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In Michigan, United Shore Financial Services, LLC (USFS) has a new leader at the helm. The company named Mat Ishbia as president. Ishbia previously served as president of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), USFS' largest division and the fastest-growing wholesale mortgage lender in America.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) continued its trend of marked monthly improvements in January, according to a release from the NAHB. The index rose for the fifth consecutive month in January to reach 242, once again achieving a record high. According to the NAHB, the list of improving markets now includes entrants from 48 states and the District of Columbia. The only states not represented are Kansas and New Mexico.

A new report from Neuberger Berman Group LLC indicates that 2013 will usher in greater stability and a reduction in uncertainty and volatility for investors. Releasing macroeconomic analysis, the company touted diversification of assets and the appeal of real estate securities during the year ahead.

RentRange LLC appointed Eric Taylor to serve as its new president. Taylor joins the company with more than 25 years in the mortgage and insurance services industry.

December saw mixed signals in terms of housing demand, according to Redfin's latest Real-Time Demand Pulse.

In New Jersey, RedVision--a national provider of title reports and real property research solutions--announced the hiring of Andrew Nadal as regional sales director for the Southeast region. Nadal has a wealth of industry experience, having spent time at both Stewart Title and Statewide Lien Company.

Though he became famous for his role on legendary television show, Dallas, the late Larry Hagman is making posthumous headlines far from Texas, following news of another price reduction on the West Coast property he once called home. Located in Ojai, California, the actor's 43-acre estate was originally placed on the market in 2009 for $11 million and the listing's asking price has now dropped to $6.495 million.

With the fiscal cliff negotiation out of the way--at least, the first phase of it--analysts at Barclays assert in a new release that "housing policy is transitioning from being a source of negative headline risk to a potential positive factor for the housing stocks." As the haze surrounding the state of the mortgage interest tax deduction (MID) lifts and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) prepares to make reforms to its business model, analysts note that "anticipated policy changes have been less severe than feared."

From 2008 through 2011, 414 banks failed across the nation, resulting in estimated costs to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) of about $42.8 billion, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GOA). When examining the cause of bank failures from 2008 through 2011, GOA found banks with less than $1 billion in assets were especially vulnerable to commercial real estate losses. GOA also found instances of "nontraditional, riskier funding sources" in many failed banks.

According to a report from Fitch, home prices have risen at their greatest pace since 2005, but in certain markets, technical factors--including low mortgage rates, tight supply of existing for-sale homes, and weak levels of new home construction--rather than "fundamentals" acted as the driving force behind the price gains over the past few quarters. In order to determine sustainability, Fitch conducted an analysis using its Sustainable Home Price (SHP) model.