Daily Dose

The latest Multi-Indicator Market Index (MiMi) from Freddie Mac, released Wednesday, showed that the U.S. housing market showed continued stabilization for the fourth straight month in December. According to the latest MiMi, 38 states plus the District of Columbia and 40 out of 50 metros showed an improving three-month trend in December. The metro areas of Buffalo, Boston, and Nashville, all entered their "benchmark stable" ranges of housing activity.

January saw relatively little change in the number of new home sales from December, according to data released today from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau on new residential home sales in January; however, sales are on the rise from last year.

Data released from the FDIC and NAHB show the stock of 1-4 unit residential loans rose by $1.158 billion during the fourth quarter. That is an increase of 2.23 percent. While limited availability for construction loans has been preventing a rebound in home construction, residential loan stock has been rising for the past two years.

Most of the complaints boil down to consumer confusion over the terms of a loan. The most common complaint is that borrowers are unable to refinance. Related, many consumers dislike that they cannot change the terms of the loan.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will be trying to get the more than 20,000 New Jersey residents still eligible to sign up for the Home Affordable Refinance Program at their fifth outreach event to be held in Newark on March 4.

Home prices were a mixed bag in December with nine cities showing increases, six cities recording decreases, and five cities showing relatively flat changes. The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, released Tuesday, show the national housing index fell 0.1 percent from November to December. However, the 10- and 20-city indices instead rose with a slight increase of 0.1 percent month-to-month.

The Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services will hold the second hearing in the series, entitled The Future of Housing in America: Oversight of the Federal Housing Administration, Part II, on Thursday, February 26, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time.

Hudson & Marshall seeks to pair the reputation with the nation’s leading servicers, lenders, credit unions, GSEs, asset management firms, and investors with Genesis Auction’s investor marketing and affiliation with Genesis Capital, a private bridge lender to investors active in distressed single-family real estate.

There are approximately 81,000 loans in the portfolio involved in the transaction, according to Ocwen's announcement. The transaction is subject to a definitive agreement as well as approval from Freddie Mac as well as Freddie Mac's conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

Black Knight Financial Services released its latest Home Price Index Report Monday, which showed that home prices nationwide were down an almost-flat 0.1 percent in December. At the same time, 2014 ended with sale prices doing 4.5 percent better than a year prior.