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Top News
Justice Department Issues Report in Support of Foreclosure Mediation
DSNews.com - The U.S. Department of Justice released a 69-page report Tuesday on a foreclosure intervention method that is becoming increasingly popular across the country – mediation. The paper, titled Foreclosure Mediation: Emerging
MetLife Closes Mortgage-Origination Business
REALTOR Magazine - is getting out of the mortgage-origination business and that it will no longer be accepting new mortgage applications as it prepares to shutter its residential mortgage unit. However, the company says MetLife Home Loans will continue to offer

Market News
Mortgage Apps Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - Mortgage applications increased 4.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the MBA Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 6, 2012. The results include an adjustment to account for the New Year’s Day holiday.
Mortgage rates fall to new lows
USA Today - Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. Freddie Mac says the average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages
Foreclosures fall to lowest level since 2007
CNN Money - Foreclosure filings and repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007 last year. Total filings of default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions were down 33% for the year to

Technology News
4 Ways to Enhance Your Web Site
REALTOR Magazine - A good Web site can do some of the work for you to bring in new clients. Tricia Andreassen, CEO and founder of Pro Step Marketing, recently highlighted ideas in an article at RISMedia about how to enhance your real estate Web site to make sure it’s serving as a lead generator for your business.
Real estate site Trulia taps "big data" for new service
Portfolio.com - the best leads by tapping a trove of data the company started analyzing last year. The service, called Trulia Insight, shows agents which consumers have pre-qualified for a mortgage and whether they are looking to buy a home in the next six months. The...
Keeping your online accounts safe
CNN - To keep your personal information and your finances safe, here are five things you need to know about online security.

Other News
5 Things To Do NOW If You Want to Buy A Home In 2012
Forbes.com - planning to house hunt in an area where many of the listings are described as short sales or foreclosures, get educated about what you can expect from a distressed property purchase transaction before you get your heart set on a short sale.
Lennar earnings fall 5.5%, but revenue improves
MarketWatch - Lennar Corp.'s (NYSE:LEN) Lennar had seen its revenue decline for more than a year as the housing market continued limping through the worst downturn in generations. But several builders have reported increased orders in recent months, leading some industry
Multifamily REITs Looking Forward to Strong 2012
Multi-Housing News - those new households are turned off by the prospect of wading into the weak and uncertain single-family housing market. Thus, demand for apartments is growing, says Moody’s, but “other than the relatively modest development pipelines of the multifamily
Is bamboo flooring really 'green'?
MSN Real Estate - Bamboo can be a good alternative to hardwoods, but consumers must know what to look for and what questions to ask suppliers. Bamboo is one of the "it" floors of the moment. The grass that looks like wood has everyone aflutter