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September, 2012

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VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM Maestro, the company's REO management software, and Prelude, its short sale manage- ment software, to create a single default solution for agents. "The demand for real estate professionals to stay a step ahead of their clients, whether homeowners or banks, is higher than ever," said Realis founder and CEO Lauren Rob- erts. "With short sales on the rise and REO property management becoming increasing- ly intricate, the need for sharp and adaptable software is necessary for daily operations." Maestro combines expense tracking, IN THE NEWS Connecticut Loses Momentum in June home sales in Connecticut during the month of June, according to a report from the War- ren Group. Single-family home sales inched up a mere 0.4 percent after seeing double- digits increases in April and May. While the gain in June was small, it Weak growth characterized single-family vendor tracking, automated tasking, and other key features to allow agents and bro- kers to execute complex REO management assignments. Prelude keeps pace with short sale schedules by offering remote access, a detailed forms library, and customer support. The two systems integrate to present a default package accessible to all sizes of real estate offices. Professionals who own Mae- stro can integrate Prelude into their current system at no additional monthly fee. KNOW THIS Barclays projects a 6.1% increase in Colorado home prices in 2012. Connecticut rank: 8 90+ Day 2.74% 2.81% -2.32% 90+ Day 4.25% year ago 3.94% percent point change 7.91% 27.07% Top Core-Based Statistical Area NORWICH-NEW LONDON, CT 90+ Day 2.96% year ago 2.91% percent point change 2.06% 27.13% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90- plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the June 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary June 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. 48.75% 5.12% 3.62% percent point change -15.28% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90- plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the June 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary June 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. Delinquency Rate june 2012 6.51% 5.39% year ago 4.66% Foreclosure Rate 48.75% 6.53% 3.62% percent point change -15.28% Top Core-Based Statistical Area DOVER, DE 90+ Day Delinquency Rate june 2012 3.95% Foreclosure Rate Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate june 2012 5.55% year ago 4.68% percent point change 18.64% Top County WINDHAM COUNTY Delinquency Rate june 2012 8.30% 5.39% year ago 4.66% Foreclosure Rate Unemployment Rate 8.1% 8.9% -9.0% was still a move in the right direction and represents the sixth consecutive month of increases. Single family home sales in June totaled 2,532, up from 2,521 a year ago. "While it's positive that sales remained IN THE NEWS MERS Agrees to Reform Practices in Settlement with Delaware Attorney General about the same as last year, it looks like the market lost some momentum in June," com- mented Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of the Warren Group. "Connecticut home sales are not as strong as in other parts of New England. Hopefully the local consumer confidence com- bined with low mortgage rates will help." The median price for single family homes was down nearly 5 percent year-over-year at $265,000. Warren says this year's trend of declining prices is expected to continue until home sales put up stronger numbers. Delaware rank: 23 90+ Day 3.92% 2.73% 43.69% 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate june 2012 3.16% year ago 3.94% percent point change -19.88% Top County KENT COUNTY Delinquency Rate june 2012 3.95% Foreclosure Rate Unemployment Rate 6.7% 7.4% -9.5% announced in July that the state reached an agreement with Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (MERS) to settle a lawsuit filed by Biden last year based on claims that homeowners in the state could not find out who owned their mortgage in order to try and save their homes from foreclosure. The attorney general's office asserts that Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden MERS "did not meaningfully audit its records" and did not enforce its own rules of conduct. Its lack of transparency, Biden says, helped lead to the foreclosure crisis in Delaware. "Every homeowner should be able to find out who owns their mortgage, not just the company hired to collect payments," Biden said. "The MERS System functioned to obscure this important information." According to Biden's office, MERS has agreed to reform some of its practices. The company will maintain a database—accessi- ble online and through a toll-free number— that allows homeowners with mortgages held by MERS members to easily see who owns the mortgages and who services the loan. The company also agreed to work to improve the accuracy of its records, auditing them and reporting the results to Biden's office. Other terms agreed to included greater transparency, a pledge by MERS not to foreclose in its own name for the next five years, increased oversight and training, and efforts to reduce fraudulent foreclosures. In response to the settlement, MERS' president and CEO, Bill Beckmann, said his organization was "pleased" to have reached an agreement that serves the best interests of Delaware homeowners and protects the value MERS brings to its members. "The agreed-upon measures are consistent with steps we've taken nationally to improve of- ferings to our constituencies and are natural outcomes of our responsiveness to the rap- idly changing market-reform environment," Beckmann said. 109

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