In Florida, Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), announced that Vicki Vidal has joined the company as SVP of product management for its Servicing Solutions and Technology division.

Six financial regulatory agencies issued on Wednesday a proposed rule to exempt a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans from certain appraisal requirements. In a joint release, the agencies proposed to provide exemptions from Dodd-Frank appraisal requirements for loans of $25,000 or less, certain streamlined refinancings, and certain loans secured by manufactured housing.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has expressed support mixed with concern for the common securitization platform the Federal Housing Finance Agency is developing as part of its strategic plan for this year. While MBA condones the potential taxpayer savings and market efficiencies, the industry group continues to argue for more transparency and industry input in the platform development. In a paper released Wednesday, the MBA explained its vision for a successful common securitization platform.

Technology development firm IndiSoft hired Brad Urquhart to head business development as VP.

Three attorneys at Hutchens, Senter, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. were appointed to serve on various professional committees in North Carolina.

Merscorp Holdings, Inc. announced it received another favorable ruling in a recording fee suit. The town of Johnston in Rhode Island brought suit against Merscorp, Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), and other defendants, which included large banks and servicers, alleging the MERS system used for mortgages and mortgage assignments violated state law.

Overall, 44 percent of surveyed buyers said they did not consider a home in foreclosure, according to the NAR. When broken down by age group, however, only 31 percent of Millennials (32 and younger) said they did not consider purchasing a home in foreclosure compared to 65 percent for buyers aged 67 to 87. For buyers who considered foreclosed homes, 29 percent said they decided not to buy one because they could not find the right home.

[ca_audio url_mp3='http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/show/4/970/show_4970575.mp3' css_class='codeart-google-mp3-player' autoplay='false' download='false' html5='false']Michael Griffith, President & CEO of FCI Lenders Services, discusses the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, a controversial piece of legislation that has far reaching implications for investors, servicers and foreclosure Trustee. This is required ...

More bank professionals expect mortgage delinquencies to decline over the second half of this year than to than to stay the same, according to a survey released by FICO. This is the first time in the quarterly survey's history the number of professionals expecting mortgage delinquencies to decline outpaced those who expect it to remain the same. Forty-seven percent anticipate a decrease in mortgage delinquencies over the last two quarters of the year compared to 41 percent who delinquencies to remain the same.

Auction.com selected industry veteran Michael Callahan to serve as executive VP, chief legal officer, and secretary. Before his appointment with the online real estate marketplace, Callahan served as executive VP, general counsel, and secretary at Yahoo, where he worked from 1999 to 2010.