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92 vendors able to offer data verification for all three components of Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter (DU) validation service and Day 1 Certainty program through FirstAmerican FraudGuard. Now that First American Mortgage Solu- tions is an authorized supplier for 4506-T tax transcript service for IRS income verifica- tion, benefits include single source for Day 1 Certainty through the DU validation service, easy access to all three verification reports through First American FraudGuard, the ability to order individually or as a suite, and faster reviews with FraudGuard analytics and combined reporting. According to President of First Ameri- can Mortgage Solutions Kevin Wall, the company's comprehensive verification solution provides lenders with one source to get rep- resentation and warranty relief on validated loan components from Fannie Mae. "By accessing all three reports in a stream- lined workflow, lenders will benefit from greater speed and efficiency, supporting their efforts to enhance the borrower experience," Wall said. Wall continued to explain how excited the company is to assist lenders in maximizing the value of the Day 1 Certainty program, so they can deliver more loans faster with confidence. "Transforming the future of the mortgage industry requires alignment across all stake- holders and we are excited to be part of this collaboration," said Wall. NEVADA Senators Implore Mortgage Industry to Ease Vegas Victims' Burdens A letter from U.S. Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D- NV) was sent to mortgage industry leaders recently, requesting they assist victims of the deadliest mass shooting on record occurring earlier this month with financial aid and relief. Heller cited "funeral costs, medical bills, and emotional trauma" in a recent press re- lease, as well as "legal foreclosure proceedings that would lead to a victim or their family's eviction during their recovery." e letter was sent to numerous banks and loan servicing companies, including Wells Fargo, Bank of "e western region's growth is due, in part, to first-time homebuyers and those looking to re-enter the housing market post-foreclosure during the recession. Along with scarce home inventory and a strong tech economy, home-price appreciation is being driven upwards," said Marshall. Home Prices Lead in the West According to data from the Federal Hous- ing Finance Agency's (FHFA) House Price Index released in October, U.S. home prices rose 0.7 percent compared to last month. e 0.2 percent increase previously reported in July was changed upward to 0.4 percent. Seasonally adjusted monthly price changes from July 2017 to August 2017 for the nine census divisions ranged from -0.1 percent in the New England Division to +1.4 percent in the Pacific Division. e Mountain and West North Cen- tral regions both experienced a 0.5 percent increase while the East North Central, East South Central, and Middle Atlantic regions had an increase of 0.6 percent. e South Atlantic's house prices grew 0.4 percent com- pared to July 2017. Over a 12-month period, changes were all positive, ranging from +5.0 percent in the Middle Atlantic Division to +9.3 percent in the Pacific Division. e HPI from the FHFA covers single- family housing data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. e index is derived from trans- actions involving conforming conventional mortgages purchased or securitized by the GSEs. e sample is limited by the ceiling amount for conforming loans purchased and mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or the VA, or other federal entities are excluded for not being considered "conventional." FHFA provides a complete historical and HPI release dates for 2017 and 2018, as well as states included in each region. e monthly index values and appreciation estimates from FHFA are also available in tables and graphs. First American Named Vendor for Fannie Mae's Day 1 Certainty Santa Ana, California-based First American Mortgage Solutions, LLC, an- nounced in October that it is one of a few CALIFORNIA California Wildfires Cause Dire Housing Inventory Shortage According to a piece from the LA Times, 3,000 homes in Santa Rosa, California, or 5 percent of its housing stock, was destroyed by wildfires. "We had a housing problem three weeks ago; now, we have a housing problem minus 3,000 more houses," Santa Rosa's Mayor Chris Coursey told the LA Times in October. Wildfires in Northern California have led to the destruction of 5,700 homes and businesses, based on Clear Capital's monthly Home Data Index (HDI) August report released in October. Most of these structures were in Sonoma County and many residents were already suffering from extremely low long-term rental options and a short-term rental market. "e fires in and around Sonoma County will drive more upward price movement, and we'll likely see near-zero inventory," said Clear Capital President and Co-Founder Kevin Marshall. Senior Economist at the California As- sociation of Realtors, Oscar Wei, said the the housing supply around Santa Rosa was already low before, but with a $600,000 median home price, it paled in comparison to San Francisco, where median home price is over a million dollars. In an interview with the LA Times, Wei discusses the appeal of moving to the less-expensive city of Santa Rosa compared to San Francisco. "Because of that difference, in the last few years, a lot of people who could not af- ford to live in San Francisco or Santa Clara, they move farther north, out to counties like Sonoma," Wei said. He predicts however, that once the city starts to rebuild, Santa Rosa will still be a desirable location to live in again. "In California, every area near the mountains, we could have fire," he said. "I honestly don't think that, as far as Santa Rosa and wine country are concerned, in the long term it will affect sales that much. People will go back." According to Clear Capital, the decrease in housing supply will only add more stress to those already affected as access to housing becomes more expensive. Still, the western region as a whole continues to beat the South, Northeast, and Midwest in quarter-over- quarter price growth at 1.3 percent. e other regions measured at 0.8, 0.6, and 0.6 percent, respectively.

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