According to figures released Tuesday morning, home values are still in the tank, with three key S&P price indices sinking in the fourth quarter to their lowest level since the housing crisis began seven years ago.

Tree.com lost $1.1 million in the fourth quarter, after experiencing reduced revenue from its lead generation business. It also took a $5.6 million impairment charge on intangible assets.

An index from the National Association of Realtors that tracks pending home sales edged up 2% in January to the highest level since April 2010 when the government was still handing out homebuyer tax credits.

The same benefits and legal foundation that guide mortgage lenders' paperless origination capabilities are now being applied by servicers performing loss mitigation, according to a panel at this week's Mortgage Bankers Association servicing conference.

Servicing regulations and oversight aren't new concepts for mortgage bankers, but the motivation and processes are evolving to meet the demands of current market conditions.

First off, I'd like to thank the crew at Bank of America for continually giving mortgage reporters and editors something to write about. Don't get me wrong--there's plenty of good stories out there. And let's face it--and you read it here first: What happens regulatory and legislatively over the next three to four years should shape the future of this industry for the next 50 years.

Maryland is developing a pilot program to take its mandatory foreclosure mediation process paperless.

Home prices rose in 27 states during the fourth quarter as home values increased on GSE-related transactions during the final two months of 2011.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose eight basis points to 3.95% for the week ending Feb. 23, reflecting both an improving economy and housing market, according to new figures compiled by Freddie Mac.

Even though the short sale market was slow to develop in 2011, there are many people within the mortgage industry that think 2012 could be the year of the short sale as delinquencies and foreclosures continue to be a major problem throughout the country.

Woodward Asset Capital has made technological advancements to their two software solutions enabling small banks to have the capability to access these tools to monitor fraudulent activities in the distressed sales marketplace.

Sales of existing homes rose 4.3% in January from the prior month as a mild winter and improving economic conditions encouraged buyers, according to figures released Wednesday morning.

Mortgage applications declined by almost 5% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Feb. 17, as refinancings declined and rates on fixed-rate loans began to increase, according to figures compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Technology providers are rolling out new updates and products this week at the Mortgage Bankers Association's servicing conference in Orlando.

For every 12 relationships that you systematically market to each year, you can expect two transactions. One will be a direct buyer or seller, and the other will be a referral. Compare that to your marketing efforts towards strangers. He found that for every 50 people that you market to that you don’t know, you can expect one transaction. Which approach makes more sense?

Mortgage technology vendor CoreLogic this week unveiled a new default servicing platform that includes nine modules that interconnect within its architecture.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs revolutionized the computer, phone and music industries. But mortgage banking? Okay, so Apple (from what we know) has no designs on mortgage banking, but it's interesting to think about it because the inventor of the iPhone/iTouch/iPad and other gadgets is sitting on roughly $100 billion of cash and securities.

A bullish thesis on construction activity has taken hold among investors who have bid up the shares of major home builders by as much as 80% in the last six months.

The cyber attack on homebuilder D.R. Horton’s mortgage division impacted a crucial piece of the lender’s mortgage technology; it’s online point of sale system.

First things first: Yes, I can live on $500,000. Heck, I can live on $250,000 a year. Would I like to run Fannie Mae, the government-controlled mortgage giant? Answer: Sure, why not? But first I have a few stipulations.