S&P: Home Price Growth Stable in Early 2020

S&P Dow Jones Indices, New York, said home prices continue to increase at a modest rate across the U.S. to start the first quarter.

Industry Briefs

Snapdocs Inc., San Francisco, announced an integration that makes its digital closing platform available through the Ellie Mae Digital Lending Platform.

Mortgage Fraud Risk Falls to New Low

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., said frequency of defects, fraudulence and misrepresentation in the information submitted in mortgage loan applications decreased by 3.0 percent from December to the lowest level since the company began tracking such data in 2011.

Industry Briefs

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., a provider of title insurance, settlement services and risk services for real estate transactions, and Docutech, a provider of document, eClose and fulfillment technology for the mortgage industry, signed an agreement for First American’s acquisition of Docutech.

First American: December Fraud Risk Slows

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., said its monthly Loan Application Defect Index, which stabilized in November, fell again in December.

Housing Starts Finish Year on Strong Note

HUD and the Census Bureau gave the housing and real estate finance industry something to cheer about Friday, reporting the strongest jump in housing starts in 13 years.

Residential Briefs

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., acquired Title Security Agency LLC, a brand within the Arizona real estate community. First American had been a minority owner for five years.

Residential Briefs

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., acquired Title Security Agency LLC, a brand within the Arizona real estate community. First American had been a minority owner for five years.

‘Sudden Uptick’ in Fraud Risk Raises Eyebrows

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., said its monthly Loan Application Defect Index showed a jump in mortgage fraud risk for purchase transactions, the first such increase since last March.

November Hiring Defies Expectations

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by a better-than-expected 266,000 in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.