Diane Gozza

For the "information junkie" who anxiously searches for any glimmer of an economic recovery, 2012 may prove to be a classic "good news-bad news" scenario. If you follow the news feeds, there is definitely no shortage of stories to bolster the position that the housing market is still a mess.

At the beginning of this new year, President Obama, much to the chagrin of many Republicans in Congress and constituents in the mortgage banking community, appointed Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Does Cordray's appointment to the CFPB mean: For every problem there is an opportunity?

When a potential homebuyer is looking for a house, many variables are taken into account, but generally location, location, location are the top three. This becomes an especially important consideration if the family involved has children who will be attending public school. Homes in school districts with the most generously filled coffers and highest ratings are always in demand, despite downturns in the real estate market.

Accountability is about responsibility, the responsibility to answer for your actions. The largest bank failure in U.S. history happened in 2008 with the colossal collapse of Washington Mutual. Three high-ranking executives, who were brought to task, recently reached a $64.7 million settlement with bank regulators.