Technology

Lender Processing Services (LPS) is putting down stakes in the nation's Capitol. The mortgage technology and services company said Thursday that it has just opened a new Washington, D.C. office to better serve the contractual relationships it already has with a number of federal agencies and pursue opportunities with new government partners.

In response to the new regulations under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Accurate Title Group, LLC (ATG), a full-service appraisal, title insurance, closing, and settlement provider based in Huntersville, North Carolina, recently announced the release of its TAG Good Faith Estimate Calculator (TAG GFE).

To better market its foreclosure listings, Highlands Ranch, Colorado-based Specialized Asset Management LLC (SAM), a national provider of asset marketing and disposition services to mortgage lenders, servicers, and investors, recently partnered with RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure marketplace headquartered in Irvine, California.

Jersey City, New Jersey-based Verisk Analytics, Inc., a provider of risk assessment solutions, recently purchased Strategic Analytics, a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based provider of credit risk and capital management solutions to consumers and mortgage lenders. As a result of this acquisition, Strategic Analytics will be part of the Interthinx business unit, a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics and a provider of risk mitigation and regulatory compliance tools for the financial services industry.

In an effort to help appraisers meet the competency and ethical standards of the profession, the Chicago-based Appraisal Institute, a global membership association of real estate appraisers, has published its first audio book -- ""Scope of Work,"" by Stephanie Coleman.

Countdown To Buy, a next-generation online real estate marketplace based in Bethel, Connecticut, announced Wednesday that it has entered into a new pilot program with a banking institution to offer a sampling of foreclosed properties in Texas.

To further automate servicer processes, Santa Ana, California-based Veros Real Estate Solutions, a provider of risk management and collateral valuation services, recently added new capabilities to its Valuation Risk Management (VRM) platform. Veros said the new enhancements to the platform will allow servicers to automate several time-consuming processes as they struggle to deal with rapidly expanding delinquencies.

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) said Monday that it has finalized its acquisition of the core operating assets of Wilshire Credit Corporation from Bank of America. The deal solidifies IBM's presence in the mortgage market, where technology-based service providers have been under increasing pressure to accommodate servicers' rising modification and foreclosure volumes.

Irvine, California-based RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties, recently announced a strategic partnership with Atlanta-based RealtyJoin, a new social networking site that allows real estate investors to connect with agents, brokers, and other real estate professionals.

Loan modification scams are on the rise, but HUD is taking action to put these con artists out of business. Preventloanscams.org was recently launched by the federal agency in partnership with a national coalition of public and private enterprises. The new system allows for better analysis of fraud trends across jurisdictional lines, which HUD says will likely lead to an increase in private enforcement action filings. Officials estimate that this online tool will assist approximately 50,000 homeowners who've been victimized by loan modification scams.