Headlines

Compared to a year prior, July's index was up 7.4 percent, barely down from 7.5 percent in June. As of the July report, the national HPI has risen year-over-year for 29 straight months.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in a report released last week it has sold $15.8 billion in nonperforming loans since 2010, cutting losses to its insurance fund and saving thousands of homeowners from foreclosure.

According to a recently released report from The Warren Group, the number of foreclosure petitions in the state of Massachusetts shot up by 72.5 percent in July 2014 from the same month a year ago.

Looking ahead, things don't get much better, according to Black Knight Financial Services. Beyond the next three years, Black Knight Financial Services predicts still-high payment increases as the next phase of HELOCs resets. Borrowers with HELOCs scheduled to reset in 2019 are using an average of about 40 percent of their available credit and will incur payment increases of about $200 per month based on their current rates.

The U.S. is not prepared to accommodate its aging population where housing needs are concerned, according to a report released by Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and AARP Foundation released on September 2.

Participants in the Investment Lab at the upcoming 2014 Five Star Conference and Expo will have a chance to hear industry professionals speak on all aspects of investing, from bridge lending to government investment opportunities.

For July, Redfin recorded a 0.3 percent monthly decline in the median sales price of homes sold in the major metros the company tracks, marking the first time in five months that price growth was essentially flat.

Recent data released by RealtyTrac for the second quarter of 2014 indicated that Pittsburgh is the best market in the nation for home flipping, while the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont market was the worst.

Tennessee-based Churchill Mortgage has appointed Jay McCarthy as its new chief marketing officer as of August 27, according to a release from Churchill.

The case revolves around mortgages originated through Countrywide's High Speed Swim Lane (HSSL, or "Hustle") program that were later sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The complaint against Bank of America alleged that Countrywide—which the bank purchased in 2008—threw out quality controls in pursuit of higher volumes and then misrepresented those loans to the GSEs.