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As the multifamily sector continues to flourish, Freddie Mac also announced it hit record volume for its multifamily business. In 2012, the GSE supported the multifamily sector with $28.8 billion. The figure represents a 42 percent increase from 20.3 billion in 2011 and is the highest level since 2008, when multifamily business activity reached a record $24 billion.

Battered by storms and droughts, real gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday. The decrease marks the first ""negative growth"" since the end of the Great Recession in mid-2009. Economists had expected a weak 1.0 percent growth compared with the 3.1 percent annualized growth rate in the third quarter. The GDP downturn does not automatically signal a return to recession, which is loosely defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

A widely relied upon source of technology and closing cost data in the mortgage industry for 24 years, Albany, New York-based Ernst Publishing Company announced Monday it received a new patent for its latest system.

Conditions in the housing sector may have finally improved enough to bring life back to the securitization market, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry said in remarks at the American Securitization Forum. Curry noted that the credit market has shifted dramatically in its efforts to prevent the practices that paved the way for the financial meltdown but has gone too far--an expected reaction, he said. However, as the market stabilizes, it will become important for lenders to adjust appropriately and find a balance.

After experiencing a downturn, spending on home improvement may finally register an increase in 2012, with the market appearing to be ""poised for a solid rebound,"" according to a recent report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. The Joint Center estimates spending on home improvement rose 9 percent in 2012 after falling in previous years. The study found that as the housing market improves, the homes that burdened the economy are now being renovated.

Following S&P's calculation of a 0.1 percent decrease in prices in November, according to the Case-Shiller 20-city composite, analysis on home price trends remained positive. ""[A]fter accounting for the normal slowdown in the housing market over the winter months, this actually looks like another 0.6 percent [month-over-month] gain,"" stated Capital Economics Tuesday. Similarly IHS Global Insight's Stephanie Karol noted both Case-Shiller indices, when seasonally adjusted, posted increases for the 10th consecutive month.

A lot of homes can use a facelift, especially properties in distress, but some projects may not be worth the sweat and dollars when considering the return on investment (ROI). Based on results from the 2013 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed exterior projects will typically yield the highest ROI. ""Projects such as siding, window and door replacements can recoup more than 70 percent of their cost at resale,"" said NAR president Gary Thomas.

The nation's homeownership rate (seasonally adjusted) dipped to 65.4 percent in the fourth quarter from 65.5 percent in the third quarter, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. At 65.4 percent--the same level as the first quarter--the homeownership rate is at its lowest level since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. The homeownership rate peaked at 69.2 percent in Q2 2004. The Census Bureau also reported the homeowner vacancy rate remained at 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

Despite seeing a month-over-month drop, the 10- and 20-city Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes registered their strongest year-over-year improvement in two and a half years on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, Standard & Poor's, which publishes the indexes, reported Tuesday. The 10-city index fell 0.2 percent, and the 20-city index dropped 0.1 percent from October to November. On an annual basis, however, the 10-city index was up 4.5 percent, and the 20-city index rose 5.5 percent.

Once again, Treasury has failed to control excessive executive pay at the expense of taxpayers, according to a report from SIGTARP. After a previous evaluation on executive compensation, SIGTARP found Treasury approved ""excessive"" pay packages and salary increases for executives at three firms that received bailout-funds: American International Group (AIG), General Motors (GM), and Ally Financial. In response to a draft of the SIGTARP report, Treasury expressed disagreement with the findings in a letter.