News

The law firm of Davidson Fink, LLP, headquartered in Rochester, New York, recently welcomed Alissa Wilson as an associate attorney. Wilson dedicates her legal practice to default services, where her focus is on completing the foreclosure process within investors' specified timelines while producing clear title to the real property and resolving judicial obstacles. Her background includes residential foreclosure settlement conference and loss mitigation processes, as well as litigation support for contested foreclosures.

With a common goal of economic recovery, Congress and the Federal Reserve diverge on the best means to that end. Should the housing sector finance the government's economic policies, or should the government help boost the housing sector? Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke submitted a white paper to Congress last week as a framework for policymakers to help the housing market, but that move has drawn the ire of at least one senator.

Nationwide REO Brokers, Inc. (NREOB) unveiled a new service for lenders and servicers Wednesday, offering independent loan-level foreclosure reviews and legal opinion. Due to the ever increasing complexities surrounding the foreclosure process, particularly in NREOB's home state of Massachusetts, the company has expanded its service offerings to include a complete foreclosure document evaluation performed by attorneys and supervised paralegals.

Marking the fifth consecutive month of decline, home prices fell 0.8 percent in October, matching levels last seen in 2002, according to Lender Processing Services' (LPS) Home Price Index released Wednesday. As of October, the national home price average was $200,000. The year-to-date decline in October was 2.7 percent. The LPS index noted that price declines were consistent across the country. In fact, prices fell in October in 403 out of the 409 metro areas LPS tracks.

The U.S. Department of Justice released a 69-page report Tuesday on a foreclosure intervention method that is becoming increasingly popular across the country - mediation. The paper draws from an earlier workshop which was attended by dozens of mediation program stakeholders and researchers. A key finding that emerged, according to DOJ officials, is that the federal government should take an active role, both in helping to develop program and evaluation guidelines and in providing resources for mediation programs and research.

The number of housing markets showing measurable improvement nearly doubled in January, with the addition of 40 new metros to the Improving Markets Index put out by First American and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The index tracks housing markets that are showing signs of improving economic health based on three independent datasets - employment growth from the Labor Department, home price appreciation from Freddie Mac, and single-family housing permits from the Census Bureau.

Michael Williams has decided to step down from his position as CEO and president of Fannie Mae, the GSE announced today. Williams was appointed to the top post at Fannie Mae in 2009, after the company was placed in federal conservatorship. He will continue as CEO and as a director until Fannie Mae's board names a successor, the GSE said in a statement. Edward DeMarco, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, praised Williams for his leadership through a turbulent time for the market and said his agency will work closely with Fannie Mae in the search for a new CEO.

The number of mortgage modifications completed during the month of November rose 5 percent from October, bringing the year-to-date total to about 969,000, according to data released Tuesday by HOPE NOW, a voluntary private sector alliance of mortgage industry participants. While completed modifications rose over the month, 60-plus day delinquencies also increased. After reporting 2.65 million 60-plus day delinquencies in October, HOPE NOW reported 2.77 million in November.

Mortgage Contracting Services LLC (MCS), a nationwide provider of property preservation services, inspections, and REO property maintenance, announced Tuesday the addition of Tod Phelps as chief information officer (CIO). Phelps started his career in the IT industry 23 years ago.

Treasury released a new report Monday highlighting results from the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Nearly 910,000 homeowners have received a permanent HAMP modification, saving $9.9 billion in monthly mortgage payments. Officials say they will continue to press servicers to assist underwater borrowers and address second-lien issues. A total of 38,243 principal-reducing permanent HAMP mods have been granted, and 54,828 second-lien mods have been started under the federal program.