Mortgage-related scams involving supposed foreclosure rescue and faulty loan modifications will no longer be tolerated.

Nearly a quarter of homeowners who still owe on their mortgage are underwater or upside down, meaning they owe more on their home than it is now worth, according to new research published this week by First American CoreLogic.

Sales of single-family homes and condominiums in Massachusetts increased by double-digit percentages in October year-over-year, according to a new report published Tuesday by The Warren Group, a Boston-based provider of real estate market data for the New England area.

Many have been quick to lay blame for the nation's housing and financial meltdown on the credit rating agency oligopoly, at least in part.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, CoStar Group, Inc. provides information, marketing, analytic services, and a comprehensive database accessed via the Internet to commercial real estate professionals.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its annual report of the multifamily lending market yesterday. As expected, the report confirmed that multifamily lending was significantly lower in 2008 than in 2007.

Florida's residential market seems to be picking back up, as both existing home and condominium markets saw increased sales in October, according to Florida Realtor's latest housing data.

In an announcement Monday, Fannie Mae named the newest member to its board of directors. Jonathan Plutzik, a former executive at Credit Suisse Group.

Incremental price increases due to a rising demand for homes caused housing affordability in California to fall in the third quarter of 2009, according to the California Building Industry Association (CBIA).

In an effort to help borrowers with Countrywide subprime and option-ARM mortgages avoid foreclosure, Bank of America created its National Homeownership Retention Program (NHRP), providing mortgage relief to 100,000 eligible homeowners in just 10 months. I