REO

Austin, Texas-based TexTerra Auctions, LLC, has opened its doors for business. The newly created real estate auction company is focused on assisting lending institutions in Texas with offloading commercial and bulk residential REO properties.

Five national companies in the mortgage and property management industry – Avalar Network, Inc., DDN Services, ECJ Asset Management, TrustTitle, and TT Lender Solutions – announced on Friday the formation of a strategic alliance to provide a one-source, cross-functional solution for lenders and investors to manage distressed real property loan assets.

Seattle-based Zillow announced on Wednesday plans to launch co-branded real estate Web sites with 180 newspapers nationwide. The Tampa Tribune and 100 newspapers published by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.

Cities across the country say they are seeing a disturbing new practice when it comes to foreclosures – more and more, banks are opting not to take possession of foreclosed properties because the costs of maintenance, repairs, and legal fees outweigh the still-declining value of the property.

Lake Mary, Florida’s JVI Appraisal Division, LLC, a nationwide provider of appraisals and valuations of foreclosed properties, has been awarded a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to perform appraisal services for the government.

Bank-owned property sales made up more than 10 percent of Massachusetts’ single-family home sales transactions in February, according to The Warren Group, a real estate data and research firm based in Boston.

Irvine, California-based real estate auction company Real Estate Disposition Corporation (REDC) announced on Thursday the launch of a new division: REDC Default Solutions. The new business group will focus on loss mitigation, REO asset management, and asset valuation for lenders and financial institutions.

Jacksonville, Florida-based Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), a provider of technology and services to the mortgage industry, has released the results of a recent study that reveals the impact of foreclosure, or REO, sales on home prices.

Irvine, California-based Real Estate Disposition Corporation (REDC) has acquired the domain name, Auction.com, for $1.7 million. REDC’s consumer Website for lender-foreclosed home auctions, until now, has been USHomeAuction.

ForeclosureRadar, which tracks every California foreclosure and provides daily auction updates, issued its monthly California Foreclosure Report for February 2009 on Thursday. The company said that Notices of Default have increased 21.