Market Comment

Mortgage Bonds are higher so far this morning. Stocks are taking a breather and the money from Stocks looks to be moving back into Bonds, helping prices move higher.
The Bond has been able to move higher this week in spite of the so-so auction results. But this afternoon’s auction of $32 Billion of 7-Year Notes carries more inflation risk to investors due to the longer maturity date. So I will be watching to see how the market reacts to the auction.
For now, I recommend floating to see if prices can build on the positive technical momentum, and potentially climb back up towards the next ceiling of resistance."

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican .com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112.

Market Comment

Mortgage Bonds are higher so far this morning. Stocks are taking a breather and the money from Stocks looks to be moving back into Bonds, helping prices move higher.
The Bond has been able to move higher this week in spite of the so-so auction results. But this afternoon’s auction of $32 Billion of 7-Year Notes carries more inflation risk to investors due to the longer maturity date. So I will be watching to see how the market reacts to the auction.
For now, I recommend floating to see if prices can build on the positive technical momentum, and potentially climb back up towards the next ceiling of resistance."

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican .com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112.

Keller Williams Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise

Keller Williams Realty Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise by Industry Leader and Entrepreneur Magazine

AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 21, 2009) — Keller Williams Realty joined the ranks of the top franchises in the world last week, when the company was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine. During the same week, the company was also voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

“The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is a respected source for the real estate industry and beyond, as is Entrepreneur magazine, and we are excited to see our agents honored in this way for all of their hard work,” said Mark Willis, CEO, Keller Williams Realty. “We certainly wouldn’t have been included on either list without the dedication and resolve of our agents.”

According to the ranking in Entrepreneur magazine, the most important criteria to determine the top franchises included financial strength and stability, as well as growth rate and size of the franchise system. The magazine also looked at the number of years the company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, in addition to start-up costs and financial data. Additionally, Keller Williams Realty made an impressive showing on the overall list, placing higher than any other real estate franchise.

The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published by Stefan Swanepoel, a real estate industry speaker and insider. The survey was crafted to determine the Most Recognizable Brand for Real Estate Franchises for his report out in February 2010. The survey included votes cast by 11,000 plus real estate agents, who cast 390,000 votes to select the top 10.

Earlier in the year,Keller Williams Realty also received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms from J.D. Power and Associates for the second year in a row.

“We are extremely proud that our associates and company are being recognized for our strength and stability during this time in our industry,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO, Keller Williams Realty. “We attribute our success to being in business with phenomenal people and to our core business models, which have allowed our franchises to thrive during any market.”

###

About Keller Williams Realty Inc.:
Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the third-largest real estate franchise operation in the United States, with 679 offices and 73,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1990, has an agent-centric culture that emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. For more information, visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com).

Rob Alley, Realtor at Keller Williams Charlottesville
540-250-3275 (cell)
roballeyrealtor@gmail.com
http://www.robsellscharlottesville.com
http://www.forestlakesliving.com
http://www.charlottesvillevarealestate.blogspot.com
http://www.charlottesvilleshortsale.com
http://www.theaverygroup.com

Keller Williams Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise

Keller Williams Realty Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise by Industry Leader and Entrepreneur Magazine

AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 21, 2009) — Keller Williams Realty joined the ranks of the top franchises in the world last week, when the company was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine. During the same week, the company was also voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

“The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is a respected source for the real estate industry and beyond, as is Entrepreneur magazine, and we are excited to see our agents honored in this way for all of their hard work,” said Mark Willis, CEO, Keller Williams Realty. “We certainly wouldn’t have been included on either list without the dedication and resolve of our agents.”

According to the ranking in Entrepreneur magazine, the most important criteria to determine the top franchises included financial strength and stability, as well as growth rate and size of the franchise system. The magazine also looked at the number of years the company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, in addition to start-up costs and financial data. Additionally, Keller Williams Realty made an impressive showing on the overall list, placing higher than any other real estate franchise.

The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published by Stefan Swanepoel, a real estate industry speaker and insider. The survey was crafted to determine the Most Recognizable Brand for Real Estate Franchises for his report out in February 2010. The survey included votes cast by 11,000 plus real estate agents, who cast 390,000 votes to select the top 10.

Earlier in the year,Keller Williams Realty also received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms from J.D. Power and Associates for the second year in a row.

“We are extremely proud that our associates and company are being recognized for our strength and stability during this time in our industry,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO, Keller Williams Realty. “We attribute our success to being in business with phenomenal people and to our core business models, which have allowed our franchises to thrive during any market.”

###

About Keller Williams Realty Inc.:
Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the third-largest real estate franchise operation in the United States, with 679 offices and 73,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1990, has an agent-centric culture that emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. For more information, visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com).

Rob Alley, Realtor at Keller Williams Charlottesville
540-250-3275 (cell)
roballeyrealtor@gmail.com
http://www.robsellscharlottesville.com
http://www.forestlakesliving.com
http://www.charlottesvillevarealestate.blogspot.com
http://www.charlottesvilleshortsale.com
http://www.theaverygroup.com

Your Daily Dose from DSNews.com

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 2009 has been one of the most significant years in the default servicing industry to date. DS News would like to look back on the year that was, and the Secondary Market-related stories that were most read and left the biggest impact on viewers. IBM to Buy Wilshire from BoA, Jumping into Mortgage Servicing International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is set to announce its purchase of a major mortgage servicer, Wilshire Credit Corp., from Bank of America, sources familiar with the matter told DS News over the weekend. Details of the rumored deal are scant, but it would mark a major addition to IBM's information empire, the sources said. IBM says it is looking to have a presence in the mortgage market, where technology-based service providers have been under increasing pressure to accommodate rising modification and foreclosure volumes. Citigroup Wants Feds to Sell off Their Stake in the Company As the economic recovery kicks off, executives at Citigroup Inc. are working on a strategy to reduce the federal government's 34-percent stake in the banking giant - a plan that would ultimately turn a profit for the taxpayers who funded the bailout in the first place. Washington officials confirmed that they'd had weekend talks with Citigroup and said they don't have a problem with unloading some of their 7.7 billion shares in the New York firm, as long as it is able to raise offsetting capital. Citi says it can provide that capital, and then some. Survey: 2010 Will Be Buyers' Market for Commercial Real Estate The ideal time to invest in commercial real estate is 2010 - that's when commercial property prices will hit bottom, according to a recently published survey of industry investors, developers, lenders, brokers, and consultants. The yearly study, released last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute, says commercial real estate players predict property values to ultimately drop 40 to 50 percent from 2007 market peaks, making 2010 and 2011 the opportune time for investors to buy at or near cyclical lows. Distressed Investors Still on Sidelines as Commercial Real Estate Decline Continues Investors anticipate further deterioration in the underlying fundamentals of the commercial real estate industry through the remainder of 2009 and into 2010 as investors remain on the sidelines, a new survey shows. Those seeking to acquire quality assets at distressed prices are hoping that near-term defaults and looming due dates will jump-start buying opportunities that so far have been absent. FDIC Adds 111 to Troubled Watch List as Bank Losses Mount Banks lost $3.7 billion in the second quarter, the FDIC reported. Write-offs for bad loans totaling $48 billion pulled the industry results into negative territory. The names of 111 institutions landed on the FDIC's "problem list," bringing the total number of banks being watched by the agency to 416. That means 5 percent of the nation's banks are at risk of collapse. With the FDIC shelling out billions to cover bank failures, its insurance fund has been severely depleted. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE

Your Daily Dose from DSNews.com

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 2009 has been one of the most significant years in the default servicing industry to date. DS News would like to look back on the year that was, and the Secondary Market-related stories that were most read and left the biggest impact on viewers. IBM to Buy Wilshire from BoA, Jumping into Mortgage Servicing International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is set to announce its purchase of a major mortgage servicer, Wilshire Credit Corp., from Bank of America, sources familiar with the matter told DS News over the weekend. Details of the rumored deal are scant, but it would mark a major addition to IBM's information empire, the sources said. IBM says it is looking to have a presence in the mortgage market, where technology-based service providers have been under increasing pressure to accommodate rising modification and foreclosure volumes. Citigroup Wants Feds to Sell off Their Stake in the Company As the economic recovery kicks off, executives at Citigroup Inc. are working on a strategy to reduce the federal government's 34-percent stake in the banking giant - a plan that would ultimately turn a profit for the taxpayers who funded the bailout in the first place. Washington officials confirmed that they'd had weekend talks with Citigroup and said they don't have a problem with unloading some of their 7.7 billion shares in the New York firm, as long as it is able to raise offsetting capital. Citi says it can provide that capital, and then some. Survey: 2010 Will Be Buyers' Market for Commercial Real Estate The ideal time to invest in commercial real estate is 2010 - that's when commercial property prices will hit bottom, according to a recently published survey of industry investors, developers, lenders, brokers, and consultants. The yearly study, released last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute, says commercial real estate players predict property values to ultimately drop 40 to 50 percent from 2007 market peaks, making 2010 and 2011 the opportune time for investors to buy at or near cyclical lows. Distressed Investors Still on Sidelines as Commercial Real Estate Decline Continues Investors anticipate further deterioration in the underlying fundamentals of the commercial real estate industry through the remainder of 2009 and into 2010 as investors remain on the sidelines, a new survey shows. Those seeking to acquire quality assets at distressed prices are hoping that near-term defaults and looming due dates will jump-start buying opportunities that so far have been absent. FDIC Adds 111 to Troubled Watch List as Bank Losses Mount Banks lost $3.7 billion in the second quarter, the FDIC reported. Write-offs for bad loans totaling $48 billion pulled the industry results into negative territory. The names of 111 institutions landed on the FDIC's "problem list," bringing the total number of banks being watched by the agency to 416. That means 5 percent of the nation's banks are at risk of collapse. With the FDIC shelling out billions to cover bank failures, its insurance fund has been severely depleted. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE

Market Comment

Mortgage Bonds are attempting to stabilize today but sentiment may quickly change when the Treasury announces the auction results of today’s $42 billion in 5 year T Notes at 1:00pm ET. Stocks have started higher this morning, and are attempting to push their winning streak to a seventh straight day.
The Case Shiller Home Price Index showed that national home prices are still 7.3% lower overall from last year and were unchanged in October, after four consecutive monthly gains.
For now, I will recommend a Cautiously Floating stance, as Bonds try to stabilize at these deeply depressed prices. If anything changes, I will get back to you.

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican.com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112