Lew Sichelman

Lenders filed only half the number of foreclosures in the second quarter of 2011 in the tri-county region of South Florida as they did during the same period last year, according to a new report from CondoVultures.com.

Alabama isn't exactly a hotbed of housing activity. But folks in three of the Cotton State's markets put more money down than home buyers in any other locale.

Like Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz," the nation's homebuilders aren't in Kansas anymore.

Housing permits rose sharply in May in California to their highest level of the year -- but the gain was entirely in the multifamily sector, with single-family production actually falling in the month.

Add Tennessee to the long list of states that have banned private transfer fees.

Suspicious activity report filings involving mortgage fraud rose by 31% in the first quarter, largely as a result of the large number of repurchase demands by investors.

The Department of Justice has more than 15 "open investigations" into violations of the nation's fair lending laws, probes that could lead to charges against lenders if a pattern of abuse is uncovered, according to a key department official.

Home builders received a vote of confidence of sorts at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco with the disclosure that would-be buyers favor new houses almost unanimously over used.

The Obama Administration needs to appoint a "housing czar" with the single purpose of clearing the market of distressed houses, a prominent West Coast economist said.

ORLANDO, FL—While a majority of homeowners see good value in borrowing against the equity they have in their homes, a new survey has found that they also tend to believe the step should be taken only in case of an emergency.

WASHINGTON—Two politically potent housing organizations have called on the Federal Housing Administration to relax its rule regarding condominiums.

The Washington, D.C., metro area, shown in many house price indices as one of the few markets where values are growing, is continuing its upward and onward trend, according to one forward looking benchmark.

For the first time since the housing market collapsed in South Florida, less than 50,000 residential properties are listed for sale.

The financial bloodbath that could have occurred in the commercial real estate market will be averted as long as federal regulators continue their look-the-other-way policy when it comes to lenders and their troubled borrowers, the head of a San Diego workout firm told a group of real estate journalists in San Antonio.

The man considered by many to be President Obama's eventual choice to run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau promised that the agency will be "thoughtful" when it officially opens for business on July 21.

The housing market won't begin to stabilize for at least two more years, the executive in charge of consumer and home equity lending initiatives at Lender Processing Services said at an industry conference in Orlando. But it could be two years or more after that for the market to return to "normal."

While a majority of home owners see good value in borrowing against the equity they have in their homes, a new survey found that they also tend to believe the step should be taken only in case of an emergency.

Only two million or so households have enough equity in their homes and high enough credit ratings to be viable candidates for home equity lending, according to an analysis by strategists at Lender Processing Services. But within that "sweet spot" lie a number of opportunities for lenders who dare to be creative, they said at CBA Live 2011.

The Department of Justice has more than a dozen open investigations into violations of the nation's fair lending laws -- probes that could lead to charges against mortgage firms if investigators find a pattern of abuse, according to a key department official.

A three-year supply of condominium apartments remain unsold in the overbuilt South Florida market. And that's not counting units that lie west of Interstate 95 or the thousands of condo units owned by investors.