Data and information management

Residential real estate markets have exhibited “signs of improvement” since May, according to the Federal Reserve's “Beige Book.”

Following a series of regulatory and legal challenges to force-placed insurance, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Assurant, the leading specialty insurance carrier, to quantify the potential financial impact.

Applications to take out a residential mortgage fell 4.3% for the week ending Aug. 24 with refinancings weakening slightly.

Mortgage bankers issued $32 billion of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities in July down almost 8% from June. Still, the market remains strong.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported that banks and thrifts originated $186 billion of closed-end single-family loans in the second quarter through retail means, compared to $170 billion in the first.

The Case-Shiller house price index rose 2.3% in both June and May on a nonseasonally adjusted basis and all 20 cities featured in the index posted month-over-month increases in both June and May.

The “real” homeownership rate has fallen to its lowest level in almost 50 years.

The National Association of Realtors is forecasting that the vacancy rate on multifamily dwellings will fall to 4.2% this quarter compared to 5.6% a year ago as high demand outstrips supply.

Freddie Mac reported that it purchased $32.5 billion in loans from mortgage lenders in July, down from $44.1 billion in June.

MountainView Capital Holdings this week inked a deal to buy Clayton IPS, the independent pricing service division of Clayton Holdings.

Wells Fargo ranked first among all GNMA servicers in the second quarter with a 30% market share.

Roughly 400,000 fewer U.S. homeowners saw their mortgage fall into underwater status in the second quarter.

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continued its slow increase during the week ending Aug. 23, rising four basis points to 3.66%.

Housing inventory remains tight and even the supply of distressed homes has been declining.

Many potential applicants are taking the first offer they receive on their mortgage, missing out on substantial savings.

Sales were as hot as the weather in Houston in July as they were up for the 14th consecutive month.

According to new figures compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the refi share fell to 80% of all new business, compared to 81% the week prior.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase expect the upcoming National Association of Realtors' report to show a 3% increase in sales from June to a 4.5 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in July.

Sales in the top 50 master-planned communities accounted for roughly 5% of all new home sales last year.

The Treasury Department unveiled a bold new plan to speed up the dissolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying the two can no longer retain profits and must reduce their massive portfolio holdings at an annual rate of 15%.