Fannie Mae released its July 2012 National Housing Survey Tuesday, showing that consumer optimism regarding the slowly recovering housing market remained strong during the month. Survey respondents said they expect home prices to increase 1.7 percent in the next year, slightly down from the 2.0 percent survey high recorded in June. Eleven percent of respondents believe home prices will drop, the lowest level recorded since the survey began in June 2010.

MountainView Servicing Group announced Monday that it completed the sale of three bulk packages of mortgage servicing rights for Fannie Mae loans. The Denver-based subsidiary of MountainView Capital Holdings completed the sale on July 31.

Hope LoanPort announced Monday that it is partnering with GMAC Mortgage to launch a new consumer direct web portal.

Court of Appeals Upholds Dismissal in MERS Case MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., announced that a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a complaint against Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (MERS) and two other defendants.

HUD and Treasury Department released the latest scorecard Friday, providing a look at a market in recovery but threatened by an expected increase in foreclosure activity. According to the report, foreclosure starts and completions both declined in June, painting a picture of continued recovery. However, officials expect foreclosure activity to pick up in coming months as firms lift delays in foreclosure processing.

Lender Processing Services (LPS) released Friday its latest Home Price Index (HPI) report, showing that prices increased both month-over-month and year-over-year. The report, based on residential real estate transaction data as of the end of May, revealed that the home price index for the month was $202,000, a 0.9 percent month-over-month increase and a 3.2 percent increase from the start of the year.

LPS Settles Criminal Charges in Missouri Lender Processing Services, Inc., announced Thursday that an agreement was reached between subsidiary DocX, LLC, and the Attorney General Chris Koster. The agreement between the parties resulted in a dismissal of criminal charges pending against DocX. The Attorney General's Office alleged that DocX directed employees to falsely sign mortgage documents in the names of bank VPs without proper authorization.

Wipro Gallagher Solutions (WGS) announced that Teresa Blake will now serve as the practice director for the company's Lending Solutions team.

After completing its beta test period and launching its service, Zoliath.com founder and CEO Tim Thornton announced Wednesday that the website's new features have increased traffic and generated new business for its membership.

A new analysis released by real estate marketplace Zillow revealed that for most buyers who intend to spend at least three years in a home, buying is a better option than renting. An analysis of the ""breakeven horizon"" in more than 200 metros and 7,500 cities showed that in more than 75 percent of metros examined, a homeowner would break even after owning a home for three years or less.