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Mortgage Cadence, LLC, announced Wednesday the acquisition of Prime Alliance Solutions, Inc. The Denver-based provider of services and technology for the financial services industry acquired Prime Alliance based on a shared passion to automate the mortgage process through rules and tasking, the company said in a release. Mortgage Cadence employs a financial services data model to provide Enterprise Lending Solutions. Prime Alliance Solutions is a credit union service organization concentrating on mortgage lending and is based in Edina, Minnesota.

The revised figures for economic growth in the year's first quarter were disappointing, but Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research Group is still forecasting moderate growth for the remainder of 2012. A report released by the group Tuesday projected 2.2 percent growth for all of 2012. Several factors presented risks to the economic outlook, including a slowing trend in job growth and potential contagion in the euro zone from Greece's financial issues. Consumer attitudes also influence the economic outlook.

While other experts and analysts have concluded home prices are on the rise and the recovery is under way, Radar Logic released a report challenging the upbeat viewpoint. The argument made by Radar Logic is that as buyers absorb the supply of homes for sale in certain markets and prices start to stabilize as a result, home owners who have been waiting on the sidelines to sell will do so once prices start to improve. This will increase supply once again, and home prices will stop appreciating as supply exceeds demand. Home values decreased by 0.8 percent year-over-year in April 2012.

Analysts said Tuesday that a reduction in homicide rates by 10 percent would likely lead to a 0.83 percent increase in housing values and a 2.1 percent increase in housing prices in residential and metropolitan areas around the nation. The Center for American Progress surveyed 8 major metropolitan areas to tally up the costs of violent crime ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô including homicide, rape, and aggravated robbery ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô for residents, cities, and state and municipal governments. According to the study, the results weigh heavily on residential property values and home prices.

After reaching 100 in May, the list of metropolitan areas with improving housing markets fell to 89 in June, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Market Index. While the number of metros on the index dropped, a closer look shows high volatility, not a straightforward decline in improving markets. About half of last month's improving markets ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô 52 metros ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô maintained their improving status in June. The other 48 metros listed as improving markets in May fell off the list.

Boasting 40 acres of land, full equestrian facilities, and six guest houses, the La Quinta, California, estate once belonging to Merv Griffin is now on the market for $9.5 million.

Multifamily and commercial lender, CWCapital, has added a new senior vice president. The company recently announced the addition of David A.Burt as CWCapital's SVP within its small balance, multifamily program.

The national housing market recovery is ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├àÔÇ£in full swing,├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├é┬Ø according to the June edition of RE/MAX├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós National Housing Report. The report, released Monday, revealed that May saw increases in both home sales and house median home price for 42 of the 53 surveyed metropolitan markets. For the fourth consecutive month, the RE/MAX report found an overall increase in median home price across the country. In May, the national median home price was $166,500, a 6.1 percent increase year-over-year, RE/MAX said.

Housing permits soared in May to their highest level since September 2008, surging 7.9 percent to 780,000, the Census Bureau and HUD reported jointly Tuesday, but housing starts dropped 4.8 percent to 708,000 giving back all of April's gains. At the same time, permits for April were revised upward to 723,000 from the originally reported 715,000. April housing starts were also revised to 744,000, up from the originally reported 717,000 percent drop. Surveyed economists expected increases in both areas.

Seeking to align the company's name with its expanded portfolio of valuation management services, Coester Appraisal Group has announced its new corporate title, CoesterVMS.