Private investment firm TPG Capital has acquired MDA Lending Solutions. The acquisition is part of a larger sale of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates' property information business that netted MDA approximately $850 million. As part of the acquisition, TPG also obtains MDA DataQuick, MDA MindBox, and Marshall & Swift, a building cost data provider.

Default Resource has developed a new report that will inspect and oversee work performed by REO and short sale listing agents. The company sends out independent inspectors to listed REO homes to check that the home is properly maintained, has a lockbox in place, is listed correctly in the MLS, and to detail any hazardous conditions on the property. Default Resource says it allows servicers or investors to know at a glance how their real estate sales partners are performing.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has appointed Richard J. Hill as associate VP of industry technology. Hill's responsibilities include supporting the oversight of MBA's subsidiary, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization Inc. (MISMO). Hill will also work directly with the association's commercial and residential technology committees and the research and government affairs staff on technology and data quality issues affecting the real estate finance industry.

The mortgage insurance division of Genworth Financial, Inc. now accepts Federal Housing Administration (FHA) appraisals as part of its conventional mortgage underwriting process. Available to lenders who are approved to do business with Genworth Mortgage Insurance, appraisals originally completed for an FHA loan can now be used for a conventional Genworth-insured loan. The company says this new arrangement allows it to underwrite conventional applications in as little as 48 hours at no additional cost to the borrower.

At the 2010 Realtors Conference, real estate professionals were cautiously optimistic about the current and future state of the industry. Most agreed that the rise in home sales and prices during the boom was both unrealistic and unsustainable. Today, the industry has returned to a more sound and balanced idea of homeownership. But current conditions mandate agents educate themselves about buying and selling distressed properties and working with investor buyers, particularly when it comes to handling short sales.

eMortgage Logic recently hired two new staff members. Christopher Thurber joined the company as a national sales manager. His 20 years' experience in the mortgage and financial services industry ranges from strategic default planning to sales and marketing leadership. Chris Reynolds was hired as a product manager specializing in real property-related data and analytics. She too has 20 years' experience, working for companies that compile, analyze, and provide informational services to the mortgage and Wall Street communities.

Advantage Title Company recently announced the release of its proprietary REO monitoring system, TitleFlow, which addresses the requirements of foreclosed transactions. The system enables Advantage Title to monitor client-specific requirements and production workflow. Turn times of multiple tasks can be closely tracked, with time-sensitive color coding that enables Advantage Title's team to determine at a glance the status of various jobs for each property in the client's pipeline.

Data-Vision, Inc. recently partnered with Sollen Technologies to integrate their respective technologies. Data-Vision provides Internet lending technologies that enable mortgage lenders to implement Web portal and e-lending capabilities. Sollen Technologies is an Internet-based application services provider of product, pricing, and best execution capabilities for the mortgage industry.

Pro Teck Valuation Services, a real estate valuation and risk solutions provider, has added Julia Davey to its team as senior national sales director. In her new role, Davey is responsible for developing client-specific valuation solutions for lenders, servicers, and investors from Pro Teck's West Coast office. Davey has 20-plus years of industry experience. Most recently she served as a national sales executive for Lender Processing Services.

Attorneys Title Agency (ATA), a full-service title company headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, recently acquired the assets of Philip F. Greco Title Company of Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The transaction closed October 29. The two companies have merged into the newly formed Greco Title Agency, which will have access to the foreclosure and REO clientele of ATA, the largest title insurance provider in Michigan.