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Study Captures Changing Attitudes Toward Strategic Default in Nevada

In hard-hit state Nevada, more than 60 percent of homeowners are underwater, and about one in 16 properties received a foreclosure notice in 2011, according to a 2012 Face of Foreclosure study released by the Nevada Association of REALTORS (NVAR). With negative equity and foreclosures seeming so commonplace in the state, the stigma of strategic default appears to be fading. ""This year's report shows it's more socially acceptable to strategically default on your mortgage,"" said NVAR President Blane Johnson. When surveyed on the topic, 51 percent of those who were foreclosed on said there is nothing wrong with strategic default as a financial decision while 36 percent said homeowners should not choose to strategically default.

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Capital Economics: Low Mortgage Rates Aren’t Affecting Demand

In recent months, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, Freddie Mac, Bankrate, and other firms has shown mortgage rates steadily falling, hitting new lows week after week in some measures. However, Capital Economics contends that there is actually little evidence to suggest that this activity is translating into heavier demand. While the Federal Reserve's Senior Loan Officer Survey reported rising demand for mortgage finance in the past three quarters, this increase in demand hasn't shown up in mortgage applications for home purchase, which have remained relatively flat.

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Oregon Bill Lets Homeowners Meet Lender Face-to-Face with Mediator

In Oregon, homeowners who are falling behind on payments can talk face-to-face with their lender to work out an agreement outside of foreclosure. Senate Bill 1552, which took effect July 11, allows struggling homeowners to meet with their lender with a mediator in a neutral location. Senate Bill 1552, which took effect July 11, allows struggling homeowners to meet with their lender with a mediator in a neutral location.

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Mortgage Rates Follow Treasury Yields to New Lows

Lingering worries about the European debt crisis continue to drive investors to U.S. government bonds, sending fixed mortgage rates down to another record low. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.49 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending July 26, down from 3.53 percent the previous week. At the same time in 2011, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.55 percent.

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Lack of Inventory Blamed for June’s Dip in Pending Home Sales

In another sign the housing sector may be languishing again —the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) dipped 1.4 percent in June to 99.3 from a downwardly revised 100.7 in May, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Economists had expected a 0.9 percent increase to 101.6. Prior to the recent drops, the PHSI had been rising steadily until April. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, blamed a lack of inventory for the drop in the index.

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Ten Best Metros to Buy Foreclosures: RealtyTrac

With foreclosure starts up in the second quarter of 2012, RealtyTrac listed the top 10 metros to buy or invest in foreclosures for the remainder of 2012. Overall, 132 out of 212 metropolitan areas with a population of 200,000 or more posted increases in foreclosure starts from the previous quarter, according to RealtyTrac. The bump in starts marks a 60 percent gain and means more foreclosure inventory for those markets. RealtyTrac's list includes metros where the average foreclosure sales price is increasing on an annual basis, average foreclosure sale discounts are still 15 percent or higher, and the unsold inventory of REOs represents a supply of 20 months or fewer.

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Oregon Senator Proposes Refi Plan Funded with Bond Sales

Sen. Jeff Merkley(D-Oregon) announced a plan Wednesday to allow underwater homeowners to refinance at lower interest rates through the creation of a Rebuilding American Homeownership Trust. His plans call for a one-time trust he says is similar to the Homeownership Loan Corporation created during the Great Depression. As banks refinance underwater homeowners, the trust would purchase the loans from the banks. Meanwhile, the trust would receive funding from bond sales.

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LPS Releases June First-Look Delinquency Data

Lender Processing Services (LPS) released Wednesday its first look month-end mortgage performance data for June, revealing that the loan delinquency rate fell year-over-year. According to statistics from LPS' loan-level database, loan delinquency fell from June 2011 by 7.3 percent. However, delinquency increased month-over-month, with June's numbers being 3.4 percent higher than May's. LPS' data also revealed an estimated 5,663,000 properties are 30 days or more overdue or in foreclosure.

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