Headlines

In a 30-minute speech Thursday morning at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona, President Barack Obama spoke of the progress the housing market has made since 2009 and measures his administration is taking to help everyone achieve homeownership.

As home values rise and borrowers continue to gain equity, CoreLogic's analysis indicates that nearly 5.1 million properties are still upside-down on their mortgage. That figure represents about 10.3 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage compared to about 13.3 percent the year prior.

Less than a year after he first joined the company as national account executive, First Valuation announced this week the promotion of Jordan Wilde to the position of VP of sales and marketing.

Bankruptcy filings in the U.S. finished an up and down year with a slight month-over-month increase in December, but were down overall year-to-date, according to AACER bankruptcy data reported by Epiq Systems. The number of bankruptcy filings nationwide crept up from 62,417 in November to 63,090 in December, a 1 percent increase.

FHA raised premiums in response to its declining mortgage insurance fund, which forced the agency to take a $1.7 billion bailout in 2013. Since then, it has rebuilt its capital, spurring some commentators to call for a cut. In a statement, the White House estimated that the reduction will translate to a $900 increase in annual mortgage payments for first-time buyers, with existing homebuyers expected to see similar savings.

In California, mortgage software and services provider Ellie Mae announced the promotion of Jonathan Corr to the position of CEO.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro is scheduled to speak at the National Press Club (NPC) luncheon on Tuesday, January 13, to address the state of the housing industry and what HUD's plans are for 2015, the NPC announced on Tuesday.

LenderLive Network, an end-to-end mortgage services provider with headquarters in Denver, announced the hiring of Lorie Helms as chief information officer (CIO).

While the onslaught of new mortgage regulations in the last year has created headaches for lenders, it's had a clear positive impact in one area, Fitch Ratings says in a new report: the residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) sector. In its latest look at the RMBS segment, the company says that while the market still has some rebuilding left to do, it "has seen some rather substantial improvements of late," owing in large part to improved loan underwriting standards in recent years.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak about the U.S. housing market at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona, according to multiple reports. Neither the president nor the White House has publicly announced exactly what he will speak about with regards to the housing market on Thursday.