Eminent domain continues to remain a hot topic of discussion. Now lawmakers in Washington D.C. are jumping on the bandwagon and encouraging HUD to ban FHA from refinancing loans seized by counties through eminent domain.

http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/dailybriefing/FHA-Considering-Policy-on-Eminent-Domain-1036413-1.html National Mortgage News Brian Collins

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The housing market may be recovering, but for many renters, things aren’t looking up. Owning a home has become more affordable, renting less so, writes Bloomberg Businessweek.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-17/renters-face-a-housing-squeeze Bloomberg Businessweek Karen Weise

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In general, you probably want to earn wealth on real estate based on the risk you are taking, while minimizing the amount of time you need to spend attending to the property, writes Zillow.

http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-05-17/3-things-that-make-the-best-real-estate-investment/ Zillow Leonard Baron

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"The issue isn’t if the Fed exits, it’s a question of whether they exit way earlier than expected. We feel like positions are in much better shape now than they were in the January-February time frame," Gary Kain of American Capital Agency Corp said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-17/american-capital-fights-fed-exit-worry-as-investors-flee.html Bloomberg Heather Perlberg

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An executive shake-up swept through Flagstar Bancorp this week. The Michigan-based firm says current CEO and President Michael Tierney is stepping down from the top job and returning to his previous position, executive vice president of personal financial services. Taking his place is Alessandro DiNello, who was named CEO and president.

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When the Fed begins tapering its asset purchases, Treasurys will be cut first as there is widespread belief that the stimulative per-dollar effect of MBS purchases is larger, Goldman Sachs said.

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In a recent homebuilding note, Jay McCanless, an analyst for Sterne Agee, encourages investors to take advantage of the weakness created by national housing reports. The analyst recommends buying Meritage Homes, D.R. Horton and The Ryland Group.

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Rumor has it that Canada is fretting a possible housing collapse with some of the nation’s housing statistics mirroring America’s before the 2008 crisis. But America's Northernmost neighbor may have something else going for them.

http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-234032/ Wall Street Journal Don Curren

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Ally Financial Corp. could eventually see Standard & Poor’s raise its long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings now that the lender has finally shielded itself from liabilities stemming from its former mortgage subsidiary, Residential Capital.

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The IRS scandal brewing in Washington D.C. may prompt Senate Republicans to put Rep. Mel Watt’s nomination to lead the FHFA on the back burner for now, analysts with Compass Point Research & Trading said this week.

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Investors have been focused on a relatively large $1 billion bid list announced this week. While there has been no official confirmation, it appears probable that this represents the first structure of the enterprise risk reduction mandated by FHFA, Interactive Data said.

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In a recent study conducted by Floorplanner, an online 3-D floor-planning platform, it was discovered that 73% of people experience the "Imagination Gap" in which they cannot visualize themselves or their belongings in a property that they’ve viewed online.

 

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The reverse equity debate inside the Rayburn House Office Building reached a boiling point Thursday as representatives from the Federal Housing Administration listened to lawmakers fire off questions about the importance, or lack thereof, of the reverse mortgage program.

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The June 1 deadline is rapidly approaching for lenders. After that date, mandatory arbitration agreements within lending documents will be banned for certain mortgage products.

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HousingWire Executive Editor Jacob Gaffney discusses the Texas real estate rebound on The Willis Report.

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Foreclosure filings in Colorado dropped a dramatic 41.3% in the first quarter of 2013, the Denver Post writes.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23256031/colorado-foreclosure-filings-plummet-41-percent-first-quarter Denver Post Howard Pankratz

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The best loss mitigation tool is winning the lottery. An Illinois family about to lose their home to foreclosure experienced a sudden change of fate when they accidentally came across old lottery tickets.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/16/facing-foreclosure-and-eviction-family-finds-winning-lotto-ticket/ CBS-Chicago CBS-Chicago

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Another famed Dallas skyscraper is facing foreclosure, with its owner facing a debt that far exceeds the building's appraised value.

http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/downtown-dallas-one-main-place-tower-facing-foreclosure.html/ Dallas Morning News Steve Brown

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Marc Tow, a California man accused of running a foreclosure scam in Cleveland, reportedly backed out of a plea deal this week.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/suspect-in-cleveland-foreclosure-schemes-backs-out-of-plea-deal-whats-next-for-marc-tow NewsChannel5 - Cleveland Ron Regan

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"Household formations are expected to gradually rise to a 1.2-to-1.4 million annual pace in coming years, supporting a sustained level of construction," said Freddie Mac Vice President Frank Nothaft.

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