Quandis, Inc., announced Tuesday the release of a new plug-in tool to assist default servicing law firms in adhering to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

As global investor activity picked up in the second quarter, a number of U.S. cities saw more than half a billion dollars each in foreign real estate investment. Jones Lang LaSalle revealed in its most recent Global Capital Flows Report that global transactional volumes rose to $108 billion in Q2 2012, up 24 percent from a worrying dip in activity in Q1. The Americas posted the most activity, contributing $47 billion to the second quarter's overall total.

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., announced Thursday that the company now has ""quick response"" (QR) codes available for each of its listings, agents, and managers.

Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC, (CRFS) announced the appointment of three new VPs.

MortgageKeeper Referral Services released its mid-year Homeowner Needs Status Report Thursday, revealing that more than 411,000 homeowners were referred to various community resources in the first half of 2012.

In recent months, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, Freddie Mac, Bankrate, and other firms has shown mortgage rates steadily falling, hitting new lows week after week in some measures. However, Capital Economics contends that there is actually little evidence to suggest that this activity is translating into heavier demand. While the Federal Reserve's Senior Loan Officer Survey reported rising demand for mortgage finance in the past three quarters, this increase in demand hasn't shown up in mortgage applications for home purchase, which have remained relatively flat.

Hammerhouse LLC announced Wednesday the hiring of Sheri Ellen Schwartz as VP, Senior Strategic Growth Partner.

Lingering worries about the European debt crisis continue to drive investors to U.S. government bonds, sending fixed mortgage rates down to another record low. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.49 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending July 26, down from 3.53 percent the previous week. At the same time in 2011, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.55 percent.

Lender Processing Services (LPS) released Wednesday its first look month-end mortgage performance data for June, revealing that the loan delinquency rate fell year-over-year. According to statistics from LPS' loan-level database, loan delinquency fell from June 2011 by 7.3 percent. However, delinquency increased month-over-month, with June's numbers being 3.4 percent higher than May's. LPS' data also revealed an estimated 5,663,000 properties are 30 days or more overdue or in foreclosure.

Data in Barclays' newest Securitization Products Weekly suggests that distressed markets are outperforming others in home appreciation and paving the way for a broad-based housing recovery. Barclays waved off concerns about shadow inventory, saying it is more of a symptom than a cause of depreciation and speculated that the share of distressed homes is a more significant factor keeping home prices down. An increased REO stock should actually be taken as a positive sign for non-distressed prices, Barclays said.