Newsdesk | May 18, 2012

 

Top News Postal to close, consolidate 140 mail sites CNBC - The Postal Service will proceed with a plan this summer to shut mail-processing facilities as part of its cost-cutting effort but will spread out the closings to maintain overnight delivery of local mail.

Market News Refinance Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage Bankers Association - Mortgage applications increased 9.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 11, 2012.  MBA: Delinquencies and Foreclosure Starts Down, Inventory Up Slightly DSNews.com - On a national level, delinquency rates and foreclosure starts decreased on a quarterly and yearly basis in the first quarter of 2012, with foreclosure inventory the exception, which increased slightly compared to the previous quarter, according to first quarter 2012 delinquency survey results released by the MBA. Mortgage rates at record lows as 30-yr at 3.79% MarketWatch - Mortgage rates hit record lows in the week ending May 17, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average falling to 3.79% from 3.83% in the... Home builder confidence highest in 5 years USA Today - rose to the highest level in five years in May, a hopeful sign that modest improvement in the housing market could be ahead. Bank of America offering up to $30K for short sales CNN Money - Bank of America is offering some struggling homeowner’s payments of up to $30,000 if they sell their homes in a short sale and avoid ending up in foreclosure. Under the...

Technology News Google revamps search, tries to think more like a person CNN - So, let's say you're doing a Google search for "Kings." Did you mean the L.A. hockey team or the Sacramento basketball team? Maybe the TV show? Or maybe you actually wanted to know something... Verizon to kill unlimited data plans for existing subscribers CNET News - Verizon Wireless subscribers who have held onto their $30 a month unlimited data plans will soon be forced to upgrade to a new tiered offering the company plans to launch this...

Other News REALTORS(R) Pumped Up for Historic Rally REALTOR Magazine - REALTORS® got a taste of the upcoming Rally to Protect the American Dream when NAR President Moe Veissi kicked off the 2012 NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo yesterday in Washington, D.C. "This is your moment," Veissi said during the Member-Director... Subdivisions go urban as housing market changes USA Today - "The drivable suburban fringe is where the housing market collapsed — 80% of the collapsed market was there. It's a classic case of the real estate industry overproducing." Most major... How Bikeable Is Your City? Find Out With Bike Score Forbes.com - For years, the Seattle-based Startup Walk Score has been calculating the rankings of the most walk-friendly placed to live all across the country. Users can pick an address of their choice, and a “Walk Score” will be a calculated inferring how walk-friendly that address is, which is designed to essentially help you…