Monday Morning Cup of Coffee

A look at stories across HousingWire’s weekend desk, with more coverage to come on bigger issues: Real estate brokers and agents in the REO space are invading Fort Worth, Texas, this week for HousingWire’s 2011 REO Expo at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Distressed properties accounted for 37% of all home sales in April, according to the National Association of Realtors, and that percentage is growing. Attendees of the 2^nd annual REO Expo will learn ways to cope with ever changing housing dynamics as well as gain tools to attain success in the market. Featured speakers at the conference include Christopher Gardner, owner and chief executive officer of Gardner Rich, National Basketball Association legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac. Monday ends with the Pinnacle Awards ceremony, which recognizes the nation’s top REO management firms. National mortgage debt declined by $85 billion in the first quarter, according to recent Federal Reserve data. According to analysis of the report by Calculated Risk, mortgage debt is now down $634 billion from its peak. The Fed estimated the value of household real estate fell $339 billion in the first quarter to $16.1 trillion. Calculated Risk found that number is down from the fourth quarter when household real estate debt hit $16.5 trillion. Some of the largest U.S. banks are preparing to lower their use of U.S. Treasurys in August, according to an article by the Financial Times. The publication cited a senior bank chief who said banks are lowering Treasurys use as a precaution to economic turbulence should the government fail to increase the national debt ceiling. Republicans and Democrats are in debate about the current U.S. debt ceiling, set at $14.29 trillion. The deadline to agree on a new limit is Aug. 2, and if the government cannot reach an agreement some experts say it will be financially catastrophic. The FT report did not name specific banks that will be cutting their Treasurys, but the article did mention a strategic alternative — to have more cash on hand to put up as collateral against derivatives and other transactions, the bank source said. Market indicators in the hotel sector are trending positively, according to one data analytics firm. Occupancy rates, average daily price and revenue per room increased during the week of May 29 through June 4, according to STR which released the data this weekend. Occupancy increased 2.5% to 58.5% during the week, while average daily price rose 2.7% to $96.63. Revenue per room jumped 5.2%. Dallas reported the largest spike in occupancy rate, up 13.5% to 58.1% during the reported week, followed by Detroit. Philadelphia saw the largest decrease in occupancy rate, down 7%. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. did not close any banks over the weekend, keeping the 2011 count of failed institutions at 45. In 2010, there were a record 157 bank failures. Write to Christine Ricciardi. Follow her on Twitter @HWnewbieCR.