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ZVN Properties, Inc., operating out of Ohio, welcomed David Dolan as COO. With nearly three decades of experience in all facets of banking, lending, and mortgage field servicing, Dolan has worked to transform both private and publicly held businesses through his leadership, industry knowledge, and consumer insight.

Freddie Mac announced the launch of Loan Quality Advisor, a new online loan tool designed to give lenders an automated way to identify credit, data, and purchase eligibility issues.

The Census Bureau released Wednesday a report showing a decline in construction spending throughout March. According to Census data, construction spending in March was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $856.7 billion, a 1.7 percent drop from February's revised estimate of $871.8 billion. While total spending fell, spending for housing construction inched up. According to the report, residential construction spending was at annual rate of $301.6 billion.

Churchill Mortgage, a Tennessee-based leader in conventional and government-backed residential mortgage lending across 26 states, touted its continued commitment to local communities during April, otherwise known as National Volunteer Month.

Continental Title Holding Co., Inc., an independent title insurance agency with headquarters in St. Louis, announced the acquisition of Assured Title Company of Warrenton, LLC.

The nation's homeownership rate fell to 65 percent in the first quarter of 2013, according to data from the Census Bureau.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which took a hit in March as the first effects of the sequester were felt, increased from 61.9 to 68.1 in April, the firm reported. Consumers were considerably more upbeat about the near future than they were in March. The Conference Board's Expectations Index improved to 73.3 in April, a jump from 63.7 the prior month. While more respondents also expressed confidence in their assessment of current conditions, monthly gains were only moderate.

Despite weakness in the Midwest, home prices posted their strongest year-over-year gain in almost seven years in February, according to the Case-Shiller 10- and 20-city Home Price Indexes released Tuesday. Month-over-month, the 10-city index improved 0.4 percent in February, while the 20-city index was up 0.3 percent. On a yearly basis, the 10-city index was up 8.6 percent, and the 20-city index rose 9.3 percent. Economists had forecast the 20-city index would rise slightly to 146.16, essentially unchanged from January.

In March, investors accounted for 13.3 percent of the market share for non-distressed properties, while current homeowners represented 50 percent of the market.

Santa Ana's Stearns Lending, Inc., a nationwide mortgage lending institution, announced its inclusion on Mortgagestats.com's list of the 2012 Top 20 Residential Lenders Ranked by Volume.