CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) posted its largest annual increase in nearly seven years in February. Among the largest metros, Phoenix posted the largest year-over-year increase at 20.8 percent. Other metros that posted double-digit increases included Los Angeles (+14.5 percent), Riverside (+13.2 percent), and Atlanta (+12.4 percent). Furthermore, CoreLogic's Pending HPI projects another 10.2 percent year-over-year increase. From February to March, prices are expected to rise by 1.2 percent.

While most of the country spent the winter fighting blizzard conditions and flu symptoms, home prices made it through the season relatively unscathed. According to Clear Capital, home prices ended March with a 6.5 percent year-over-year improvement, while the quarterly gain was a modest 0.9 percent. Over the next three quarters, Clear Capital is projecting growth of 1.7 percent, which would bring the 2013 forecast to 2.6 percent. That growth will differ by region, with the Northeast leading in gains.

Investor activity saw a decline last year as the median price for investment homes increased, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported.

Genworth Financial got the go-ahead to implement its comprehensive capital plan for its mortgage insurance business. The plan has been fully implemented as of April 1, Virginia-based Genworth announced. The plan is expected to reduce Genworth Mortgage Insurance Company's (GMICO) risk-to-capital ratio by about 15 points and lower the combined risk-to-capital ratio of the U.S. mortgage insurance subsidiaries by about 10 points.

For February, DataQuick found home prices grew in 34 of the 42 counties on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Home sales for Massachusetts stood at 2,246 in February, down 5 percent from 2,366 sales in February 2012. According to The Warren Group, the yearly decline was the first in the state since December 2011.

Company experts at Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. (NTC) revealed a trend showing an increase in documents recorded electronically in the nation's Recorders' Offices.

In January, national home prices averaged $208,000, up 0.3 percent from December and 6.7 percent year-over-year. However, prices were still 21.4 percent below their June 2006 peak. Among metro areas, Atlanta experienced the biggest monthly increase at 1.7 percent, while Phoenix followed with a 1.2 percent gain. Three other metros in the top five were San Jose (+1.2 percent); Hilton Head, South Carolina (1.1 percent); and Baltimore (1.1 percent).

According to a report from the FHFA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Freddie Mac and eight of its largest servicers, which service 70 percent of the GSE's mortgages, received over 34,000 complaints that became escalated cases during a 14-month time period ending November 30, 2012. In examining those cases, FHFAOIG says it found a failure to implement guidelines for escalated complaints. For example, seven out of the eight servicers did not resolve all escalated cases within the 30-day requirement.

Zillow's Home Value Index registered a national value of $158,100 last month, which represents a slight 0.1 percent increase from January.