Abandoned and foreclosed homes can quickly become hotbeds for criminal activity. Empty houses are looted for copper and appliances, illegally inhabited by squatters, or commandeered for drug trafficking and prostitution. According to Realis Real Estate Software, such activity not only negatively impacts the neighborhood in which it occurs, but it prolongs the time it takes to sell the property. Lauren Roberts, founder of Realis and 25-year REO veteran, says one way to protect foreclosed homes from criminal infiltration is to put them into the hands of new buyers.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are up in arms over the news that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) approved $12.79 million in bonus pay for 10 executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sixty senators put their partisan differences aside and presented a united front in a letter to FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in which they criticized such compensation as ""wildly imprudent"" and expressed concern over the message it sends to millions of American families who are tightening their belts.

After declining between the first and second quarters of this year, Zillow says negative equity rose again in the third, reclaiming all of the previous quarter's decline and then some. Zillow's latest market analysis indicates 28.6 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage owed more on the loan than their home was worth as of the end of September. The company says a lower rate of foreclosure liquidations and relatively flat home values combined to increase negative equity over the three-month period.

The national mortgage delinquency rate edged up during the third quarter of 2011, marking the first increase in nearly two years, according to TransUnion. The credit bureau calculates the delinquency rate as the percentage of borrowers 60 or more days behind on their payments, excluding those that are already in foreclosure. The rate increased to 5.88 percent at the end of September. TransUnion expects the sudden upward movement to be a temporary one, driven by unanticipated financial shocks during the third quarter.

Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) announced Monday that Nancy Murphy has joined the company as VP of investor relations. Murphy has 17 years experience as a finance professional. Her work includes financial strategy and analysis, business development, and relationship management. Most recently, Murphy directed investor relations for Stein Mart, Inc. and before that served as head of investor relations for Providian Financial Corporation.

While the roots of the financial crisis can be found in the nation's residential housing sector, it's now exposure to bad commercial real estate loans that's battering banks' balance sheets. The research firm Trepp LLC has released a new report on recent U.S. bank failures and the drivers behind their demise. In total, 11 banks failed during the month of October, collectively with $617 million in nonperforming loans. Commercial real estate loans made up 65 percent of the nonperforming balance, while residential real estate was 22 percent.

Zillow, Inc. has announced its acquisition of Diverse Solutions for $7.8 million in cash and stock. Diverse Solutions, headquartered in Irvine, California, helps real estate agents market their businesses and improve their personal websites. The company's software services include providing listings content and property search functionality for the Web and mobile platforms.

CoreLogic released its latest market analysis of residential property values Monday. The company's index shows U.S. home prices fell another 1.1 percent between August and September. It marks the second consecutive monthly decline recorded by CoreLogic and signals price depreciation is deepening. The company's previous report documented a 0.4 percent drop between July and August. CoreLogic says home prices are adjusting to correct the supply-demand imbalance, and as a result, declines will continue through the winter.

Steven P. Turner, a partner at Texas-based Barrett Daffin Frappier Turner & Engel, LLP, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2012 edition of ""The Best Lawyers in America"" in the area of bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law. Selection is based on more than 3.9 million confidential peer-review evaluations. Turner is the firm's bankruptcy managing attorney.

State and federal regulators have closed the doors on two more community-based lenders in Nebraska and Utah, bringing this year's tally of failed banks to 87. Mid City Bank, Inc. in Omaha has been acquired by Purdum State Bank, which is now operating under the name Premier Bank. Utah's SunFirst Bank has been largely absorbed by Cache Valley Bank. However, the FDIC says it is retaining $15 million in deposits that may be subject to external litigation involving SunFirst Bank, along with $20.8 million of its assets which Cache Valley Bank elected not to acquire.