According to RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI), a source of real estate data, analytics, and business intelligence for real estate professionals in the Mid-Atlantic, the Baltimore housing market continued to look bleak in December. Based on figures from RBI's newly launched pending home sales index, the average price of homes sold in the Baltimore area dropped 6.6 percent, from $283,269 at the end of 2009 to $264,500 by the end of 2010. At the same time, active listing inventory grew by 10 percent.

LRES Corporation, a provider of valuations and asset management for the mortgage, banking, and real estate industries, now uses TrackPoint REO technology to facilitate real estate-owned transactions on behalf of its clients. Created by DepotPoint, Inc., TrackPoint is a workflow and tracking system and the foundation of DepotPoint's default servicing applications, including TrackPoint Loss Mitigation and TrackPoint REO.

IndiSoft, a technology development firm that focuses on systems for the default services industry, recently promoted Devdatta Patil, a senior software engineer, to software release manager. He now manages deployments and configuration in multiple environments and ensures each release is ready for market. Patil's new position also requires him to manage, maintain, and improve the related process controls of configuration and release management.

Veros announced Monday that its VeroSELECT valuation management platform now gives lenders the ability to order, manage, and electronically deliver appraisals in compliance with the new requirements mandated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP). These initiatives are part of the GSEs' program intended to standardize and drive data quality to benefit the entire mortgage industry.

Keller Williams Realty will launch what it calls ""the real estate industry's first complete lead-to-close business solution"" for every agent in the company. The first phase of the solution, eEdge, will officially launch at Keller Williams' annual convention next month. It will enable agents to funnel and maintain all their contacts, leads, and clients in one database, as well as develop and distribute marketing and sales materials and manage Web sites and listings -- all through a single system.

Amherst Securities Group, a financial services provider to institutional investors in the mortgage sector, has hired three mortgage industry veterans for its sales division. Peter Davidson, Chris Heaney, and Chris O'Neill will help expand Amherst's client base and build on the services provided to existing clients. The company says their combined industry expertise and established client relationships across a wide range of accounts will deepen Amherst's presence in the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) space.

MDA Lending Solutions has launched a suite of products to help customers satisfy Fannie Mae's Loan Quality Initiative (LQI) recommendations and reduce mortgage fraud. According to the company, its new LoanShield suite enables clients to identify suspicious activity, protect themselves against repurchase claims, and lower the chance of mortgage fraud-related issues impacting loan performance.

Entrepreneur magazine ranked Showhomes 214th in its annual list of the top 500 franchise companies. The Nashville-based home staging company also ranked in the top 50 low-investment businesses, top 100 fastest growing franchise systems, and top 100 home-based businesses. Founded in 1986, Showhomes focuses on vacant properties. Franchisees recruit and train live-in home managers to stage and maintain the home while it is on the market.

LenderLive Network Inc., a Denver-based provider of business process outsourcing and technology to the financial industry, recently appointed Stephen Hewins EVP of operations. Hewins spent nearly 20 years in the mortgage banking industry with Wachovia, now owned by Wells Fargo. Most recently, he was director of post-funding with Capital One Home Loans.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has provided free foreclosure counseling assistance to more than 17,000 families through the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program over the last two years. Created by Congress in January 2008 to address the nationwide foreclosure crisis by increasing the availability of free counseling for families at risk, the NFMC program has provided 1.12 million struggling homeowners with foreclosure prevention counseling across the nation.