Top 15 Markets for Real Estate InvestingForbesThis holiday season, think about decking the halls of new investment property! As the economy continues to improve, many people will feel more confident about their finances and prospects for the future. Real estate can be a good addition to your … and more …read more

Unemployment rates fell across the nation in November, with 45 states and the District of Columbia recording rate drops from October. …read more

The GDP — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — increased at an annual rate of 4.1% in the third quarter of 2013, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. …read more

Fannie Mae is giving mortgage servicers until March to comply with the new rules. In the last week of November alone, the GSEs transferred more than $10 billion in MSRs. …read more

Janet Yellen’s final Senate confirmation to serve as Federal Reserve Chair has been delayed until early January. …read more

CaravanAward-winning local area artist, Linda Abbott Trapp, will be featured in a one-woman show at the Hilton Hotel in Stockton, California during the month of February, 2014. The public is invited to the opening reception Friday, January 31st from 5:30 to 8 … …read more

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions is in no uncertain terms opposed to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s move to increase guarantee fees by 10 basis points. …read more

Specialty finance company Orchid Island Capital filed the paperwork this week to launch a public common stock offering. …read more

The deal resolves another private-label mortgage-backed securities lawsuit filed against a major bank by the FHFA on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. …read more

CADA director sees more housing ahead for midtown in ’14Sacramento Business JournalSaunders said she’s still waiting for the state to give its opinion on a proposal by CADA staff to change from being a joint-powers agency between the California and the city of Sacramento to a not-for-profit agency focused on housing in midtown and … […]

Housing Wire“But as the backlog of distressed inventory available dries up in many of the markets with the most efficient foreclosure processes — namely California, Arizona and Nevada, with Georgia not far behind — overall sales volume is declining and will … …read more

It’s the Friday before Christmas, and it’s likely your team is winding down for the holidays. Here’s a little financial humor to jump start your weekend. …read more

Sacramento area borrowers could receive nearly $20 million in financial assistance from Ocwen Financial Corp. under a $2.1 billion settlement announced Thursday between the mortgage servicing giant, the federal government and 49 states. …read more

US RealtyTrac: Nov Home Sales Up Less Than 1% Vs Oct; +13% Y/YForexTV.comAnnualized sales volume declined from a year ago in 14 of the nation’s 50 largest metros, including seven California metros, two metros in both Arizona and New York, along with Las Vegas, New Haven, Conn., and Portland, Ore. The national median sales … […]

US RealtyTrac: Nov Home Sales Up Less Than 1% Vs Oct; +13% Y/YMNI NewsAnnualized sale volume declined from the previous month in 18 states and was down from a year ago in four states: California (down 14 percent), Arizona (down 12 percent), Nevada (down 9 percent), and Rhode Island (down 4 percent). Annualized sales … […]

Share of All-Cash Sales Reaches New High in November, REO Sales Share …Marketwired (press release)Annualized sale volume declined from the previous month in 18 states and was down from a year ago in four states: California (down 14 percent), Arizona (down 12 percent), Nevada (down 9 percent), and Rhode Island (down 4 percent). Annualized sales […]

A law that offers homeowners a tax break when a portion of their mortgage debt is forgiven through a loan modification, short sale or foreclosure is about to expire, leaving thousands of homeowners in limbo. …read more

The Mystery Of Real Estate Agent CompensationForbesReal Estate agents are valuable–if they weren’t, we wouldn’t have them. The three times in my life I have sold a house, I thought the agent earned his/her commission. But the commission structure –the agent gets a fixed percentage of the sale price of … and more …read more

“HomeAdvisor is a cutting-edge resource in the home industry which Impac Mortgage is proud to further serve, educate and provide mortgage product solutions to meet consumers’ unique needs,” said Bill Ashmore, co-founder and president of Impac Mortgage. …read more

“The housing market recovery continued to be driven by investors and other cash purchasers in November,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Lenders are taking advantage of this environment to unload more of their bank-owned inventory and in-foreclosure inventory at the foreclosure auction.” …read more

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions is in no uncertain terms opposed to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s move to increase guarantee fees by 10 basis points. …read more

Working full-time just doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that even in the lowest cost state it takes a full-time job and an hourly wage of $12 to afford the rent of a modest apartment at the affordability standard of no more than 30% of income. …read more

Working full-time just doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that even in the lowest cost state it takes a full-time job and an hourly wage of $12 to afford the rent of a modest apartment at the federal standard of no more than 30 percent of income. …read more

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is drilling down and taking its fight against mortgage servicing and lending issues directly to housing counselors and consumers. …read more

Ocwen Financial Corp. agreed to offer $2 billion in consumer relief and to pay up to $127.3 million to settle a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigation into its servicing practices, according to one of the servicer’s recent securities filings. …read more