The New York-based hedge fund Paulson & Co. has started acquiring distressed mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and other debt that is draining banks of liquidity. According to a recent Bloomberg News:http://www.

LendingTree, an online lending exchange headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, introduced a new offering this week that the company says will help banks and mortgage companies retain borrowers who are seeking refinancing options with other lenders.

According to the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), the impact of the foreclosure crisis not only has devastating consequences for the displaced households, but in its wake, the spillover effect is eating away at the value of nearby homes by startling sums.

Title Alliance, Ltd. , headquartered in Media, Pennsylvania, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired America Land Title Affiliates, LLC. America Land Title Affiliates is made up of a group of Realtors in the Akron, Ohio area, each producing over $2 million per year.

A recent study conducted by a national real estate company and American Home Shield, a home warranty company based in Memphis, Tennessee, found that homes offered with warranty protection sold an average of 23 days faster than homes with no warranty coverage.

The Treasury Department said this week that Making Home Affordable servicers have extended 150,000 loan modification offers to distressed homeowners, and about 55,000 borrowers are already enrolled in the three-month modification trial.

Despite the fact that lenders in California are voluntarily postponing the majority of foreclosure sales – 73 percent, to be exact – ForeclosureRadar says its market data reveals a steady increase in the number of foreclosed homes in the state sold at auction.

Irvine, California-based LoanMarket.NET has partnered with First American Title Insurance Company to offer nationwide third-party title, signing, and settlement services to its online buyers and sellers of mortgage note investments.

President Barack Obama laid out the administration’s plan for a new financial regulatory landscape on Wednesday. Obama says it is clear now that the government could have done more to prevent the current financial crisis from spiraling out of control and threatening the overall economy.

New Jersey’s Mortgage Stabilization and Relief Act (MSRA), also know as S1599, became effective April 1, 2009. The legislation imposes additional requirements on lenders trying to foreclose, and it allocates $40 million to fund two state mortgage relief programs.