The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced Wednesday that Andrea Bona joined the organization as VP of marketing.

Firefly Legal announced several promotions and staff additions. The firm's director of operations, Matt Massa, was promoted to VP. Massa started with the company in 1997 as a court filer and process server and was promoted in 2004 to director of national operations.

Treasury announced Wednesday that it exercised its right to appoint two directors to the Ally Financial Inc. board of directors, selecting Henry Miller and Gerald Greenwald for the positions.

Merriam-Webster released its list of new words to be added to the 2012 update of its collegiate dictionary, revealing that ""underwater"" is now an official term used to describe a mortgage debt higher than the worth of house for which it was secured.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released Wednesday a new proposed rule that would require mortgage lenders to provide home loan applicants with appraisal reports to determine how the value of a property was determined. CFPB proposed the rule in response to a provision of the Dodd-Frank Act that requires creditors to provide mortgage applicants with a copy of written appraisals and home value estimates. The newly-proposed rule would require that creditors inform applicants of their right to receive a free copy of appraisal reports and home estimates.

Dan Derby has joined Amherst Securities Group, LP, as VP of fixed income securities, the company announced.

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., announced Monday the opening of a new Pike Creek office located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Despite a dip from June, July marked the seventh straight month for year-over-year increases in home sales in Southern California, DataQuick reported Tuesday. A total of 20,588 new and resale houses and condos sold in the region during the month, down 6.7 percent from June up 13.8 percent from July 2011. The month's sales were 19.4 percent lower than the average July total since 1988, when DataQuick's statistics begin.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that chief counsel Julie Williams will step down September 30 and plans to retire from federal service at the end of the year.

WFG National Title Insurance Company added industry veterans Steven Dunsmore and Dean Kirchen to manage its default services group.