RealtyTrac the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released year-end data from its 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 2,203,295 foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — were reported on 1,285,873 properties nationwide during the year, up 75 percent from 2006.

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Despite a growing interest in Asia, U.S. real estate, by a wide margin, has risen to the top of the global property market among foreign investors, with New York City and Washington named the top two global cities for foreign investors' real estate dollars according to the results of the 16th annual survey released today by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2007 the gross revenue from goods and services sold at live auction grew 5.3% to $270.7 billion. In 2006, the auction industry sold $257.2 billion in goods and services at auction, an increase of 7.1% from 2005

Nation's Most Respected Housing Experts Discuss Solutions to Foreclosure Crisis & Ways to Recreate Sustainable Homeownership At National Community Reinvestment Coalition Annual Conference - March 12_15

McLean, VA – January 24, 2008 - Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.48 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending January 24, 2008, down from last week when it averaged 5.69 percent as well. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.25 percent.

Existing-home sales declined in December following several months of stable activity, with total sales in 2007 still at the fifth highest on record, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

WASHINGTON, January 24, 2008 - Existing-home sales declined in December following several months of stable activity, with total sales in 2007 at the fifth highest on record, according to the National Association of Realtors

Washington, DC, January 22 - The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), today, released its National Policy Agenda for 2008. Gail Cardwell, President of MHI said, “Manufactured and modular housing are the right answer, at the right time for consumers looking for quality housing options.

It's easy to assume that the nation's richest counties dot the tri-state area around New York City, or San Francisco's Bay Area. Homeowners there, after all, shell out millions of dollars for small luxuries such as a lawn and a garage.

As home prices drop and foreclosures swell, particularly in states like Ohio, buyers are increasingly flocking to foreclosed real estate auctions to find discounted property. Auctions of foreclosed homes, also known as bank-owned, give buyers an opportunity to purchase property below market value because banks are eager to dispose of these non-performing loans.

WASHINGTON, January 17, 2008 - The National Association of Realtors® today urged President George W. Bush and Congress to help homeowners and the national economy by loosening constraints on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as an integral part of a federal stimulus package currently being discussed.

Twenty years ago, few house-hunters were interested in Charlestown, Mass. In this small, dense neighborhood, just across the river from Boston, commercial fishing piers and industrial development fell in the shadow of Interstate 93. Property values were appropriately low.

Washington - Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. issued the following statement today regarding the HOPE NOW alliance's progress report on the number of homeowners helped since the organization's inception. The report indicated that during the fourth quarter, following the creation of the alliance, mortgage servicers in the organization were modifying subprime loans three times faster than in the third quarter.

States Clamp Down on Sharks; Legitimate Investors May Feel Sting As the number of foreclosure filings climbs, increasing by 99.5 percent between the third quarter of 2006 and that of 2007, so does the number of laws designed to protect consumers from scams that pretend to help troubled home owners refinance.

Real estate practitioners need to adopt new strategies in the new year to give them a competitive edge, given that there are more than 2.5 million licensed real estate practitioners nationwide--all of them competing for work in a slow market.

(Denver, CO., January 16, 2008) - RE/MAX International is the nation's number one real estate franchise, and the number ten franchise overall, according to Entrepreneur Magazine's 29th Annual "Franchise 500 Survey." RE/MAX has held the honor of the top real estate franchisor for eight of the past ten years.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Multi Housing Council and National Apartment Association (NMHC/NAA) today filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the courts to strike down the FCC’s recently issued regulations retroactively banning “exclusive access” agreements between cable providers and apartment owners.

Due to home owners trying to rent homes they can’t sell, rentals are abundant and prices are at bargain levels in areas hit hard by foreclosures.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jan. 15, 2007 - A proposed change in the bankruptcy law that would allow bankruptcy judges to unilaterally change the terms of mortgage contracts would cost home buyers across the country hundreds of dollars every month and thousands of dollars a year, according to a new resource on MBA’s website

A longtime New Orleans, Louisiana, resident is rebuilding nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina damaged her home, thanks in part to a $15,000 Disaster Rebuilding Assistance (DRA) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas).

To highlight Deaf Awareness Month in September, the New Hanover County Office of Civic Engagement has partnered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office to host a special community event titled, “Law Enforcement and Me”.

The California Building Industry Association issued the following statement today in response to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s approval of a new wildfire catastrophe model aimed at paving way for insurers to close coverage gaps statewide.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each approved THUD budget bills that reject the deeply harmful cuts and policy changes proposed in the President’s Budget Request.

First Senate funding package of the year includes Kelly-led provisions to expand veterans’ health care access, prevent suicide, and support military installations across Arizona

U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) secured critical funding for defense projects benefiting Georgia’s servicemembers, military families, and base communities. The funding was secured in the military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill, which is one of several legislative vehicles used to annually fund the federal government.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is alerting consumers about the dangers of television (TV) tip-over hazards. Millions of New Yorkers will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday either on TVs at home or at parties with friends. DCP is taking this TV-focused occasion to remind consumers of critical TV safety tips.

Fast-growing Florida has been a favorite of real estate investors for many years. With so much interest having been focused on the state, though, investors need to take care to seek the best available opportunities.

Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced that the Senator Walter J. Mahoney State Office Building located at 65 Court Street in Buffalo will be sold at auction in 2020. A work group formed earlier this year made up of City, County, and State officials working with professional real estate consultants CBRE, determined that in the current competitive and robust Buffalo real estate market

The Bureau of Land Management today announced that Karen Mouritsen has been named the new California State Director—a key leadership position based in Sacramento. As State Director, Mouritsen will direct a team that manages lands encompassing 15% of the Golden State’s total land mass

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) today announced the opening of the new JLC Recovery and Wellness Center in New York City. JLC is operated by Exponents Inc. and provides free help and support services for people affected by addiction and for their families.

In spite of a robust U.S. economy, a strong employment rate, and steadily increasing 401(k) plan earnings, Black homeownership rates continue to drop. Drawing from the 2019 release of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked the Department of the Interior about its commitment to the Yakima River Basin during a hearing on the president’s FY 2017 budget request. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor agreed with Sen. Cantwell that the Yakima River Basin plan “is a model for the rest of the nation in water management.”

“Consumers Energy is thankful to be a part of holiday celebrations across the state as warm Thanksgiving memories are being made, and we are committed to providing many more generations of Michigan families with reliable, affordable energy in all seasons,” said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy’s vice president and chief customer officer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a final rule that creates exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The exemptions are intended to save borrowers time and money while still ensuring that the loans are financially sound

Atlanta, Georgia - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with Equity Loans, LLC, License Number 23300, located at 1150 Hammond Dr., Building E, Suite 650, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act