Pro Teck Valuation Services released on Tuesday January's Home Value Forecast (HVF), a measure of single family residential markets. The company ranked Long Island as the strongest market in the nation, citing its small share of foreclosures as total sales and its comparatively low housing inventory.

MERSCORP Holdings announced Tuesday the Seventh Circuit of Appeals rendered a favorable decision in a Macon County recording fee case. The court affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit by the district court, providing another legal win for MERSCORP.

CoreLogic released its Home Price Index (HPI) for December 2013, noting an 11 percent bump since December 2012. Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic, was optimistic about the future: "After six years of fits and starts, we can now see a clearer path to a durable recovery in single-family residential housing across most of the United States."

The law firm of Fabrizio & Brook, P.C., has a new member on staff. The firm hired attorney Christopher Astfalk to join its litigation team.

Daily banking business for the residents of Boise, Idaho will continue as usual but under a slightly different banner: Syringa Bank and its six branches were shuttered over the weekend, leading to an FDIC-insured handover to Sunwest Bank from Irvine, California.