REO

From 2011 to 2012, the number of completed foreclosures fell in Massachusetts, while foreclosure starts experienced a significant increase, according to a report from the Warren Group. For the most part, however, a declining trend was seen when assessing foreclosure trends in December and in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Pro Teck's ranking measures inventory, days on market, sales and listing activity, the ratio of sales price to list price, and foreclosures and REOs to determine the best- and worst-performing markets in the nation. January's top 10 list includes a mix of markets from all regions across the country, and ""even those in the Bottom 10 list are showing a fair percentage of positive trends,"" said Michael Sklarz, principal of collateral analytics at Pro Teck. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas ranked as the No. 1 market in the country and was one of two Texas markets to make the top 10 list this month.

Pending home sales in California were brought down by lack of inventory while the share of distressed sales increased, according to data from the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.). C.A.R.'s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) decreased 20.5 percent month-over-month as the index slipped from November's revised 103.5 to December's 82.3. After seeing declines, the combined share of all distressed property sales ticked up to 36.4 percent in December, up from 35.1 percent in November.

As servicers rise out of the paralysis caused by regulatory issues, they are able to take necessary steps to clear out aging loans in shadow inventory, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service. In the report, Moody's revealed the number of loans in foreclosure shadow inventory, or loans in the process of foreclosure but with no resolution, decreased from Q2 to Q3, with the exception of jumbo loans from Citi and subprime loans from Bank of America.

Serious delinquencies for U.S. RMBS improved across all sectors in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new mortgage market index from Fitch Ratings. Furthermore, the agency expects RMBS delinquencies to continue declining this year. According to Fitch, the improvement ""reflects positive selection in the remaining pools, loan modification efforts by servicers, and positive home price trends.""

Existing-home sales fell 1.0 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.94 million, and November sales were revised downward, slipping below 5 million, the National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday. Economists had expected the sales pace to improve to 5.1 million. The supply of existing homes for sale fell in December to 1.82 million, the lowest level since January 2001. At the current sales pace, the homes available for sale represent a 4.4 month supply.

As home prices continue to increase, spectators and analysts have concluded the housing market is now in recovery mode. But, one analytics firm has remained unconvinced and expects to see a trend where prices rise and fall periodically as investor demand waxes and wanes. ""Some commentators suggest that investor-driven home price appreciation could spur demand among housing consumers, which will in turn bring about a broad-based and sustainable recovery in the nation's housing markets,"" wrote Quinn W. Eddins, director of research at Radar Logic. ""Maybe, but we are skeptical of this theory.""

Best Homes Title Agency is expanding its presence in Michigan. The company recently announced that it is putting down roots in several locations in the western part of the state with the acquisition of the Closing Office Title Agency. Best Homes Title is headquartered in Farmington Hills, with an ancillary office in Saginaw. The acquisition of the Closing Office Title Agency will add six additional locations to the company's statewide footprint.

Foreclosures declined in 2012 compared with the previous year, but RealtyTrac expects this year to be ""book-ended by two discrete jumps in foreclosure activity,"" according to the firm’s latest report released Thursday. Foreclosure filings were doled out to 1.84 million homes in 2012, which is 3 percent fewer homes than in 2011 and 36 percent below the foreclosure peak in 2010 when 2.9 million properties received foreclosure filings. In December, foreclosure activity fell 10 percent month-over-month to a 68-month low.

Economic activity expanded in the closing weeks of 2012, the Federal Reserve said in its periodic Beige Book released Wednesday, reflecting a slow but steadily declining unemployment rate and low rates of inflation--conditions the Fed said would have to be met before it raises interest rates. According to the Beige Book, districts reported stronger consumer spending--about 70 percent of the nation's GDP--with holiday sales ""modestly higher"" than in 2011. At the same time, the report said business contacts were ""citing concerns that consumers will spend cautiously due to ongoing fiscal uncertainty.""