Significant improvements in home values helped lift 850,000 borrowers out of negative equity in the first quarter, CoreLogic reported. Overall, 9.7 million borrowers, or 19.8 percent of all residential mortgages, were underwater in the first quarter of 2013, down from 10.5 million, or 21.7 percent of all mortgages, in the previous quarter, according to the data provider's estimate. The state with the highest share of upside down borrowers was Nevada, where 45.4 percent of residential mortgages are underwater.

The U.S. Department of Defense certified IndiSoft's secure data destruction application known as WipeOut.

The property management industry is poised for growth thanks to the booming rental sector, according to Utah-based Real Property Management. In fact, Real Property Management says it has doubled in size over the past two years. Currently, the company has 230 offices across 47 states and opens an average of eight new franchises per month.

Volusia County in Florida partnered with Corporation Service Company (CSC) to offer the use of electronic document recording for real estate and land record processing.

Churchill Mortgage received approval to take part in a program that offers assistance to first-time homebuyers in Texas.

There's a mortgage debt ""overhang"" that threatens the health of the national economy, and one possible solution to the problem comes in the form of eminent domain, according to a new report authored by Robert Hockett. Of the roughly 11 million underwater mortgages, about 3 or 4 million are in default, foreclosure, or foreclosed and awaiting liquidation, the report, Paying Paul and Robbing No One: An Eminent Domain Solution for Underwater Mortgage Debt, found.

Competition for homes eased in May due to a monthly increase in inventory, according to Redfin's latest bidding war report. Although 69.5 percent of offers that came from Redfin agents faced competition last month, the share is down from 73.3 percent in April. Competition was the most heated in California markets. In San Francisco, 87.9 percent of offers faced multiple bids in May, the most out of the 21 major markets tracked.

Attorneys Title Agency (ATA), a full-service title company providing comprehensive services in Michigan, acquired Bayview Title Agency.

The pace at which home prices are rising should moderate later this year, with home prices forecast to rise by 8 percent this year then increase by another 4 percent in 2014, according to an analysis from Capital Economics. Although the research firm agrees with analysts who have warned recent home price gains are not sustainable, housing bubble concerns were described as ""premature."" Unlike other projections, the firm also doesn't expect to see a swift increase in mortgage rates over the next year.

Kozeny & McCubbin, LC announced two attorneys were named members of the firm. Sara Fievet Knittel will serve as the firm's compliance attorney and manage the legal compliance processes of the firm. Martin W. Blanchard also became a member of the firm and was appointed to serve as the head of the litigation department for the Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska offices.