Home prices increased in May

Nationwide, detached, single-family home prices gained 1.6 percent in May, according to Integrated Asset Services, a specialist in default management and residential collateral valuations.

The index had previously declined more than 19 percent from its peak in June 2007. Compared to April, the Northeast was up 3.2 percent, the Midwest 1.9 percent, the South 1.1 percent, and the West 0.9 percent. In all areas but the South, prices also rose in April. “Two month's worth of positive data hardly signals a turn in the national housing market," says Dave McCarthy,

President and CEO of Integrated Asset Services. “But we have to be encouraged by what we’re seeing in several important counties and neighborhoods. ”Hardest-Hit CountiesIAS also tracks monthly changes in median sale prices in 15,000 struggling communities.

It identifies the following counties where prices have fallen furthest since the 2006 peak:
Fresno, Calif. -28.1 percent
Imperial Calif. -45.2 percent
Kern, Calif. -33.8 percent
Monterey, Calif. -37.9 percent
San Bernardino, Calif. -29.1 percent
San Joaquin, Calif. -42.8 percent
Charlotte, Fla. -37.6 percent
Hernando, Fla. -38.7 percent
Lee, Fla. -45.2 percent
Pasco, Fla. -50 percent

Source: Integrated Asset Services