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Coester Appraisal Group enhanced Cloud Control by adding C-Data, the company's automated appraisal review technology. C-Data automated review technology electronically evaluates every field in an appraisal report; identifies potential fraud, errors, discrepancies and missing information; and offers findings in online and in printed formats.

California may have some rough patches in it, but overall, with the worst part of the housing crises appearing to be over, the state is seeing fewer delinquencies and losing a smaller number of homes to foreclosure, according to a San Diego-based real estate data provider. A total of 56,258 Notices of Default (NODs) were recorded at county recorders offices in California during the first quarter of 2012, the lowest level since the second quarter of 2007 when 53,943 NODs were recorded, according to DataQuick. NOD filings peaked in the first quarter of 2009 at 135,431.

With a lone dissent, the Federal Open Market Committee Wednesday voted no change in the target federal funds rate. The economy has been expanding moderately, the FOMC said in the statement issued at the conclusion of its two-day meeting, echoing language in the statement following its meeting last month. After the meeting, the FOMC released its quarterly forecast of the economy and interest rates with more members of the Committee seeing higher rates in 2014 than in the prior forecast.

Parties to the landmark mortgage servicing settlement appointed one man to oversee $25 billion in compliance. In an interview with DS News, Joseph A. Smith, onetime banking commissioner for North Carolina and ex-nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, lays out the role he envisions playing as he monitors funds for homeowners, states, and the federal government. The settlement monitor speaks with an understated tone about his stewardship of the historic settlement, which 49 state attorneys general and federal officials completed in February.

According to the Zillow Home Value Forecast, prices are projected to fall 0.4 percent over the next year, but not all markets are expected to see this decline, with several already appearing to have reached bottom. Of the 30 metro areas covered by the Zillow forecast, 19 are expected to, or already have hit their lowest point in 2012, with nowhere else to go but up. Metro areas that are expected to see significant gains following their low point in the next 12 months include Phoenix, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa, according to the forecast.

In a speech to the National Council of State Housing Agencies on Monday, a Treasury official named a number of measures to address challenges in the housing market, and stressed one solution that has not been applied by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: principal reduction. Mary Miller, under secretary for domestic finance, says given the large percentage of outstanding mortgages that are currently backed by Fannie or Freddie, it is important that the GSEs participate in the principal reduction alternative of the Home Affordable Modification Program.

FHFA's house price index showed a monthly increase of 0.3 percent in February and a 0.4 percent increase compared to a year ago. This marks the first 12-month gain since the July 2006 - July 2007 yearly increase. The FHFA index uses purchase prices of houses backing mortgages sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Patrick Newport, economist with IHS Global Insight, pointed out in a report that unlike FHFA indexes, Case-Shiller includes all transactions and, he said, GSE mortgages are in much better shape than other mortgages overall.

New homes sales fell 7.1 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 328,000, the steepest percentage decline since February 2011, the Commerce Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Tuesday. Sales for January were revised upward from 313,000 to 353,000. Economists had expected the report to show a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 318,000 new home sales in March. New home sales in March were up 7.5 percent from March 2011.

The Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes fell for the sixth straight month in February with the 10- and 20-city indices each dropping 0.8 percent from January, Standard & Poor's, which compiles the indexes, reported Tuesday morning. The 10-city index slid to its lowest level since May 2003 and the 20-city index dropped to its lowest level since October 2002. Prices fell in 16 of the 20 cities surveyed, improving month-month in only Miami, Phoenix and San Diego. Prices were unchanged month-month in Dallas. Prices were down year-year in 15 of the 20 cities, improving only in Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis and Phoenix.

Porthos Portfolio Management, LLC, a privately held capital and asset management company, recently announced Robert Willis has been named COO. Willis joins a team of industry professionals from the financial services sector specializing in distressed debt and the residential real estate space. Willis is responsible for expanding the company's reach into the residential mortgage-backed securities market and serving clients' complex needs of providing both homeowner retention strategies and dignified exits for liquidations.