Origination

A study reveals borrowers who defaulted on their mortgages in recent years tend to stay out of the market for much longer than other borrowers.

The number of owner-occupied homes reached 75,076,000 in the third quarter, increasing from 74,832,000 in the second but down from 75,251,000 a year ago, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. At the same time, the nation's homeownership rate (seasonally adjusted) remained near historic lows, hovering at 65.5 percent. The stagnant homeownership rate combined with a decline in the number of units held off the market suggests opportunities for home sales.

U.S. home prices continued to increase in August as the Case Shiller 20-city Home Price Index rose 0.9 percent to its highest level since September 2010. The index is up 2.0 percent in the last year, showing improvement in 19 of the 20 cities surveyed. The 10-city also rose 0.9 percent in August, increasing 1.3 percent ahead of August 2011 and reaching its highest level since October 2010. The monthly gain in each index was slower than in July, when the 10-city index went up 1.5 percent and the 20-city index improved 1.6 percent.

In September, home prices improved in nearly all of the largest counties throughout the United States as tracked by DataQuick. According to the company's new Property Intelligence Report (PIR), home prices grew in 40 out of 42 counties month-over-month, while prices improved in all 42 counties from the previous quarter and over the last year. DataQuick suggested the PIR is displaying evidence the recovery in housing is underway, but the PIR found an uneven recovery, with some areas facing risk factors.

Equifax launched its Spectrum Verification Services Platform designed to strengthen lender confidence by streamlining the verification processes.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it has guaranteed 20 million home loans since its lending program was established in 1944. According to a release from the department, the 20 millionth loan was guaranteed for a home in Woodbridge, Virginia, purchased by the surviving spouse of an Iraq War veteran.

Three stand-out mortgage professionals are now serving the Tucson, Arizona community at V.I.P. Mortgage, Inc.

The ICBA has gathered nearly 15,000 signatures on a petition opposed to "applying Wall Street regulations to Main Street community banks."

Foreclosures have drained nearly $2 trillion in home equity from neighborhoods across the United States, according to a report from the Center for Responsible Lending. In a report titled "Collateral Damage: The Spillover Costs of Foreclosures," researchers Debbie Bocian, Wei Li, and Peter Smith conclude that, based on loans that entered foreclosure between 2007 and 2011, approximately $1.95 trillion in property value has been or will be lost by residents who live close to foreclosed properties.

CoreLogic announced the release of Third-Party Originator (TPO) Portal, a new system developed by the San Mateo, California-based CoreLogic Dorado. Using the portal, correspondent clients and wholesale brokers can upload and lock multiple loans in a bulk transmission to an enterprise lending system (ELS) and monitor them for conditions and approvals.