Secondary Market

U.S. home prices continued to increase in August as the Case Shiller 20-city Home Price Index rose 0.9 percent to its highest level since September 2010. The index is up 2.0 percent in the last year, showing improvement in 19 of the 20 cities surveyed. The 10-city also rose 0.9 percent in August, increasing 1.3 percent ahead of August 2011 and reaching its highest level since October 2010. The monthly gain in each index was slower than in July, when the 10-city index went up 1.5 percent and the 20-city index improved 1.6 percent.

In September, home prices improved in nearly all of the largest counties throughout the United States as tracked by DataQuick. According to the company's new Property Intelligence Report (PIR), home prices grew in 40 out of 42 counties month-over-month, while prices improved in all 42 counties from the previous quarter and over the last year. DataQuick suggested the PIR is displaying evidence the recovery in housing is underway, but the PIR found an uneven recovery, with some areas facing risk factors.

Three stand-out mortgage professionals are now serving the Tucson, Arizona community at V.I.P. Mortgage, Inc.

Foreclosures have drained nearly $2 trillion in home equity from neighborhoods across the United States, according to a report from the Center for Responsible Lending. In a report titled "Collateral Damage: The Spillover Costs of Foreclosures," researchers Debbie Bocian, Wei Li, and Peter Smith conclude that, based on loans that entered foreclosure between 2007 and 2011, approximately $1.95 trillion in property value has been or will be lost by residents who live close to foreclosed properties.

Data from CoreLogic shows nearly 284,000 properties (representing almost $88 billion) located in the coastal Mid-Atlantic states may be at risk of storm-surge damage from Hurricane Sandy. Based on early projections of Sandy's path, eight major metro areas in the Mid-Atlantic region, including New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, are at risk.

Though a few recent U.S. real estate listings have promised royal living in oversized stateside mansions, a sprawling home in France has hit the market, giving potential buyers the opportunity to purchase an authentic castle that's truly worth of a fairytale.

The FDIC closed another Pennsylvania institution Friday, bringing the state's year-to-date tally to two and the national tally to 47. The FDIC approved the payout of the insured deposits of NOVA Bank in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, after the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities closed the institution.

Global Markets Intelligence suggests the Fed is turning to the housing market "as the last, best hope" for strengthening the economy.

Ally Bank announced it has launched a "process to explore strategic alternatives for its agency mortgage servicing rights (MSR) portfolio and its business lending operations." The announcement signals another step in Ally's shift away from the housing market. In November 2011, the bank began to reduce its correspondent originations business to focus on a smaller group of strategic clients, and in July 2012, it announced its intent to exit the warehouse lending business by the end of the year.

When famed news anchor and 60 Minutes star Mike Wallace passed away earlier this year, the nation mourned the loss of the media legend. However, Wallace's many fans recently got the opportunity to learn more about his life off camera, when his Manhattan duplex hit the open market for a lofty $20 million earlier this month.