Short Sale Association of America (SSAA) has officially launched its short sale platform to real estate agents and brokers. With over 12 million U.S. homeowners upside-down on their mortgage, Jonathan Bowman, founder of SSAA, notes that the industry certainly has its worked cut out, but he says the resources provided his organization will empower agents at all levels of expertise to reach and effectively assist as many distressed homeowners as possible.

South & Associates, P.C., a law firm specializing in the protection of creditors' rights in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, has hired three new associate attorneys in its corporate office in Overland Park, Kansas: Noah McGraw has joined the firm's foreclosure department, and Jason Howell and Richard Beheler will practice in the commercial and special asset department.

The nation's second largest mortgage company says early workouts are central to its game plan for 2011. This ""nip it in the bud"" mindset can be key to getting in front of delinquencies before they turn into lost-cause foreclosures, and Freddie Mac says it's making changes to the way it evaluates the performance of mortgage servicers in order to ensure problem loans are tackled early on and increase the odds of getting borrowers back to performing status. Namely, the GSE is pushing servicers to make contact with homeowners by the third day of delinquency.

Rowell Auctions, Inc. has launched a new national Internet radio show that will educate listeners about property auctions. The show will feature top real estate and auction leaders from across the country, and will target potential bidders, real estate agents, sellers, and other auction firms. Stanley Tate, CEO of Tate Enterprises in North Miami, Florida and former head of Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), was the first guest featured on the radio show's inaugural broadcast March 18.

BrokerPriceOpinion.com, a nationwide provider of client-customized valuation solutions, has named Chris McLain as its new director of business development. McLain will manage sales, re-seller relationships, strategic partnerships, and business development for BrokerPriceOpinion.com. He will be based in Gainesville, Florida, providing the company with an East Coast representative as it moves to accelerate growth initiatives in that region.

Performance of commercial real estate in the United States is bifurcated, according to Moody's Investors Service, with larger properties in major markets recovering value while distressed properties remain well off the peak. New research released by the credit ratings agency shows that prices on a sub-set of non-distressed properties, which have traded for more than $10 million, are down 19 percent from October 2007. Prices of distressed properties, on the other hand, have tumbled 54 percent since October 2007.

Woodward Asset Capital has announced plans to launch a new short sale technology application in April that the company says will prevent short sale fraud while reducing transaction times and netting lenders the highest possible sale price. Woodward explained that its new software, VerifiedShortSale, puts the mortgage servicer in control be being first to review every offer while ensuring a transparent process. It's modeled after the company's REO application, OfferSubmission.

WFG National Title Insurance Company has announced that Susan McKnight, Esq. has joined the company as VP, New Mexico state counsel, and agency consultant. She will provide underwriting assistance, education, and agency support for WFG National Title's agencies throughout New Mexico. Over the past 20 years, McKnight has served as litigation counsel, claims counsel, and underwriting counsel for several national title underwriters and she is the former underwriter director of the New Mexico Land Title Association.

For many homebuyers, mortgage financing is hard to come by these days. Lenders have tightened up credit requirements in an about-face from the lax lending of pre-crisis days that's fueled record-high delinquencies. According to two separate industry surveys, cash transactions set a new record in February, accounting for 33 percent of home purchases. One report notes that the increase in cash purchases paralleled a rise in activity among investors who have their sights set on distressed properties that can be scooped up at a discount.

Default Resource, a provider of REO management, valuation, and loss mitigation services, has announced the hiring of James Zeldin as EVP and chief sales officer. Zeldin brings more than 20 years' experience in default management, origination services, REO management, and business process consulting to Default Resource. He previously served as SVP of business development for Altisource Portfolio Solutions and its predecessor company, Ocwen Financial Corporation.