Tag Archives: Attorneys & Title Companies

While some employers may be struggling to find practical and cost-effective ways to keep employees happy and productive, V.I.P. Mortgage aims for the heart. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based mortgage bank points to a number of charitable causes undertaken for its employees, including V.I.P.'s sponsorship of one employee's efforts to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis.

Freddie Mac has emerged as the victor in a legal battle over alleged securities fraud. Originally filed in August 2008, the putative class action lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has released a new study that shows declining expectations for the U.S. economic picture, with one positive exception - single-family housing. In the organization's semi-annual Real Estate Consensus Forecast, ULI found that most growth projections had been scaled back, but the group's survey of 39 leading real estate economists and analysts from around the U.S. indicated "more optimism" in the single-family housing industry, as forecasts for starts and home prices demonstrated significant increases.

Consumer spending rose $57.2 billion - 0.5 percent - in August, but personal income improved just $15 billion, 0.1 percent, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday.

Situs announced the expansion of its operations in Europe with the acquisition of Deutsche Bank's commercial mortgage servicing business.

After reaching a two-year high in July, the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) fell in August to 99.2, the lowest level since April, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Having previously predicted that the index would climb to 102.2, declining numbers in three of four census regions surprised analysts. The slippage in both the PHSI and new home sales dampens the outlook for home sales, but NAR emphasized that the August drop hadn't impacted longer-term trends, with the index up 10.7 percent in the last year.

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.3 percent during the second quarter of the year, falling below market expectations.

Shaking off the effects of Hurricane Isaac, first-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 26,000 to 359,000 for the week ended September 22, according to findings from the Labor Department. Falling far below market expectations, the report followed revisions to the previous week's survey, which was adjusted upward to 385,000 first-time claims off of the originally reported 382,000. Economists had predicted a smaller figure for first-time claims, anticipating around 376,000.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc., announced that Douglas C. Blake has been hired as senior vice president of the company's closing department. According to Walker & Dunlop's recent release, Blake will manage the department, including all aspects of the loan closing process.

While the fall months look to be unprecedented for the housing market, LendingTree expects tight lending requirements will keep many borrowers from taking advantage.