Ecosphere Technologies is a diversified water engineering and environmental services company with a primarily focus on the natural gas industry. One of the shining stars of Ecosphere Technology is their subsidiary, Ecosphere Energy Services, LLC (EES), which today announced that it has closed a major financing round of $7.5 million with Fidelity National Financial (FNF).

The union of EES and FNF will provide benefits to all involved. EES has become known as a leading provider of proprietary water purification and management systems to the energy industry and showcase the proprietary Ozonix technology which offers an eco-friendly “Total Water Management” system that is capable of cost effectively reclaiming water for maximum reuse and minimal waste. This technology has the capability of protecting our most precious resource while providing protection to the environment.

As for FNF, they are a leading provider of title insurance and specialty insurance. Being a known

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Spurred by a desire of home buyers to get in under the wire of the $8,000 “first time" homebuyer tax credit that expires at the end of November, the National Association of Realtors' pending sales index jumped 6.4% to a reading of 103.8 from 97.6 in July. This was the highest reading since March of 2007. Another factor in the increase is the rise in the number of short sales (people selling the house for less than the amount of the mortgage, with the OK of the bank holding the mortgage) which involve a lot more paperwork and thus a longer time between the agreement to buy and the actual closing. Still, this is some more evidence that we have turned the corner in the housing market. That turn has been helped along by an extraordinary amount of government assistance. Not just the tax credit, which is ...

Due in part to various foreclosure moratoriums and also just a plain logistical backlog, a curious thing is taking place. While the number of mortgages that are seriously delinquent has been soaring, the rate of actual foreclosure repossessions is only creeping up. Nationally, according to First American Core Logic, a big title insurance firm, the repossession rate was 0.7% in May -- up from 0.6% a year ago. At the same time the number of mortgages that are more than 90 days past due has increased to 6.5% of all mortgages -- up from 4.0% in May of 2008. It is said that California leads the country, so this article from the L.A. Times may show where the rest of the country is headed. There, the repossession rate is actually down to 1.0% from 1.1% a year ago. At the same time, the serious delinquency rate ...

Shares of First Advantage Corporation (FADV) are trading higher today after the company received a buyout offer. First American Corporation (FAF), which already owns 74% of the outstanding shares of First Advantage, is seeking to acquire the remaining 26% of the company that it does not control.

The offer calls for First Advantage shareholders to receive 0.5375 shares of First American common stock for each share of First Advantage common stock owned. Based upon Friday's closing prices, the deal values First Advantage at $14.04 per share, for a premium of approximately 10%.

We note that shares of First Advantage are currently trading higher than the value implied by the proposed deal.

First Advantage provides consumer and business credit information, as well as other business consulting services. First American is a provider of business information as well as specialty and title insurance.

We have maintained a negative outlook

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Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (...

Note - the action is so bad I will consider less than 1% loss "green" Here are some names of interest or current holdings holding up in this horror show **************** Insituform Technologies (INSU): "sewer" repair; been watching this for a month to add to the portfolio - it has Obama written all over it. Great chart - this one gapped up today on big volume; tells me an institution piled in or some good news is on the way. Airlines in general: weak oil = good for airlines Research in Motion (RIMM): really holding up well last week or two Palm (PALM): unrelenting (short squeeze) [Jan 9: Obama Sighted with Palm Pre] Thoratec (THOR) Sequenom (SQNM) - until about 45 minutes ago American Science & Engineering (ASEI) AeroVironment (AVAV) FAF/FNF ...