News

The nation added a surprising 163,000 jobs in July but the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent as the number of people working actually declined, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. At the same time, June's paltry job gains originally reported at 80,000 were reduced to 64,000 while May's job numbers edged up to 87,000 from 77,000.

The deadline to request an Independent Foreclosure Review got its second extension in less than two months. In late June, the deadline was pushed back from July 31 to September 30, 2012. Now, borrowers have until until December 31, 2012 to request a foreclosure review, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Fed announced Thursday.

After completing its beta test period and launching its service, Zoliath.com founder and CEO Tim Thornton announced Wednesday that the website's new features have increased traffic and generated new business for its membership.

A new analysis released by real estate marketplace Zillow revealed that for most buyers who intend to spend at least three years in a home, buying is a better option than renting. An analysis of the ""breakeven horizon"" in more than 200 metros and 7,500 cities showed that in more than 75 percent of metros examined, a homeowner would break even after owning a home for three years or less.

Servicers have three years to provide relief to homeowners as outlined in the $25 billion national mortgage servicing settlement. To raise awareness and alert homeowners of the help that is available, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced during a conference call a new settlement PSA and online resources through the HUD website.

IHS' US Regional Economic Group released a report on Florida's economy as part of a series cataloguing the economic issues most important to swing states in November's presidential election. According to the report, the Sunshine State's payrolls averaged a 0.1 percent annualized decline during the first half of the year, with weaknesses showing up in the construction sector, as well as in state and local government employment.

The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) announced Wednesday that it is ready to launch the next phase of its foreclosure mitigation initiative, the Homeowner's Assurance Program (HAP).

The aggregate value of Commercial Real Estate (CRE) loans as priced by DebtX continued to show a gain value. DebtX reported the value of CRE loans increased to 88.4 percent as of June 30 from 88.2 percent as of the end of May. A year ago in June, loan values stood higher at 84.9 percent.

Freddie Mac announced Thursday that after more than three months of record-low drops, mortgage rates slid up this week. The GSE's Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.55 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending August 2, up from 3.49 percent the previous week. The 15-year FRM also slid up, averaging 2.83 percent (0.6 point) from 2.80 percent last week.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance rose 8,000 for the week ended July 28 to 365,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected 370,000 initial claims. The prior week's total was revised up to 357,000 from the originally reported 353,000.