The number of homeowners underwater in their mortgages has continued to shrink as home prices continue to rise. Home prices were up 8.3% in December versus the previous year, and 1.7 million homeowners moved from negative to positive equity in 2012. According to a recent panel done by Zillow, analysts are expecting that home values will rise around 4.6% this year, and continue similarly in 2014. This can be seen as a further indication of the sustained comeback of the housing industry. Visit USAToday for the full article.