REO

Foreclosure auctions in judicial states rose annually for the 16th straight month in October. RealtyTrac recorded a total of 30,023 scheduled judicial foreclosure auctions nationwide last month, up 10 percent from the previous month and up 7 percent from October 2012. The company says lenders are moving these properties to public auction more rapidly because there is strong demand from institutional investors looking for buy-to-rent opportunities, and because rising home prices mean more loan losses can be recouped.

Though the slow rate of household formation among millenials--those born after 1980--has been cause for alarm among some economists, analysts at Moody's Investors Service say reports of a lost generation of homebuyers are overblown. The Census Bureau released its homeownership rate report for the third quarter in early November, revealing homeownership in the 35 and younger age group is growing at a sluggish pace, with 31.6 percent still living with their parents.

While home prices have risen 14 percent nationally since their trough a few years ago, Fitch Ratings points out that loss severities on residential mortgage-backed securities have only 5 percent over the past year. The slow rate of improvement is primarily the result of prolonged liquidation timelines which hit an all-time high in the third quarter. Currently, 32 percent of seriously delinquent homeowners have not made a payment in more than four years.

Safeguard Properties LLC filed on Tuesday a motion to dismiss a complaint brought against the company by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who has charged Safeguard with illegally evicting homeowners before their foreclosures were finalized.

Speaking at the 2013 Realtors Conference & Expo, National Association of Realtors (NAR) chief economist Lawrence Yun predicted steadiness in existing-home sales over the next year as prices continue to ascend. Yun expects existing-home sales to rise by about 10 percent in 2013 to reach 5.13 million. The national median existing-home price is projected to end this year at about $197,000, 11 percent higher than in 2012.

RealtyTrac, a California-based information provider for the housing industry, announced the appointment of e-commerce specialist David Towers as SVP of revenue generation and operations. In his new role, Towers is tasked with overseeing RealtyTrac's website and call center operations.

Delinquency and foreclosure data reveals the housing market is heading back to pre-crisis norms, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest National Delinquency Survey. The percentage of home loans in delinquency or foreclosure was 9.75 percent as of the third quarter, the lowest level in about five years, according to the trade group's report. Likewise, foreclosure starts, at just 0.6 percent, are approaching pre-crisis levels.

Bill Griffin, EVP at Lender Processing Services (LPS), has been elected to serve on the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) board of directors, the company announced. Griffin joins a number of new board members who will work together with the existing members to set MBA's strategic direction and oversee management of its initiatives.

While headlines continue to portray a housing market with rising prices and tight inventory, vacancies remain high. Government data released this week reveal a dark cloud looming behind the bright headlines. According to Trulia, more than three-fourths of the nation's largest markets are dealing with more empty homes than prior to the latest housing bubble.

Schneiderman & Sherman, P.C., named Patricia Carey managing attorney for the firm's litigation group. As a litigation specialist for 18 years, Carey has taught trial skills to hundreds of law students and new attorneys both as a managing attorney and guest faculty member of the Committee on Regional Training.