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After taking a nosedive in April and recovering in May, pending home sales climbed upward at a steady pace over June, according to a sales index released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. As regions showed signs of recovery, market watchers faulted leery lenders and bad appraisals for a less-than-timely rebound. Releasing the Pending Home Sales Index, NAR revealed encouraging gains in unclosed contracts, as signings went up by 2.4 percent to settle at 90.9 in June.

Plummeting refinance applications crimped Federal Housing Administration mortgage loan applications over June, according to a report issued by the federal agency, with total volume falling 22 percent less than volume at the same time last year. The FHA attributed the plunge to a 50 percent decline in year-over-year numbers for refinance applications. Data from June last year suggests a sharp decline in refinance loan applications, which dropped from 69,876 to 35,367 last month.

On Thursday the Office of Thrift Supervision went dark in offices and locations around the country, with the bulk of its supervisory responsibilities and employees relocating to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and several other federal agencies. Come October, the agency ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô responsible for supervising savings banks and associations since 1989 ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô will officially cease to exist. The OCC received transfers of authority that includes regulating institutions with less than $10 billion in assets.

As reflected by a weekly survey released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the number of mortgage applications filed by homebuyers declined 5.0 percent from the previous week. The survey showed a dip by 5.0 percent in mortgage loan application volume, as measured by the Market Composite Index, with a corresponding 4.9 percent decline on an unadjusted basis from the week ending July 22. The Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey reviews half of all residential mortgage applications.

Lending availability may be in the swings of an expansion, as loan structures and demand loosen, leading to more financing opportunities in the broader economy, according to a second-quarter survey released Wednesday by research firm Phoenix Management Services. The survey posted hopeful signs for an erstwhile tight credit supply, even as it anticipates continued volatility in home construction, real estate, and other markets. The survey used anecdotal and quantitative research.

InHouse, Inc. will now be, in fact, in house with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, thanks to the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós new platform that will provide direct appraisal integration with the GSEs, enhancing compliance with submissions.

Fewer homebuyers purchased new single-family homes over June, the Census Bureau and HUD reported Tuesday, with sales falling to an annual rate of 312,000 from 315,000 the previous month. Economists say these numbers nonetheless reflect progress from February, when single-family sales hit a record low, while others point to a slowly vanishing foreclosure fleet. The report held that June sales amounted to 1.0 percent, plus or minus 12.5 percent, beneath revised May estimates, still 1.6 percent above estimates from June last year.

After a year of controversy, back-and-forth hearings, and battles on Capitol Hill, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau architect and advocate Elizabeth Warren will depart from the bureau and return to an endowed position at Harvard Law School come August. Date will assume responsibility for day-to-day affairs and operations at the Treasury Department. Last month Bloomberg News circulated reports that Obama would replace Warren, a polarizing figure on Capitol Hill, with the associate director.

In a statement released Monday, Michigan-based mortgage lender Shore Financial Services, Inc. announced its decision to appoint Susan Pelto, a regulatory compliance expert, its chief compliance officer. Alongside Pelto, the company advanced COO Kathy Welty to CRO, whereby she will now participate in a risk committee.

A Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released Tuesday revealed slight bumps in home prices across composites collected for some 20 cities, with the nation's Capitol leading the way with an upward arc, even as existing-home sales flat-lined in June and single-family starts showed nominal signs of life. According to the index, 10- and 20-city composites jumped May over April by 1.1 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively, with only three in 20 assessments showing declines and Phoenix staying unchanged.