Secondary Market

Arizona's Gold Canyon Bank became the fifth FDIC-insured bank to fail in 2013, the agency announced. The Arizona Department of Financial Institutions closed the bank Friday, appointing FDIC as receiver. To protect depositors, Gold Canyon Bank's estimated $44.2 million in deposits has been assumed by First Scottsdale Bank, National Association, which has also agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank's $45.2 million in total assets.

GMH Mortgage Services LLC, based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, continues to expand its reach with the addition of Ed Moloney as a new loan officer in its Boston, Massachusetts, branch.

While inventory shortage has created myriad problems for buyers, they're apparently undeterred from their home searches, according to data from Redfin. The brokerage's Real-Time Demand Pulse for April (which examines March data) shows strong monthly gains in the number of Redfin customers touring homes and in the number of signed offers being made, indicating potential pickups in April and May sales. Redfin analyst Tim Ellis noted the struggle to find new listings "only seems to be strengthening the resolve of today's buyers."

Realtor.com, a leader in online real estate operated by Move, Inc., is celebrating its 17th year of helping buyers find their dream homes. Since 1996, Realtor.com has seen its active user base grow by more than 20 million and has cultivated relationships with more than 800 multiple listing services (MLSs), more than any other real estate website.

Markets around the country suffered from inventory shortage in February, and Connecticut was no exception, according to data from the Warren Group.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance jumped an unexpected 28,000 to 385,000--the highest level since November--for the week ending March 30, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected claims to rise to 350,000. Initial jobless claims for the week ending March 23 were unchanged at 357,000.

CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) posted its largest annual increase in nearly seven years in February. Among the largest metros, Phoenix posted the largest year-over-year increase at 20.8 percent. Other metros that posted double-digit increases included Los Angeles (+14.5 percent), Riverside (+13.2 percent), and Atlanta (+12.4 percent). Furthermore, CoreLogic's Pending HPI projects another 10.2 percent year-over-year increase. From February to March, prices are expected to rise by 1.2 percent.

Almost two-thirds of homeowners who purchased homes in the past 10 years consider their home-buying experience excellent or very good, according to survey results released Tuesday by TD Bank, based in Portland, Maine. About 55 percent of survey respondents rated their ability to find a good real estate agent and their experience with the inspection and appraisal process as "excellent" or "very good." However, finding the right lender proved to be trickier for many respondents.

Capital Bank congratulated two of its rising stars Tuesday for their rankings as Scotsman Guide 2012 Top Originators. The 2012 list marks the second appearance of Brad Cohen and Brian Blonder in the ranks of top originators.

While most of the country spent the winter fighting blizzard conditions and flu symptoms, home prices made it through the season relatively unscathed. According to Clear Capital, home prices ended March with a 6.5 percent year-over-year improvement, while the quarterly gain was a modest 0.9 percent. Over the next three quarters, Clear Capital is projecting growth of 1.7 percent, which would bring the 2013 forecast to 2.6 percent. That growth will differ by region, with the Northeast leading in gains.