New data from Lender Processing Services (LPS) shows that as of the end of January, there were 6,082,000 mortgages in the U.S. going unpaid. That tally includes loans that are 30 or more days delinquent and loans in foreclosure. The national delinquency rate as of January month-end was 7.97 percent. Delinquencies registered a decline, both for the month and the year. The industry's foreclosure inventory, however, rose to 4.15 percent, as newly initiated foreclosures spiked.

Treasury is heading to the coastal cities of Miami and Tampa, Florida, this week in order to offer assistance to homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments. Treasury will host a ""Help for Homeowners"" outreach event in each of the hard-hit Florida cities where homeowners can meet one-on-one with their servicers. Before the homeowners arrive, though, Treasury has blocked off time for real estate professionals to meet with the servicers on behalf of their clients and to participate in short sale workshops led by the servicers themselves.

An audit of San Francisco foreclosures conducted by county officials revealed documentation errors were evident in nearly all of the cases examined. Auditors reviewed 382 case files that resulted in a foreclosure sale between January 2009 and October 2011. They identified one or more irregularities in 99 percent of the loans and one or more violations of state law in 84 percent. San Francisco's Office of the Assessor‐Recorder says it hopes to open a dialogue on the importance of compliance with state laws so that corrective action can be taken.

StreetLinks Lender Solutions has expanded its executive sales staff to accommodate the company's growing nationwide base of lender and appraiser partners. Shane Martin joins as VP of national sales, Tony Gioia assumes the role of VP of national external sales, Mark Tague has been tapped as assistant VP of national sales for LenderX, Joel Munn also steps into the role of assistant VP of national sales, and Geoffrey Helmen is StreetLinks' newest national account manager.

Consumers who want their foreclosure cases checked by a third party as part of federal regulators' independent foreclosure review directive now have until July 31, 2012, to submit their requests. The Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced Wednesday that the deadline has been pushed out by three months to give consumers more time to file for a case assessment if they believe they suffered financial injury as a result of errors in foreclosure actions in 2009 or 2010.

Rogers Townsend & Thomas PC recently announced the addition of David W. Neill to the firm's Charlotte, North Carolina office. Neill brings 14 years of default services experience to the firm and has handled all aspects of the foreclosure process, from initiation to completion. His work has included resolving complex title issues, addressing problems inherent with REO properties, interacting with title companies, and conducting real estate closings.

Residential Credit Solutions, Inc. (RCS) has just received approval from the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) to be an issuer and servicer for the Ginnie Mae I and II single-family mortgage-backed securities programs. Dennis Stowe, president and CEO of RCS, says the nod from Ginnie Mae will allow the company to provide assistance to a broader constituency of homeowners by expanding its servicing and sub-servicing offerings to both investors and issuers of federally insured and guaranteed loans.

Liberty Title and Escrow Company announced last week that Beth Avedis has joined its ranks as VP of sales throughout the state of Colorado. Avedis was previously with Fidelity National Title Company's direct Colorado operation, Heritage Title Company, where she served as VP of sales and marketing. During her 17-year career there, Avedis was awarded the prestigious Platinum Award for sales accomplishments for several consecutive years.

The national mortgage delinquency rate rose during the fourth quarter of 2011, TransUnion reported Tuesday, marking only the second time since the end of 2009 the credit bureau has recorded an increase in past due mortgage payments. The first was during the third quarter of 2011, with the succession signaling what could be a troubling trend in the making. TransUnion calculates delinquencies as borrowers 60 or more days behind on payments but not in foreclosure. The rate increased from 5.88 percent in the third quarter to 6.01 percent in the fourth.

As many as 10 million homeowners are at risk of default, according to Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In an op-ed piece, Cordray recounts the type of behavior and practices that put so many Americans in danger of losing their homes - it's what he describes as ""the wild West of lending."" Enter the CFPB. While the agency is charged with overseeing all consumer-facing financial products and services, Cordray says its greatest focus is on the mortgage market, and servicing in particular.