Old Republic National Title Insurance Co. (ORNTIC) has announced two key leadership appointments. The company—which provides specialized services to lenders in loss mitigation, default, foreclosures, and REO—has hired Carl Brown to serve as president of the National Default Services Division.

The governor of Colorado gave his stamp of approval to a series of bills last week that are aimed at curtailing the state’s dramatic upswing in foreclosures. The office of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said Friday that he signed House Bill 1322, as well as Senate Bills 85, 203, 216, and 249.

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., a title insurance company, is now at the center of ambitious for-sale rumors, according to news reports from Reuters. Reuters says LandAmerica investor Viking Global sent a letter to LandAmerica last week, suggesting the title insurer put itself on the market.

Springboro, Ohio-based Laurito & Laurito, L.L.C., a law firm that provides the default servicing industry with representation and loss mitigation assistance, has hired Casey R. Crosley as a new associate attorney.

While pending home sales in the U.S. dropped 3.2-percent between the months of March and April, the Pending Home Sales Index does show signs of a possible leveling out period, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Federal regulatory agencies released illustrations this week to help mortgage consumers better understand the differences between alternative loans and fixed-rate mortgage products. The Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, and the Office of Thrift Supervision spearheaded the creation of the illustrations to help lending institutions implement the consumer protection portion of the Interagency Guidance on Nontraditional Mortgage Product Risks adopted in 2006.

A U.S. District Court has dismissed a derivatives lawsuit filed by Fannie Mae shareholders against some of the company’s former leaders and current directors. The original lawsuit was intended to hold certain Fannie Mae directors and former executives, Franklin Raines and J.

The state of Delaware is set to have a record-breaking year when it comes to the number of foreclosures filed in the state’s three counties, according to Gerry Kelly, deputy banking commissioner of community affairs at the Delaware Office of the State Bank Commissioner.

NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit dedicated to community development, expects more than 40,000 participants during the 24th Annual NeighborWorks Week campaign. The event, which runs from June 2-9, encourages homeowners across the nation to improve the value of homeownership by participating in events that foster routine property maintenance and home repairs.

The number of foreclosure filings in Ohio has reached an alarming level, according to a report from Policy Matters Ohio nonprofit research institute that calculates the number of sheriff sales and foreclosures in the state on a biennial basis.