The Moody’s/REAL Commercial Property Price Index released on Monday, March 23, 2009 showed its largest one-month drop in history

Prices down 19.1 percent over the previous 12 Months, and

21 percent below its October 2007 peak.

The Moody’s/REAL National All Property Type Aggregate Index from Real Estate Analytics LLC (REAL), measures 151.58 for January 2009, a monthly […]

The US Treasury on Monday, March 23, 2009 revealed details of a highly-anticipated plan to set up public-private investment funds that will buy up to $1 trillion in troubled loans and securities at the heart of the financial crisis.
The Treasury’s complex plan to use private funds to purchase toxic assets uses low-cost government financing, government guarantees […]

The Architecture Billings Index, which is compiled from a monthly survey of architecture firms around the U.S., was up a modest two (2) points in February 2009,  but down six (6) points from a year earlier, pointing to a continued lack in demand for design services.
The February 2009 rating was 35.3, up from the historically low […]

Applications for refinance loans jumped nearly 30 percent during the week ending March 13, 2009 as interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans dipped below 5 percent to tie a record low seen in January 2009.

In its weekly survey of members, the Mortgage Bankers Association said mortgage applications were up 21.2 percent from a week earlier, […]

WASHINGTON 2:30PM EST — Huge credit and real estate news …… With benchmark rates virtually at zero, the Federal Reserve has turned its focus to pumping money into stressed credit markets in the hope of restarting lending and restoring growth — a policy Fed chief Ben Bernanke has dubbed “credit easing.

“In a very rare move — […]

All bets appear to be off. Clearly there has been a huge changing of the guard. The president’s budget seeks to raise $318 billion over the next decade the value of itemized tax deductions for the wealthy (or least as they define wealthy) — including interest paid on home mortgages, which was heretofore deemed untouchable.
The […]

After cutting thousands of employees to stem losses in 2008, title insurers have finally seen a dramatic increase in business in recent months that’s largely driven by homeowners rushing to refinance loans to take advantage of low interest rates. This refinance-mania represents more than 40% of all policies written.
As business picks up, First American Corp. […]