REO

Lender Processing Services (LPS) is offering a sneak peak at its upcoming mortgage market report, scheduled for release September 24. The company's study will show that the national home loan delinquency rate has retreated, while the foreclosure rate is on the rise. LPS says the numbers are a sign that more delinquent loans are entering the foreclosure process, as servicers pick up the pace working through their default backlogs. According to LPS, the country's inventory of pre-sale foreclosures stood at 2,038,000 at the end of August.

As a one-stop shop for code violation reports and vacant property registrations, Code Violation Services, Inc. says it can typically verify the status of any violations within three to 10 days of order. During a three month period, the company analyzed 1,209 properties for one client. Forty-four were found to have code violations without fees yet assessed. The early detection saved the client $802,582 in penalties.

The number of homes taken back by lenders hit a new record high last month. RealtyTrac says lenders foreclosed on 95,364 U.S. properties in August, about 2 percent higher than the previous peak recorded in May. RealtyTrac's report shows overall foreclosure activity - including default notices, scheduled auctions, and REOs - jumped 4 percent between July and August. But the company says it's seeing a balance in the trend lines -- while bank repossessions are up, new default notices are down.

Freddie Mac said Wednesday that it is expanding its First Look Initiative to allow any home shopper to buy a HomeSteps REO home as their primary residence during the first 15 days of the property's listing, without competition from investors. The new policy takes effect Friday, September 17. In addition to owner-occupant buyers, Freddie Mac's First Look window is open to buyers who are part of HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program, as well as groups affiliated with the National Community Stabilization Trust.

CoreLogic released its Home Price Index Wednesday, which showed that residential property values in the United States remained flat in July as transaction volumes continued to decline. It was the first time in five months that CoreLogic reported no year-over-year gains, and the company says a growing number of declining markets underscore weakness in the housing market without tax-credit support. Home prices actually fell in 36 states in July, the highest number since last November when national home prices were steadily declining.

California's notice of default filings, the first step in the state's foreclosure process, rose for the fourth successive month in August, jumping another 16.6 percent, according to the locally based tracking firm ForeclosureRadar. The company's latest data on the Golden State also show that fewer distressed homeowners are finding foreclosure relief, with cancellations down and foreclosure sales up. ForeclosureRadar has also expanded its coverage starting this month to include data on Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Green River Capital announced a 30 percent increase in sales figures during the first half of 2010 due to new clients and increased efficiencies. Since early 2010, the company has also increased REO assignments by nearly 8 percent from the same period in 2009 and decreased the time each property spends on the market by almost 15 percent compared to figures during the last 12 months.

Mortgage Contracting Services LLC (MCS) recently announced the availability of its code enforcement mini-summits, as an extension of its initiatives to ensure industry-wide education and collaboration. The nationwide provider of property preservation and REO maintenance services calls its program ""an interactive information exchange"" to provide specialized education and encourage collaboration between the code enforcement community and other default industry participants.

Kennedy Wilson, a California-based real estate investment and services firm, was tapped by a major financial institution to conduct an auction for $80.9 million of bank-owned REO properties. Rhett Winchell, president of Kennedy Wilson Auction Group, described the auction as ""another exclusive offering in a long series of commercial auctions.""

Housing conditions continued to show signs of stabilizing during the second quarter, following a downward trend that began to reverse itself in mid-2009, HUD says in a new report. The federal agency immediately follows that assessment, though, with ""the housing market's recovery remains fragile."" HUD's quarterly commentary on the state of housing in the U.S. sums up a dichotomy of positives and negatives in market indicators. For example, sales and prices of existing homes rose in Q2, but fell for new homes.