Daily Dose

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) announced during its 16th annual Building Michigan Communities Conference that it projects increases in new housing starts, rising home price, and a decline in foreclosures. "The economic and housing outlook in Michigan for 2014 is decidedly brighter than what we've seen at any time over the previous five years," said MSHDA Executive Director Scott Woosley.

Black Knight Financial Services released its Home Price Index (HPI), noting that home prices in the U.S. rose .7 percent for the month of February to an average of $233,000. The slight increase for the month reflects an overall yearly increase of 7.6 percent, according to the financial company.

According to the latest release, NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose to 97.4 last month, up 3.4 percent from February’s upwardly revised 94.2. It was the first real pickup in the last nine months, the association said. NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun, said the increase was expected with the end of last season’s severe weather.

The South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions closed the five branches of Allendale County Bank, Fairfax, South Carolina on Friday. The FDIC was appointed as the receiver. To protect the depositors, an assumption agreement was made was made with Palmetto State Bank, Hampton, South Carolina.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) announced that Delio Coutinho pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The New Jersey-based Coutinho admitted to his role in a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses.

According to a report released by LendingTree, down payment percentages for 30-year fixed-rate purchase loans fell in the first quarter to an average of 15.78 percent, down from just higher than 16 percent in the last quarter of 2013. At the same time, the company found average credit scores for borrowers matched with lenders on its own network have dropped 6 percent year-over-year, opening up the credit pool a little more.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a settlement with Barclays Bank PLC for $280 million, resolving legal claims against the bank related to allegations of violations of federal and state securities laws in connection with private-label mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchased by the GSEs.

Market analysts are dialing back on their expectations for the housing sector this year following reports of continued sluggishness in what should have been the start of a busier season. Sales of both new and existing homes in March fell short of expectations, dashing optimistic projections of a rebound following the end of an unusually harsh winter.

For three straight quarters, California foreclosure starts remain little changed, hovering at a level last seen in early 2006. According to a market study released by DataQuick, steady economic growth and higher home values are responsible for the steady pace of new foreclosures.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) found in a new study that the average loan growth rate has doubled among banks and federal savings associations (FSAs) in the nine states that make up the OCC’s Southern District. The OCC’s findings were from loan growth in 2012 to 2013, and reached 4 percent in 2013.