Technology

In an effort to help detect occupancy issues related to mortgage fraud, California-based Interthinx has enhanced its flagship FraudGUARD product. These changes come in response to a disturbing trend the company uncovered in its quarterly fraud risk report, showing a 16 percent increase in fraud risk associated with occupancy status.

On Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and DocuSign unveiled the DocuSign Realtor Edition, an exclusive online eSignature service designed specifically for Realtors. The new Realtor Edition allows NAR members to electronically sign agreements with buyers and sellers, which saves Realtors time and provides client convenience.

Economists believe the nation's subprime mortgage meltdown and foreclosure crisis will continue to worsen unless innovative thinking reinvents the system. RebuildUS LLC says it's operating under precisely this premise by bypassing the banks and auctions to move Americans back into affordable homeownership through its newly-launched online foreclosure marketplace.

In response to the new regulations under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Advantage Title, Inc. has launched GFEz--a RESPA-compliant Good Faith Estimate (GFE) rate calculator that delivers easy online calculation of title- and escrow-related fees.

In an announcement Tuesday, Dartappraisal.com, a Troy, Michigan-based provider of nationwide residential real estate valuations, said it has integrated with FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data Inc. (FLDI), an Austin, Texas-based technology solutions provider to mortgage lenders nationwide.

National Quick Sale announced Tuesday that it has entered into a business partnership agreement with real estate and mortgage services provider Hollander Financial Holding Inc. Through this venture, National Quick Sale plans to promote the use of its short sale platform's capabilities through Hollander's nationwide network of real estate professionals.

Equator, a Los Angeles-based software provider for the default servicing industry, announced Monday the launch of its new Professional REO solution. The company explained that PRO REO encompasses all the power and best practices of Equator's enterprise REO application in an affordable, quick and easy to adopt solution for the middle market.

Although 2010 is expected to be a better year than 2009, the downturn in real estate isn't over yet. In an effort to prepare agents for challenges in the market, RE/MAX, a global real estate company based in Denver, has expanded and enhanced its educational platform--RE/MAX University.

Riverside, California-based PartnerFirst, LLC, recently announced its partnership with Coraopolis, Pennsylvania-based ServiceLink, the national lender platform for Fidelity National Financial. By combining resources, the two companies are aiming to provide a ""one-stop-shop"" solution to national mortgage servicers and homeowners through the ServiceLink Short Sale Agent Network.

As defaults continue to mount, the nation's mortgage companies are struggling to communicate with increasing numbers of troubled borrowers at a time when their resources are already stretched thin. Atlanta's SunTrust Bank chose to replace its predictive dialer technology with an automated communications solution from Varolii Corporation, and the lender says the results have been dramatic - shaving more than a day off its loss mitigation timeline and cutting first payment defaults by 62 percent.