Jules B. Kroll, whose last name is synonymous with risk analysis and financial security, got his start at a run-of-the-mill detective agency.

The administration's loan modification program may be sabotaging the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market because it is trashing private contracts, The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced this week that its Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG) has adopted a model sale and servicing agreement, which the organization expects to become the standard form for the industry to use for whole loan purchases and sales made with an eye toward potential securitization.

Bank of America reported Friday that it ""lost $1 billion during the third quarter"":http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=43&item=8552 – much more red than analysts were expecting.

Industry trade groups are still lobbying for a reprieve to the new Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) rules, set to take effect January 1.

Hedge funds went into an asset-building frenzy over the past few months, according to an ""industry trend report"":http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=91196&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1342377&highlight= issued Thursday by the Chicago-based recruiting and consulting firm ""Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc."":http://www.heidrick.com.

Just months after paying back billions in bailout funds, Goldman Sachs reported a profit of $3.19 billion for the third quarter, or $5.25 diluted earnings per common share, exceeding analyst expectations by about $1 a share.

First American CREDCO, part of First Advantage Corporation, a majority-owned subsidiary of The First American Corporation, introduced its new ENCORE credit risk report this week.

Lend America, a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lender based in Melville, New York, said it will begin acquiring its first pool of loans today from select FHA-direct endorsed lenders through its new residential mortgage lending platform, Lend America Mini Ginnie Correspondent program.

As federal officials fret over a seemingly inevitable round two of devastating mortgage-related losses this time in the commercial sector regulators are hoping to stop some of the bleeding by pushing lenders to restructure these problematic loans.