News

Rising home sales and declining foreclosures drove Q3 home prices to the highest three-month increase since the national housing recovery began, FNC Inc. reports. The company says national home prices have risen 11 percent since the beginning of the recovery, a timestamp that FNC considers to be the start of 2012. Continuing to lead the way are the markets that saw the highest levels of distress in 2008 and 2009.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has reached a $4.5 billion agreement with 21 institutional investors to settle mortgage repurchase and servicing claims on 330 residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) issued by J.P. Morgan, Bear Stearns, and Chase. The group of investors supports the arrangement, according to their legal representative, and has asked the trustees to accept JPMorgan's offer. The bank says it is appropriately reserved for this and any remaining RMBS litigation matters.

Housing affordability took a hit in the third quarter--the result of climbing interest rates and recovering home prices. According to an industry index assessing consumers' opportunities for homeownership, families earning the national median income of $64,400 in the July-September period could afford 64.5 percent of the new and existing homes sold during that time. That's down from 69.3 percent in the second quarter, marking the biggest index decline since Q2 2004.

QuestSoft Corp., a provider of automated mortgage compliance software headquartered in Laguna Hills, California, announced it has added e-signature gateways from six providers, broadening options for customers using the company's IRS 4506-T and Social Security Administration SSA-89 verification services.

Foreclosures edged up over the month of October in California with notices of default increasing 15.3 percent, notices of trustee sale rising 4.1 percent, and foreclosure sales up 3.9 percent, according to PropertyRadar. All three indicators, though, were down more than 45 percent from October 2012, with foreclosure sales hovering near record lows. However, a closer look at foreclosure sales reveals a decline in sales to third parties and an increase in REO sales.

The National Fair Housing Alliance announced the fourth amendment of its discrimination complaint against Bank of America Thursday with the addition of five new cities. The amended complaint now includes 20 metro areas in which NFHA alleges Bank of America has neglected to maintain and market foreclosed and REO properties in minority neighborhoods. NFHA says it will release even more evidence early next year, but according to BofA, the group's accusations are ""simply untrue.""

Carrington Property Services announced it is taking over property management responsibilities on rental properties owned by capital management firm Gorelick Brothers Capital. Per the two companies' partnership, Carrington will manage Gorelick's rental portfolio, which is located primarily in seven major urban centers.

Despite a steady climb in mortgage interest rates since May, borrowers continued to take advantage of low rates to refinance into lower monthly payments, Freddie Mac reported Tuesday. According to the results of the company's latest quarterly refinance analysis, the average interest rate reduction among those who refinanced in Q3 was about 1.8 percentage points, representing a savings of about 30 percent ($3,500 over 12 months on a $200,000 loan).

Rushmore Loan Management Services LLC made announcements of two positive corporate developments Thursday. Rushmore has received approval to act as a Freddie Mac seller/servicer--a nod the company says will significantly expand its business. In addition, Standard & Poor's assigned an average rating to Rushmore as a residential special servicer and residential primary servicer, ranking the company's management and operations as above average.

If you are a human being in the United States, chances are you know about the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But do you really know about the ACA? Strange as it might sound, as a Realtor or other small business owner working in the industry, it is important that you do. There is a large amount of diversity when it comes to the employment situations of those working in the mortgage and real estate sectors, and this guide takes a look at just what the law means in each of those situations.