Written by:  Nathan Thomas

Microsoft said August 6 that it released Windows XP Service Pack 2 to PC manufacturers, and said it would be made available for end users to download by the end of August. What's SP 2? It's a response to security concerns exploited in Windows XP. "Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal to help customers make their PCs better isolated and more resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft.   Read more...

According to a la mode CEO and founder Dave Biggers, technology's role in the appraisal profession has evolved from purely cost-cutting and timesaving to opportunity creation and client retention. Biggers made his remarks in a presentation in San Francisco at the Appraisal Today conference there last week.   Read more...

A Monroe County (Pa.) homeowners association filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against two developers, two appraisers and 25 financial institutions last week in federal court in Pennsylvania.   Read more...

Fifteen years ago this week the first President Bush signed into law the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), Title XI of which created today's appraiser regulatory structure, administered by the states to national standards maintained by the Appraisal Foundation and its boards.   Read more...

The robust housing market in America has broken records once again as the homeownership rate rose to an all-time high of 69.2 percent and sales of existing single-family homes rose 2.1 percent in June to a [seasonally adjusted annual rate] of 6.95 million units.   Read more...

Fueled by low mortgage rates, alternative loan programs and baby boomers in their peak-earnings years, the second home market is experiencing a boom of its own, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.   Read more...

While some homebuyers may stumble across their real estate agents by answering ads for property sales, more and more are starting to shop for their agents before even beginning the house hunt.   Read more...

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Agoura Hills, California-based Lenders Financial Services (LFS), a unit of Fiserv, Inc. and a national asset management and REO disposition service provider for banks, credit unions and mortgage lenders, recently completed a custom plugin for a la mode's Mercury Desktop product for its nationwide roster of real estate appraisers.   Read more...

So the refi boom is over, because rates are going to go up, you say?   Read more...

Did you hear the one about the new FICO score?   Read more...