Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Inc. a provider of data, technology, and market infrastructure, recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Black Knight, Inc. The cash and stock transaction values Black Knight at $85 per share, or a market value of $13.1 billion, and builds on ICE’s position as a provider of end-to-end electronic workflow solutions for the rapidly evolving U.S. residential mortgage industry. Read on for more details about this key industry acquisition.

Do appraisers feel safer in homes two years after the arrival of COVID-19 and what will be the mindset of homeowners concerning their health security when appraisers arrive at their doors? Valuation Review obtained some answers to these questions from selected industry veterans. Read on to learn what we found out.

According to the S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) and CoreLogic report, home prices continued their upward spiral in February. Year-over-year, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 19.8 percent annual gain in February, up from 19.1 percent in the previous month. Read on for more details from this report.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently published the 2022-2024 Underserved Markets Plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under the Duty to Serve (DTS) Program. The DTS plans demonstrate a strengthened commitment to serving manufactured housing, affordable housing preservation and rural housing.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently convened a virtual Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) philanthropic roundtable discussion on innovative strategies to address appraisal bias. Leadership from The Brookings Institution and Ashoka unveiled new research on the topic of appraisal bias and announced the winners of their Economic Architecture Challenge.

More than 2 in 3 (65 percent) home offers written by Redfin agents faced competition in March, according to a Redfin report. That’s down from 66.8 percent in February, marking the first month-over-month decline since September and a sign that demand is starting to cool.

The Appraisal Institute (AI) is celebrating 90 years of service, and Valuation Review reached out to the organization’s president for reflection. AI believes it has served the profession of appraising well and clearly has stood the test of time. Read on to learn more fun facts about the organization.

For most appraisers, the past 24 months (and beyond) has been a period many would just like to put into the category of “file and forget.” But what can be taken away from the pandemic era is the chance to learn from all that went wrong. Read on for more thoughts from our panel of experts.

In Dustin Harris’ (“The Appraiser Coach”) blog, “Caution Where Needed,” the industry veteran addresses flexibility and change. Harris also reminds appraisers to make sure enough credible information is available. Read on for more.