Secondary Market

The holiday season has arrived, and for potential homebuyers hoping to celebrate winter in high style, a recently listed home in Aspen, Colorado, gives those seeking luxury properties the opportunity to own - or rent - the good life. Located in the tony Starwood area, the 13,500-square-foot estate is on the market for $18.5 million, but the owners are cashing in on Aspen's busiest time of year, also offering the home for rent at $90,000 per month.

WFG National Title Insurance Company is bolstering its leadership line up, recently adding a new company VP. Announcing the appointment of Rick Diamond, WFG is gaining a new VP of information technology for agency operations.

Zillow, Inc., a leading real estate information marketplace based in Seattle, Washington, announced that 33 additional real estate brokerages have signed on to participate in Zillow Pro for Brokers. In total, the number of participating brokerages is at 48.

The landscape of homeownership has undergone significant changes in recent years: The homeownership rate has declined, but so has the cost burden of owning a home. Both of these trends are most prevalent among young homeowners, according to a recent report from Fannie Mae. The national homeownership rate has declined in each of the past four years, according to the most recent Census data. The decline among those 25 to 44 years of age is more than twice the overall decline.

RE/MAX announced the launch of its RE/MAX Commercial website, the standalone site dedicated to data-rich commercial real estate listings, investor information, and other resources.

East Tennessee's largest credit union has attracted a big fish in the legal community. ORNL Federal Credit Union appointed T. Wayne Hood, Esq. as SVP and general counsel.

Fitch Ratings recognized the strength of Freddie Mac's multifamily business, giving the GSE an initial CMBS special servicer rating of CSS2.

FDIC put a date on the closure of the last of its satellite offices established in the wake of the financial crash. The agency's East Coast Temporary Satellite Office (ECTSO), located in Jacksonville, Florida, will close April 5, 2014.

Raj Date, deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is moving on from the agency at the end of January 2013, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. A CFPB spokeswoman told WSJ Date plans to leave the bureau after the CFPB finalizes the slate of mortgage rules Congress mandated.

Churchill Mortgage, a provider of FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional residential mortgages, has expanded its staff with the addition of 23 employees at various branches across its 26-state reach.