For Wells Fargo customers facing financial hardships, free workshops will be held to offer assistance in Virginia Beach and other cities throughout the U.S.

United States Appraisals and Bradford Technologies partnered to offer the latest version of the Collateral Valuation Report - CVR 2.0.

A lawsuit against eight companies in the mortgage industry alleges the defendants used fraudulent mortgage documents to process foreclosures on Ohio homeowners and charged the foreclosed homeowners inflated, unfair fees. According to the lawsuit, the companies were involved in ""abusive foreclosure practices"" that involved preparing, executing, and notarizing fraudulent court documents and assignments of mortgages used to initiate and prosecute foreclosures.

Hope LoanPort (HLP)announced the launch of the Bank of America-sponsored Servicer Portal 2.0 (Portal). The Portal is for mortgage servicers and functions as a platform for the secure submissions and to process foreclosure alternatives. The Portal contains features that reflect servicing requirements as outlined by national mortgage settlement.

Higher-risk mortgage loans may have a new set of rules to go by when it comes to appraisals. A proposed rule from six federal agencies would set out new requirements when conducting appriasals for higher risk mortgages. For example, the rule would require creditors to use a licensed or certified appraiser when preparing reports based on the physical inspection of a property.

An injunction granted to Allied Home Mortgage that offered the mortgage lender relief from a suspension was recently dismissed. In November 2011, Allied was barred by HUD from originating and underwriting new FHA insured-mortgages. HUD accused Allied of violating HUD/FHA requirements and committing fraud. Allied countered with its own lawsuit and filed for declaratory and injunctive relief. A federal judge in Houston provided Allied with the preliminary injunction, which was recently lifted by U.S. District Judge Gray Miller.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil injunctive action against Ivan Wade Brown and two of his companies - Highland Residential, LLC and Avanti Capital Partners, LLC - the agency announced in a release Tuesday. The SEC alleges in a complaint that Brown solicited over 93 investors via mail, email, and phone and managed to raise over $27 million through the fraudulent and unregistered sale of promissory notes in Highland and Avanti.

RealtyTrac announced the appointment of president and COO Jamie Moyle as the new CEO. Moyle's appointment follows the leadership of former CEO Brandon Moore, who will serve as consultant to the board. Moore joined the company as CEO in 2011.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he does not support the use of eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages at a committee hearing Tuesday, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

For borrowers who refinanced in the second quarter, shorter fixed-rate mortgages dominated consumer preferences. Among those who refinanced in Q2, more than 95 percent opted for fixed-rate loans, according to the Freddie Mac Quarterly Product Transition Report.