Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC announced Monday the hiring of several mortgage industry veterans to join the company's Mortgage Lending Division.

Wells Fargo announced Friday that as of May 31, the company had in place 771,757 active trial or completed mortgage modifications. Of those modifications, approximately 84 percent (648,709) were done through the company's own programs, and 123,048 were through HAMP.

HOPE NOW released its May loan modification data Monday, revealing that the month saw nearly 38,000 completed short sales. The May short sale total brings the organization's overall total (since December 2009) to nearly 906,000. In addition, HOPE NOW reported that an estimated 63,000 homeowners received permanent, affordable loan modifications during the month, 17,590 of which were completed under HAMP.

The FDIC announced Friday the closure of Montgomery Bank & Trust in Ailey, Georgia, after the disappearance of the bank's director. Aubrey Lee Price, an investment advisor and the director of Montgomery Bank & Trust, was accused by the government of wire fraud related to the embezzlement of $17 million from the bank.

Housing activity is going strong in Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to a report released by West Penn Multi-List, Inc., on Thursday.

In a report released Thursday, Wells Fargo's Economics Group cautioned that although the housing recovery is picking up steam, the good news needs to be placed in the larger context of a weakened market. The Housing Data Wrap-Up for June 2012 shows that even with the overall economy slowing, the recovery in the housing market seems to be picking up momentum. A mild winter boosted construction in the Northeast and Midwest during what is traditionally a slow season, giving builders more inventory to sell in the spring.

Regulators and servicers are missing opportunities to enhance communication with consumers, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report. The report, released June 29, examined the efforts of servicers to communicate with customers who may be eligible for an independent foreclosure review. One major problem identified with current communication materials is that they are too difficult for the general public to understand.

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., announced that a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Hawaii upheld the right of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (MERS) to assign interests in mortgages.

Rasmus Real Estate Group announced that co-founder Jude Rasmus earned a second-place spot on the Wall Street Journal/REAL Trend list of top real estate professionals by transaction sides.

Blackhawk Consulting announced the addition of Adam Moysaekno and Mark Woodling as senior staff in the firm's Dallas office.