Data

U.S. home values in 2012 rose 5.9 percent over 2011, according to data in Zillow's latest Home Value Index (HVI).

In Michigan, zipLogix, the creator of zipForm, announced the release of a new web conferencing service powered by AnyMeeting.

A recent report from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies argues for more flexibility for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Under direction of a congressionally appointed advisory board and CEO, the new "FHA Corp." should be free to enact its own hiring process, manage its own budget and adapt to market changes "without Congress legislating each change or mandating numerous complex or inconsistent rules and regulations," researchers suggest.

Washington may have (arguably) successfully avoided 2013's budgetary landmines so far, but the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports everything it has seen so far suggests economic growth will be modest in 2013. In its most recent Economic and Mortgage Finance Commentary, the association forecasts slow economic gains in the first half of 2013 "as the effects of the payroll tax increase and the spending cuts from sequestration or a similar decline in government spending kicks in."

Kroll Factual Data announced the addition of several product integrations into ISGN's MORvision Plug-In Partner platform.

Now that the industry has its long-awaited QM definition, Fitch Ratings believes jumbo prime securities are poised to see a jump start.

Genworth Financial, Inc., announced a new chief risk officer (CRO) for its Genworth U.S. Mortgage Insurance (USMI) unit. Michael Derstine was selected for the position as CRO.

1st Regents Bank, of Andover, Minnesota, became the country's second FDIC-insured institution to collapse in 2013, the FDIC announced Friday. All of 1st Regents' estimated $49.1 million in deposits and virtually all of its $50.2 million in assets will be assumed by First Minnesota Bank in Minnetonka, the agency said in a release. First Minnesota will pay the FDIC a premium of 2 percent to assume the deposits.

Caliber Funding and Vericrest Financial have agreed to combine their operations to create one full-service, residential mortgage banking organization offering originations and loan servicing solutions, the companies announced.

Veros Real Estate Solutions announced its PATHWAY technology solution is ready to deliver Fannie Mae's proprietary appraisal messages.