Pompano Beach, Florida-based Fisher Auction Co., Inc. has 50 luxury townhomes up for grabs in what is essentially an unprecedented sale of brand-new properties using an auction platform traditionally associated with foreclosures.

Washington, D.C.-based The Appraisal Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the professional development of the appraisal profession, is accepting applications for vacancies on its Board of Trustees, the Appraiser Qualifications Board, and the Appraisal Standards Board.

General Electric Co., announced Friday that first quarter earnings from continuing operations rose to $4.5 billion, or $.44 per share, which is up 8 percent and 10 percent, respectively, from the first quarter of last year.

Boston-based CRA International, Inc., a provider of economic, financial, and management consulting services, has named Marsha J. Courchane, Ph.D, vice president of the firm’s Litigation and Applied Economics group in Washington, D.

More than 30,000 nonprime borrowers have enrolled in Steps To Success -  a Wells Fargo & Co. program that provides the company’s borrowers with education on how to manage their finances and subprime loans.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is raising a few questions about a Congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report on subprime-related foreclosures in the U.S. While MBA Chairman John M. Robbins said the report is correct in its assessment that predatory lending is a problem, he believes the report relies too heavily on misleading data and regulatory recommendations that could trump gains made in the fair and affordable housing sector.

Pending foreclosures within Countrywide Financial Corp.‘s loan portfolio doubled during the past year, according to the company’s March 2007 Operational Results. In the report, the company said the rate of pending foreclosures in-house increased significantly between March of 2006 and March of 2007 by jumping from .

A group of bankruptcy attorneys and consumer advocates are petitioning Congress to modify existing bankruptcy laws to make it easier for borrowers to escape skyrocketing payments on risky subprime or ARM loans.

Kansas City, Missouri-based NovaStar Financial Inc. said it’s exploring strategic options, including the possible sale of the company. NovaStar Financial, which specializes in nonconforming loans, also announced it has received $100 million in additional financing through Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC.

West Palm Beach, Florida-based Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, a company that services the loan industry by providing servicing and origination processing solutions, is focusing its attention on distressed borrowers by donating $200,000 to the Homeownership Preservation Foundation – a national nonprofit that helps prevent foreclosures.