of diversified corporate and consulting experience, primarily in financial services companies.

According to recently published data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), the homeownership rate was down in 2012 for the fifth consecutive year, falling to 63.9 percent. "By most measures, 2012 was a year of housing market recovery, with gains in housing construction, home sales, home prices, and mortgage originations. However ... the homeownership rate did not follow suit," said Patrick Simmons, director of strategic planning for Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group.

Alan Fields, executive director for the Florida Land Title Association, has joined WFG National Title, the company announced.

Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. (NTC), a post-closing services provider for the residential mortgage industry, has been recognized by the Florida Business Journals as one of the state's fastest-growing companies.

Trulia is the latest company to report a monthly slowdown in home prices--and trends indicate yearly gains may soon cool as well. "Asking home prices give us the first look at where home sale prices are headed, and they point to a slowdown," said Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko. "After rising rapidly in the first half of 2013, asking prices in two thirds of the largest metros are cooling. In fact, asking prices are falling--not just rising more slowly--in 11 of the 100 largest metros, the most markets to see prices slip in six months."

In Colorado, Urban Lending Solutions (ULS) announced the hiring of industry experts Ken Harthausen and Julie Bussey.

As the first government shutdown in nearly 20 years marches on, the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) David Stevens is urging lawmakers to consider the impact that an ongoing shutdown will have on the housing market. Stevens, president and CEO of the trade group, pointed out that while furloughs are currently impacting the out-of-work government employees the most, the effects of a long-term crisis are sure to spread, with lenders having to wait for tax transcripts, Social Security number verification, and other required items.

Real estate agents say the housing market is beginning to shift from seller control, and they expect price gains to moderate over the next several months, according to the latest survey from Redfin.

Jay Brinkmann, chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has announced that he will retire in early 2014.