Foreclosure

First-time claims for unemployment insurance dropped 9,000 to 346,000 for week ended June 22, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected 345,000 claims. Claims filings for the week ended June 15 were revised up to 355,000 from the originally reported 354,000.

Industry indicators such as rising prices, increases in construction, and declines in the number of underwater homeowners tell a story of a broad housing recovery, but Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) sheds light on a less popular story in a report released Wednesday. Homeownership is down, and consumer spending on housing as a portion of income is up. Market conditions are pushing more households into rentals, even those in categories that used to maintain high homeownership rates.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced proposed revisions to its ability-to-repay rule, mortgage servicing rules, and rules regarding consumer protections. One of the clarifications specified in the announcement is the definition of a loan originator. The CFPB also clarified rules relating to loss mitigation.

The national delinquency rate and foreclosure inventory rate each fell to post-crisis lows in May, Lender Processing Services reported Tuesday. At 6.08 percent, the national delinquency rate in May stood at the lowest level since May 2008, when the rate was 5.96 percent. At the same time, the foreclosure inventory rate slipped to 3.05 percent, which represents the lowest point since March 2009 when the rate was 2.90 percent. Over the last year, foreclosure inventory has plunged 27 percent and also fell by 3.9 percent over the last month.

The National Housing Conference (NHC) awarded NeighborWorks America with the Annual Housing Person of the Year Award.

As prices rise, investors are having a harder time justifying housing market purchases, according to a recent Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking survey. In May, the share of home purchases from investors fell to the lowest level in more than three years, dropping to 20.2 percent from 22 percent in April, according to the survey.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill Thursday extending a state law that provides a grace period of up to 90 days for homeowners facing foreclosure. More specifically, the act provides homeowners with a grace period of up to 90 days when homeowners who are facing foreclosure seek housing counseling.

Nearly 70,000 homeowners received permanent loan modifications in April, while foreclosure sales stood at 59,000 for the month, according to data from HOPE NOW, an alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers, and nonprofit counselors. Since 2007, 6.39 million struggling homeowners have received permanent modifications, HOPE NOW reported. Completed short sales reached 27,000 in April--a slight adjustment from 28,000 in March.

Foreclosure petitions, which signal the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts, totaled 248 last month, which is the lowest level since 2006 when the Warren Group first began tracking foreclosure data. Foreclosure deeds, or completed foreclosures, fell 68 percent to 251 in May compared to 796 a year ago.

Home prices rose annually and monthly in May, according to Zillow. In fact, 29 of the 30 largest metropolitan areas covered by Zillow's Home Value Index experienced rising prices over the 12-month period ending in May, and 15 of the 30 posted double-digit increases. Zillow expects prices will continue their upward trajectory in the short-run with a 4.1 percent increase over the following 12 months. However, as inventory increases and interest rates rise, ""some demand may also ebb,"" said Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist.