ABN AMRO data on 2 million customers lost

ABN AMRO Mortgage Group said today that a computer tape containing data of approximately 2 million residential mortgage customers was lost in transit.

The company, a subsidiary of LaSalle Bank Corp., said in a statement that so far, it has no knowledge that the data on the tape has been misused.

"We understand that this incident may cause concern for our customers, and we deeply regret that it has occurred," said Thomas M.  more...

Dropping the real estate boom in 2005

Some real estate professionals may remember 2005 as the beginning of the end of the boom -- the year when the housing market let out some steam and began to fall back toward Earth.  more...

Overnight real estate rates move lower

Long-term mortgage interest rates were down Friday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield sank to 4.44 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average dropped to 5.74 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate declined to 5.33 percent. The 1-year adjustable was up at 4.53 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield decreased to 4.65 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mortgage rate figures are according to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states.  more...

MSNBC.com, HouseValues ink real estate partnership

HouseValues Inc.  more...

Real estate foreclosures jump in New York, California

Foreclosures increased in California and New York from October to November, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties, while Florida topped the list for the most properties in some stage of foreclosure.

RealtyTrac's November 2005 Monthly U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, showed that 71,606 properties nationwide entered some stage of foreclosure in November, a 12 percent decrease from October. The report shows a November national foreclosure rate of one foreclosure for every 1,615 U.S.  more...

Sotheby's extends brand into Turks and Caicos

Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates has extended its footprint into Turks and Caicos by awarding the master franchise rights for the Sotheby's International Realty brand to Turks & Caicos Realty in the islands that are situated about 575 miles southeast of Miami.

Turks & Caicos Realty previously marketed only selected properties under the Sotheby's International Realty brand.  more...

Vermont woman indicted on real estate fraud charges

A federal grand jury in Vermont has returned an indictment charging a 48-year-old woman with fraud involving a second mortgage she received on her home, the Rutland, Vermont Herald reported Friday.

Cheryl Gilbert Petersen, formerly of Brattleboro, Vt., faces up to the 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted of the charges contained in the two-count indictment filed Wednesday in U.S.  more...

Austin real estate sales see strong November

Home sales and prices in the Austin, Texas, region continued higher in November, according to the latest Multiple Listing Service from the Austin Board of Realtors.

Single-family home sales for November totaled 1,870, representing a 24 percent increase from the same month a year ago.

The median price of these homes was $170,000, up 15 percent from November 2004.

The 7,173 active listings represented a 14 percent decrease from last year. At an average of 68 days, these homes sat on the market for 13 percent less time than a year ago, the board reported.  more...

Asians say home buying hampered by lack of knowledge

Many Asians in the U.S.  more...

Real estate prices to slow in 2006

Wells Fargo economists expect steady economic growth next year, despite a slowdown in house-price increases, and rising oil prices and Fed rate increases.

Wells Fargo senior economist Scott Anderson said, "a housing price slowdown, in part triggered by the Federal Reserve's policy actions, will become more pronounced as the year 2006 progresses, placing consumer spending, credit-quality, and job creation at some risk. The challenges are mounting for U.S.  more...

Tennessee builders to pay $226,000 in kickback settlement

Nine Tennessee home builders will pay $226,000 to the U.S. Treasury in a settlement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development for allegedly getting kickbacks from a Tennessee title company, HUD said today.

HUD claimed that the nine builders received payments from First American Title Co. for settlement services that were never performed.  more...