Discovery Bay, California-based Foreclosure Radar, a foreclosure listings and software company, says the state of California has experienced a 264 percent increase in the number of foreclosed homes sold at auction in just the last six months.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) recently presented 20 information technology professionals in the mortgage banking industry with the distinction of being named Certified Mortgage Technologists (CMT).

A foreclosure moratorium proposed by various civil rights groups is not necessarily the best solution for the current subprime lending crises, according to a press release issued by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

American Home Mortgage Investment Corp., a mortgage real estate investment trust, issued a press release saying it expects reduced earnings for the first quarter and the full fiscal year of 2007 due to current market conditions.

The Colorado Foreclosure Prevention Task Force, a network of nonprofits working together to prevent foreclosures, says its Colorado Foreclosure Hotline has been able to save 4 out of 5 callers from the foreclosure process.

With mortgage fraud making its way into the national headlines, a new nonprofit is promoting its platform which is appropriately titled The National Fraud Constable (NFC). The NFC considers itself a clearinghouse for fraud cases where victims—whether they be bankers, lenders, or individuals—can benefit from the agency’s data collection services and assistance in obtaining media coverage and legal representation, according to a press release issued by the nonprofit.

LendingTree, LLC, an online lending exchange marketplace that connects consumers with multiple lenders, has developed a solution to help borrowers dealing with exploding adjustable-rate mortgages.

A spokesperson for H&R Block Mortgage Corp., a unit of H&R Block Inc., has confirmed the company is closing a loan office in Burlington, Massachusetts, to streamline some of its mortgage retail business.

National civil rights groups are pushing for the implementation of a 6-month moratorium on foreclosures related to risky subprime loans. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Fair Housing Alliance, National Council of La Raza, as well as the Center for Responsible Lending and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:http://www.

First American CoreLogic, a unit of The First American Corp., has a new tool designed to protect lenders from multi-closing fraud schemes, which also are known as shot-gunning. The company says lenders facing this problem end up having scam artists with clean credit applying for multiple home equity loans without the knowledge they’re applying in several places with different lenders.