The majority of Americans are willing to sacrifice on living space if it means living closer to their most-visited spots, according to findings released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Read More »Double-Digit Annual Price Gains Expected to End in 2014
National home prices are up 10.1 percent year-over-year in the second quarter, but price appreciation is expected to fall out of the double-digits, reaching 5.4 percent by the beginning of next year, according to the CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes. "Combined with increased housing construction, expected increases in existing inventories should restrain price appreciation even if demand remains strong," said David Stiff, principal economist for CoreLogic Case-Shiller.
Read More »PCV Murcor Launches ValuationsDirect Platform
PCV Murcor announced the launch of ValuationsDirect, an online appraisal ordering platform designed specifically for mortgage brokers and correspondents.
Read More »Home Sellers Concerned About Economy, But Not Enough to Delay Plans
In the aftermath of the federal government shutdown, Redfin Research Center finds home sellers harbor concerns about the state of the economy and declining optimism toward selling their homes. "Almost certainly due to the U.S. government shutdown and debt ceiling battle in October, sellers this quarter were most worried about the state of the U.S. economy, with 39 percent naming 'general economic conditions' as a concern about listing their home," Redfin stated Thursday in its Real-Time Seller Survey.
Read More »Sabal Names Longtime Lehman Brothers Vet as Managing Director
Sabal Financial Group, L.P., a privately held diversified financial services firm that specializes in real estate, lending, and banking, appointed Marguerite Brogan as managing director.
Read More »Private Mortgage Insurers Report September Slowdown
Member firms of Mortgage Insurance Companies of America (MICA) reported a combined 37,501 new mortgage insurance policies issued in September, down from 46,051 in August.
Read More »Carrington Expands Business to Include Banks, CUs as Third-Party Originators
Carrington Mortgage Services' Wholesale Lending Division is expanding its offerings to include banks and credit unions as approved third-party originators, the company announced.
Read More »Higher LTV Ratios Pull Down Borrower Health in Q3
Recent findings released by online lender exchange LendingTree reveal that the financial health of prospective borrowers dipped in this year's third quarter after seeing a sizable improvement in the second. The company attributed the slight decline in borrower health to rising home prices, which boosted loan-to-value ratios across the country to a national average of 89.8 percent and put more financial pressure on potential borrowers. National health also experienced a slight drag from a dip in the average credit score of borrowers.
Read More »Republicans Block Watt Nomination for FHFA Head
Senate Republicans blocked on Thursday a vote on the nomination of Rep. Mel Watt (D-North Carolina) to head up the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Watt's nomination was stopped in a 56-42 vote to end the debate over his confirmation. Sixty votes were needed to invoke cloture and move forward. The agency has been led since 2009 by acting director Edward DeMarco, who has attracted criticism from Democrats and consumer advocates who say he hasn't gone far enough to help distressed homeowners.
Read More »FDIC Announces Collapse of Florida Bank
A Florida bank became the 23rd FDIC-insured institution to fall this year, the agency announced Wednesday.
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