News

Real Property Management (RPM) and RE/MAX have agreed to exchange property and client referrals to assist renters, distressed homeowners, and investors. Through the agreement, RPM will connect RE/MAX agents with investors ready to sell, and RE/MAX agents will recommend clients to RPM who are ready to rent. RE/MAX agents may also refer properties to RPM for management. This alliance marks the first time a major real estate franchisor and one of the country's largest property management franchisors have joined forces, according to RE/MAX.

Chase says it ""remains committed to helping customers avoid foreclosure."" In an announcement issued Wednesday, the bank outlined several key initiatives it has undertaken to better serve borrowers who are struggling with their mortgage payments, including adding 8,000 loan counselors and staffers to work directly with homeowners, assigning a specific counselor to each customer, and establishing a centralized location for document collection and imaging.

Default rates in July declined for first mortgages, but a larger number of homeowners fell behind on their second lien payments, according to data released jointly by Standard & Poor's and Experian. The companies' credit indices show defaulting balances on first mortgages were 3.2 percent last month, down from June's 3.3 percent, demonstrating continued improvement in the performance of first lien home loans. Second mortgage defaults, however, increased to 2.8 percent from 2.4 percent the month prior.

The U.S. thrift industry reported second-quarter earnings of $1.49 billion, its fourth consecutive quarterly profit. The industry consists of savings and loan institutions that by law are required to have at least 65 percent of their lending in mortgages and other consumer loans. With today's troubled housing market, their mandated line of business is proving precarious. The industry's regulator warns that thrifts continue to face challenges from delinquent loans, with the number of problem thrifts growing and overall assets declining.

July home sales in the state of California were down 19.9 percent from June and 21.9 percent from a year ago, MDA DataQuick reports. In the Bay Area, home sales for that month dropped sharply to their lowest level in 15 years, down 22.8 percent from July 2009. Southern California was also pummeled with its biggest year-over-year drop in more than two years, down 21.4 percent from 2009. On the positive end, the median price paid for a home last month in California was up 7.2 percent compared to a year ago.

Home prices in the U.S. rose in the second quarter of 2010, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The regulator's purchase-only house price index (HPI) is calculated using sales price data from Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-acquired mortgages, and last quarter was the first time since Q2 2007 that the HPI posted a quarterly increase. The index was 0.9 percent higher on a seasonally adjusted basis in the second quarter than in the first quarter of 2010.

Default process management software provider DRI Management Systems, Inc., has announced its new Web-based, loan servicing application for the mortgage industry, Rincon. According to the California-based company, the Rincon platform helps overburdened servicers keep pace with demands for borrower assistance. Rincon is expected to double or triple the workload each servicing specialist can handle.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported Wednesday that its index of mortgage application volume climbed 4.9 percent for the week ending August 20. Refinance activity was the driving force behind the increase. Record-low interest rates are prompting existing homeowners to take out new loans and lower their monthly mortgage payments.

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF), a provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services, announced this week that Christopher Simon is the company's new managing director of its debt placement group. A 13-year veteran of commercial real estate, Simon's new role will focus on originating debt, equity, and structured finance transactions throughout the western United States.

According to a report from state attorneys general and bank supervisors from across the country, more than 60 percent of homeowners with seriously delinquent loans are still not involved in any form of loss mitigation with their servicer. The ratio is disconcerting considering the group also found that loan modifications today are resulting in significant payment reductions with fewer redefaults. Absent improvements in foreclosure prevention efforts, the group expects hundreds of thousands of foreclosures will occur later this year.