The online foreclosure help center AvoidForeclosure.com announced that it has made available information for homeowners looking into short sale as a way to avoid foreclosure.

Barclays released a statement Monday morning announcing that chairman Marcus Agius is stepping down in the wake of a scandal that rocked the bank. This follows news from last week that Barclays had manipulated interbank lending rates starting as early as 2007. Barclays was fined £290 million (approximately $450 million) by British and U.S. authorities for manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate. The Barclays board will commence the search for a successor immediately. Agius will remain in post until a successor is found.

A release from The Warren Group on Friday showed that homes sales in Connecticut rose in May, marking the fifth straight month that sales increased year-over-year. According to the group, home sales in the state jumped up almost 15 percent in May, rising to the highest level of transactions since August 2011.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced Monday that president and CEO David H. Stevens will continue with the organization instead of joining SunTrust Mortgage as originally planned.

Speaking at the 46th Annual Meeting of the National Association of Real Estate Editors, Home Value Insurance Company CEO Scott Ryles stressed that equity must be protected for a housing recovery to succeed.

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., announced Thursday that a U.S. district judge ruled in favor of MERSCORP and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (MERS) and dismissed a recording fee filed by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Duval County, Florida. U.S.

CitiMortgage announced Thursday the launch of its proprietary ""Citi Military Road to Recovery Tour"" designed to help current and former Armed Services members who need assistance with their mortgages. The tour will feature five homeowner-support events near military bases all around the United States. At these events, Citi's Homeowner Support Travel Team of mortgage experts and HUD-approved housing counselors will have individualized discussions with both current service members and veterans.

A reverse mortgage is a type of home loan that lets older homeowners access the equity they have built up on their homes and defer loan payment until they sell the home, move out, or pass away. The original purpose of reverse mortgages was to allow these homeowners to convert home equity into an income stream or line or credit to use in retirement. Reverse mortgages require no monthly mortgage payments, but borrowers must still pay property taxes and homeowner's insurance. The CFPB released a report that showed nearly 10 percent of reverse mortgage borrowers are at risk of foreclosure because they failed to pay those costs.

RE/MAX North Central in Bloomington, Minnesota, announced Wednesday that one of its agents and two of its teams were named in the Wall Street Journal/REAL Trends' list of the top 1,000 real estate professionals and teams in the country. The agents and teams were selected based on 2011 annual sales volume and transaction sides.

Keystone Asset Management, Inc., announced Tuesday that president and CEO Jane Hennessy was selected to serve on the board of directors for the Women in Default Services (WinDS) Foundation.