MortgageKeeper Referral Services--developer of a database that connects struggling homeowners with local, qualified nonprofit and government agencies--reported its best month thus far in January after more than 111,000 referrals were issued. According to MortgageKeeper, the most recent figure represents a 47 percent increase from January 2012 and stands 13 percent higher than the previous record.

For the first time since 2008, U.S. households stayed out of financial distress for three consecutive quarters, according to the Consumer Distress Index from CredAbility, a nonprofit counseling agency. In Q4 2012, households scored 71.8 out of 100, an increase from 70.48 in Q3 and 67.60 in Q4 2011. A score below 70 indicates a state of financial distress. Despite the recent improvements, Mark Cole, EVP for CredAbility, warned of threats that still remain.

Fay Servicing, a special servicer based in Chicago, announced annual revenue increased 250 percent in 2012. The special servicer says its growth is mainly due to the increase in business volumes from existing customers, as well as incentive fees from pay-for-performance deal structures.

RES.NET unveiled plans to enhance Agent Portal with several new features. One newly added feature will give agents the ability to order title and closing services. RES.NET also developed its own e-signature technology as part of an effort to further simplify and expedite real estate transactions.

President of NDeX West Chris Pummill was appointed to serve as chair of the United Trustees Association (UTA ) education committee.

Real estate professionals who find themselves stuck in the short sale process can turn to a recently expanded tool from Fannie Mae. The HomePath for Short Sales tool can be used by agents to escalate the short sale process. The tool is for loans owned by Fannie Mae. When agents escalate a case, Fannie Mae will contact the appropriate agent or servicer to address the challenge that may be stalling the process.

At the end of 2012, the national mortgage delinquency rate fell nearly 14 percent over a one-year period, while more than 80 percent of metropolitan areas saw their rates decline, according to a TransUnion report. The rate of mortgages past due 60 or more days dropped to 5.19 percent in Q4 from 6.01 percent in the same quarter in 2011. ""The national mortgage delinquency rate experienced its largest yearly decline since the conclusion of the recession, though we still remain far above normal levels,"" said Tim Martin, group VP of U.S. housing at TransUnion.

Default Attorney Group (DAG), a consortium of leading creditor rights law firms, selected Katie Donovan as executive director.

Mortgage Contracting Services LLC (MCS)—a nationwide provider of property preservation, inspections and REO property maintenance to the financial services industry—announced the promotion of Paul Swindle to VP of operations. Prior to his promotion, Swindle served as assistant VP at MCS.

In light of the heightened number of mortgage servicing transfers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a bulletin to servicers and subservicers to remind them of protections for consumers when loan transfers occur. ""If the transfer process is not handled properly, consumers may find that their servicer lost important loss mitigation documents or that the servicer did not credit their payments on time,"" the CFPB explained. The CFPB also announced it is making servicing transfer-related problems a focus and will be scrutinizing servicers in a few specific areas.