REO

In Dallas, the Five Star Institute announced the formation of the advisory board for the Federation of REO Certified Experts (FORCE) for 2014–2015.

Fay Servicing, a Chicago based diversified mortgage company, announced intentions to expand its portfolio by launching an REO division. Glenn Brooks has been selected to head up the new department, serving as Senior Vice President. In that role, Brooks will provide strategic direction and manage outside relationships vital the division’s success.

The number of REO properties increased to 430,000 as of March 2014, according to a new blog post by CoreLogic’s Sam Khater. March's figure reflects an increase of 15 percent from the low point of REO inventory in August 2013, when properties totaled 375,000.

RealtyTrac's latest U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for April 2014, revealed foreclosure filings were down 1 percent from March, totaling approximately 115,000. April's figure reflects a year-over-year decrease of 20 percent.

The mortgage delinquency rate declined to 3.61 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2014, according to TransUnion's latest mortgage report. Overall, the mortgage delinquency rate has dropped 24 percent in the last year, and has experienced nine consecutive quarters of decline.

In a letter sent Monday to Ocwen Financial Corporation's General Counsel Timothy Hayes, New York State Department of Financial Service’s (NYSDFS) superintendent Benjamin Lawsky questioned the financial giant on business dealings related to a relationship between Ocwen and Altisource Portfolio Solutions.

U.S. residential sale volume decreased in February, with distressed sales and investor purchases also pulling back for the month. RealtyTrac's February 2014 Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report found that U.S. residential properties slid .2 percent from January, but remain up 7 percent from the same time period a year ago.

Consequences stemming from the expiration of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act may be surfacing, according to a perspective piece written by CoreLogic’s Kathryn Dobbyn. The piece found that throughout 2012 and into 2013, short sales had been steadily declining, partly due to rising home prices.

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and four of its member organizations announced new evidence of housing discrimination by U.S. Bank, N.A. The civil rights groups allege that U.S. Bank maintains and markets foreclosed homes in white neighborhoods, in "a much better manner than in African-American and Latino neighborhoods," according to a press release issued by the NFHA.

The California Association of Realtors (CAR) released a new report, revealing sales of distressed homes have plummeted in the past five years. In January, 2009, 69.5 percent of all homes sold in California were distressed, which included short sales and real estate-owned properties (REO). The report issued Monday noted that five years later, distressed home sales made up only 15.6 percent of sold homes.