Newsdesk | Volume 3 | Issue 236 | July 28, 2009

Top NewsUPDATE 1-U.S. new home sales rise sharply in June - Forbes.com - - sale fell to 281,000, the lowest since February 1998. 'The data will reinforce the developing thinking that housing market has bottomed and that the economy has stabilized and will grow in the third quarter,' said Jim Awad, managing director at ZephyrFed Plans Consumer-Friendly Changes to Mortgage Rules - RIS Media - - distress sales fell to 31% from 33% in May. “This report provides further evidence that activity in the housing market is stabilizing and that price declines are slowing,” the New York forecasting firm RDQ Economics said in a note to investors.Wall Street Poised To Extend The Positive Momentum - RTTNews.com - - companies slated to release the results after the markets close for trading include Amgen (AMGN), Crane Co. (CR), Fidelity National Financial (FNF), Health Management Associates (HMA), Manitowoc (MTW), Owens & Minor (OMI), Plum Creek Timber (PLUM), andMarket NewsReal Estate Weekly: New mortgage-disclosure rules would help consumers - MarketWatch - - Don't retire with a mortgage Home-buyer tax credit spawns myths Insurer fees draw scrutiny The Federal Reserve Board this week proposed improving the disclosures consumers receive on their mortgages.Foreclosure hot spots - Los Angeles Times - - Here are some locally specific statistics from MDA DataQuick's quarterly foreclosure report for California.Top five ZIP Codes in number of homes repossessed by lenders, per capita, second quarter 2009: 1. Tracy 95391 (148 Q2 foreclosures, 71 per 1Freddie Mac Launches Effort to Help Servicers Handle Record Demand for Home Affordable Modifications - Forbes.com - - MCLEAN, Va., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of its support for President Obama's Making Home Affordable program, Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) today announced an agreement with Home Retention Services, Inc.Citi, La Raza to rehab foreclosed Phoenix homes - CNBC - - TUCSON, Ariz. - The National Council of La Raza will buy foreclosed homes in Phoenix to rehabilitate and then sell to low-and moderate-income Latino families under a pilot program partly funded by the charitable arm of Citigroup, officials announcedForeclosure News Report Named Best Newsletter for 2009 - RIS Media - - RealtyTrac, one of the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, announced that its monthly newsletter for real estate investors-Foreclosure News Report-was recently honored as Best Newsletter for 2009 by the National Association of RealOne Fidelity National company is buying stock in another - Florida Times-Union - - given to Metavante stockholders, FIS shareholders will be voting on another interesting item: a proposal that would allow Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF) to buy shares of FIS. The ever-changing relationship among the three companies that once

Technology NewsTwitter Launches Tools For Businesses - Information Week - - In its ongoing effort to figure out how to make money, Twitter on Thursday launched a new search tool and an online manual for businesses.Zillow, Trulia and More: Sizing Up Housing Sites - Smart Money - - Just a few years ago, appraising your own property was as simple as checking out how much the house down the street sold for and adding a few thousand dollars for good measure. Not anymore.

Other NewsRecession brings out unlicensed contractors - MSNBC via MSN Money - - JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - When custom homebuilder Bob Liddell started seeing the decline in the housing market more than three years ago, he decided to supplement his business with home remodeling.Helping the unemployed pay their mortgages - CNN Money - - As more jobless fall into foreclosure, the Obama administration is looking at ways to help them save their homes. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As a growing number of jobless Americans default on their mortgages, theBanking industry's next headache - CNN - - enough. SunTrust, for instance, added $161 million in the latest quarter to its loan loss reserve, citing continuing housing market deterioration and 'increasing economic stress in the commercial market.' But nonperforming

assets rose even more, jumping