The Homeownership Preservation Foundation has partnered with NeighborWorks America, HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to help prevent foreclosure-rescue scams. The coalition is positioning the Homeowner's HOPE Hotline (1-888-995-HOPE) as a central point of contact for homeowners who think they may be victim of a scam. Information provided to the hotline is used by local, state, and federal agencies to shut down predatory companies victimizing distressed homeowners.

The Terranova Group, a third-party provider of specialized asset management and disposition services, recently hired Richard Parvey to join its executive team as director of land development. A 20-year industry veteran, Parvey brings a wealth of land acquisition and development experience to his new role, where he will be responsible for helping financial institutions move bank-owned and non-performing developments off their books.

The jumbo market is seeing significant improvement in interest rates and market liquidity, according to Total Mortgage Services, LLC in Connecticut. The lender and broker is now offering 30-year fixed jumbo mortgages up to $729,000 at a rate of 4.875 percent. This considerable drop in rates has increased the number of purchase and refinance transactions for Total Mortgage Services.

Quicken Loans Inc., one of the nation's largest online mortgage lenders, reports it closed approximately 15,500 home loans totaling $3.4 billion in loan volume in September. It's the largest monthly closed volume in the company's 25-year history. September's production surpassed the previous record set just last month. Quicken Loan's saw nearly 14,000 closed loans and $3.15 billion in loan volume in August.

Jones Lang LaSalle, a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate, has added two new executives to its real estate investment banking practice in Southern California and Houston. Bob Morey joins the firm's Los Angeles office as an EVP, and Ross Cannizaro was hired to the firm's Houston office as a VP.

Skyline Financial Corp., an independent direct mortgage lender headquartered in California, has raised $8.2 million for company growth. The new funding is the first institutional round of financing raised by the 25-year-old company. GRP Partners, a venture capital firm focused on investing in financial technology and digital content, led the investment. Skyline will use the new capital to increase its mortgage staff by 80 percent and more than double its home-loan production.

Nearly two-thirds of American adults (63 percent) say the current economic situation makes them less likely to buy a house, especially lower-income individuals and families, according to a new national survey by FindLaw.com, a legal information Web site. Mortgage rates are at record lows and the market is saturated with homes, but only 8 percent of people say the current economic situation makes them more likely to buy a house.

Potestivo & Associates, P.C., a Rochester Hills, Michigan-based legal services provider to the default servicing industry, recently hired Nickolas A. Schad as its new associate attorney in Chicago. Schad will represent clients in the litigation department. Schad is a former associate general counsel at Coast To Coast Group in Southfield, Michigan, where he handled general litigation matters, insurance disputes related to residential and commercial property, evictions, and debt collections.

According to the New York State Banking Department, more than 76,000 New York homeowners have received 90-day pre-foreclosure notices since May 31, and a total of 134,000 pre-foreclosure notices have been sent to those who have fallen behind on mortgage payments since data collection began in February. The banking department says it is working with 10 non-profit housing counseling agencies throughout the state, which use the data to target their services to those homeowners most at-risk.

Jones Lang LaSalle and its partner Real Estate Disposition, LLC (REDC) will host a hotel-only note and REO auction in November with more than $420 million in primarily non-performing notes. The companies say it will be the largest hotel-note auction in the United States. The 62 notes and two REO properties are from five special servicers and two regional banks. They are backed by full and select service hotels throughout 25 states and carry an average unpaid balance of $6.4 million.