REO

The U.S. economy continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace in June and early July the Federal Reserve said Wednesday in its periodic Beige Book. The national summary, based on reports from each of the 12 Federal Reserve districts, noted modest growth in the Atlanta, St.

During a conference call Wednesday, Acting Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Carol Galante announced applications are now being accepted for the Distressed Asset Stabilization Program, which is scheduled to hold its next sale in September. About 40 percent of the loan sale will be concentrated in four hard-hit metro areas: Chicago, Newark, Phoenix, and Tampa, where about 3,500 loans are to be sold. For the next round of sales, there will be new neighborhood stabilization requirements for the selected hard-hit metros. In those areas, no more than 50 percent of the loans may be sold as REOs.

The AmeriCatalyst Idea Lab, an Austin-based nonprofit, was named executive secretariat for Single Family Rental Strategies (SFRS), according to a release.

Software provider TAZA Systems announced that it is offering a sophisticated software system to track and manage Other Real Estate Owned (OREO) cycles and provide necessary tools for portfolio management.

In a commentary, Fitch stated the proposed uses of eminent domain in California could negatively affect private label RMBS performance. Recently, the board of supervisors of San Bernardino County voted to form a joint powers authority with California cities Fontana and Ontario to look into the option of using eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. Fitch said one proposal, which is of particular concern, indicates that only current and delinquent mortgages, not those in foreclosure, would be eligible. Thus, borrowers who would have stayed current on their payments could have their mortgage seized by the local, state, or county government. If eminent domain was to be used in such a way, then holders of the seized homes could experience losses, Fitch said.

While negative equity still continues to hinder the housing market's recovery, CoreLogic reported Thursday that the share of underwater mortgages declined. In the first quarter of 2012, the total number of underwater homes was 11.4 million, accounting for 23.7 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage. In the fourth quarter of 2011, 12.1 million properties, or 25.2 percent, were underwater. In addition, more than 700,000 households saw their equity move into the positive territory in the first quarter of this year.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 26,000 for the week ended July 6 to 350,000 the lowest level since March 2008, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The prior week's total was revised up to 376,000 from the originally reported 374,000.

In the first half of this year, over 1 million U.S. properties received a foreclosure filing, according to a midyear foreclosure report released by RealtyTrac. The exact figure - 1,045,801 - marks a 2 percent increase from the previous 6-month period and an 11 percent decrease from the first half of 2011. Second quarter foreclosure starts totaled 311,010, a 9 percent increase from the previous quarter and a 6 percent increase from a year ago. The increase is the first yearly rise in quarterly foreclosure starts since the fourth quarter of 2009.

Based on its database, YouWalkAway.com foresees an inevitable decrease in property values due to backlog and delays in processing foreclosures. In Florida, 45 percent of YouWalkAway.com clients are in pre-foreclosure status, and on average, they are 17 months past due and still have not received their first formal foreclosure notice. In California, 59 percent of the agency's clients are in pre-foreclosure status, and on average, they are 15 months behind and still haven't received a foreclosure notice. ""This data points to significant backlog, eventual foreclosure activity and predicts a drop in value for home prices,"" said YouWalkAway.com CEO Jon Maddux.

Realis Real Estate Software announced Tuesday the release of a new software combining its previous releases to create a full solution for agents in the default real estate industry.