Press Release CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association, Winter Haven, Florida, Assumes All of the Deposits of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2012 Media Contact: Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984 Cell: (202) 340-4922 Email:  ghernandez@fdic.gov   First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, was closed today by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association, Winter Haven, Florida, to assume all of the deposits of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville. The eight branches of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville will reopen on Monday as branches of CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association. Depositors of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville will automatically become depositors of CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association that it has completed systems changes to allow other CenterState Bank of Florida, National Association branches to process their accounts as well. This evening and over the weekend, depositors of First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual. As of September...

Press Release U.S. Bank National Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, Assumes All of the Deposits of BankEast, Knoxville, Tennessee   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2012 Media Contact: Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984 Cell: (202) 340-4922 Email:  ghernandez@fdic.gov   BankEast, Knoxville, Tennessee, was closed today by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with U.S. Bank National Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, to assume all of the deposits of BankEast. The ten branches of BankEast will reopen on Monday as branches of U.S. Bank National Association. Depositors of BankEast will automatically become depositors of U.S. Bank National Association. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of BankEast should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from U.S. Bank National Association that it has completed systems changes to allow other U.S. Bank National Association branches to process their accounts as well. This evening and over the weekend, depositors of BankEast can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual. As of September 30, 2011, BankEast had approximately $272.6 million in total assets and $268.8 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, U.S. Bank National Association agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets. Customers with questions about today's transaction should call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-517-1839. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard...

Next Tuesday, January 31st, will see the next S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report with data for November 2011. Coming off some signs that the economy is strengthening combined with mixed reports on housing, attention will focus on home prices. Bullish sentiment will point to the preliminary 4th quarter GDP report released on Friday, January 25th. [...]

Final Foreclosures Fall as Housing Pipeline Swells<br/>http://www.cnbc.com//id/46162724

At the direction of the President, this Working Group brings together the Department of Justice (DOJ), several state attorneys general and other federal entities to investigate those responsible for misconduct contributing to the financial crisis through the pooling and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.

MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) announced today that it priced its new 1% $6.5 billion five-year USD Reference Notes® security due on March 8, 2017. The issue, C...

The number of new foreclosures in 2011 dropped nearly 40 percent, according to year-end numbers just released by Lender Processing Services; there is, however, little cause for celebration.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner urged European leaders to bolster their crisis-fighting bailout funds, warning more outside support wouldn’t be forthcoming without them acting first.

MOORPARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 26, 2012-- PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE: PMT) will announce results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2011 in a news release to be issued at 5:30 a.m. PST (8:30 a.m. EST) on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. The release will be available online at www.pennymacmortgageinvestmenttrust.com. PennyMac executives will also review the quarter and full year in a recorded presentation. The recording and accompanying slide presentation will be available on the Company's website concurrently with the news release. Individuals who are unable to access the website bu...

(Reuters) - Bank of America Corp was the fourth-biggest U.S. mortgage lender in the fourth quarter of 2011, continuing its descent in the rankings after it stopped buying loans made by smaller banks.

(Reuters) - D.R. Horton Inc , the top U.S. homebuilder, posted a first-quarter profit, helped by a surge in orders indicating a stabilizing housing market.

A builder of luxury homes reveals how he created his weekend retreat on a budget.