Headlines

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) proposed last week a rule to establish new housing goals for 2015 through 2017 for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For single-family housing goals for 2015 through 2017, FHFA requests comment on three alternative approaches regarding prospective benchmarks for low and very low-income families.

Based on trend data collected from 2011–2013, Trulia reported Tuesday that home searches on its website nationally come in 6 percent below the annual average for the months of September and October as summer transitions into fall. Trulia's analysis follows a report last week from Redfin in which Chief Economist Nela Richardson predicted the strongest fall season in years for home sales as the market comes closer to balance.

Title insurance and settlement services provider Avenue 365 announced the appointment of Pauldie Howrigan as VP and national account manager.

Payment shock among holders of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) is a growing concern as 2.5 million HELOCs are scheduled to reset over the next three years, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor Report from Black Knight Financial Services. In fact, the average HELOC holder faces a monthly payment increase of $250 sometime in the next three years as he or she reaches the end-of-draw period.

The key players from the housing and real estate industry will descend on Dallas, Texas, September 14 through 16 for the annual Five Star Conference and Expo. "We are truly excited to have business leaders and decision makers from all across the housing spectrum come and work together at the Five Star Conference this year," said Ed Delgado, president and CEO of the Five Star Institute.

Lawyers for Bank of America have filed to overturn a jury verdict last year that held the bank liable for fraud over faulty mortgage-backed securities sold by its Countrywide unit. In their motion, BofA's lawyers argue the government failed to prove the loans involved in the case were advertised as being higher quality than they were.

Veros Real Estate Solutions, a the company behind the VeroVALUE automated valuation model (AVM) and a reseller of other top-performing AVMs, has been integrated in Calyx Software's Point solution, the companies announced.

In its 2014 Second Quarter Market Share Analysis, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) reported that the industry generated $2.7 billion in premiums in Q2 2014, down from $3.3 billion the industry generated in Q2 2013. "A lackluster spring homebuying season that was weaker than anticipated coupled with a substantial decline in refinance activity resulted in the drop in title insurance premium volume," said ALTA CEO Michelle Korsmo.

Directed by Steven Frie, director of structured finance at Standard & Poor's Rating Services, the 2014 Five Star Conference Compliance Lab will feature a panel of experts tackling some of the most pressing issues of the day, speaking on topics ranging from the impact of the qualified mortgage (QM) and qualified residential mortgage (QRM) guidelines; how to balance state, local, and federal regulations; and the cost and consequences of compliance.

The balance of power in the housing market is continuing its tilt back to buyers—and that could spell a surge in home sales in the coming months. In the brokerage's latest Real-Time Housing Market Tracker, Redfin Chief Economist Nela Richardson notes two ongoing trends indicating a shift to a more balanced market as the nation heads into fall.