South& Associates, P.C."":http://www.southlaw.com, a creditors' rights firm representing clients in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, announced this week that it has hired two new associate attorneys, Jennifer Stoehr and Judd Davis. The company also said it has promoted Amy Wayman to a team lead position.

Economists have dubbed 2010 as a buyers's market for commercial real estate, and it appears opportunistic investors are already jumping on that bandwagon, with two high-profile hotel assets seeing enough activity to grab headlines this week. When it comes to residential properties, though, the Federal Reserve’s head of household and real estate finance departs from the age-old adage peddled for years by Washington policymakers that everyone should want the American Dream, and argues instead that a home is a lousy investment.

Mortgage Cadence, Inc., a Denver-based provider of enterprise lending solutions (ELS) for the financial services industry, has announced the addition of John Levonick to its compliance team as chief legal and compliance officer.

Demand for home loans closed out the year at its lowest mark in six months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has removed the 1 percent ceiling on loan origination fees for standard mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

It's not uncommon to wonder what happens when an order is placed for an appraisal or BPO. Without asking questions, some might wonder if a provider has an effective quality control process and whether the provider is giving the most accurate information.

The Warren Group, a Boston-based real estate tracking and publishing firm, announced in a report Tuesday that both home and condo sales in Rhode Island soared in November.

Dallas-based Encore Equities, LLC, a subsidiary of the diversified commercial real estate firm Encore Enterprises, Inc., announced Julian Wells as its new VP on Wednesday.

As of November 30, 2009, the aggregate value of DebtX-priced commercial real estate loans that collateralized commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) increased to 77.7 percent, up from 76.9 percent as of October 30, 2009, but down from 81.3 percent on January 30, 2009.

In the most recent Wealth Hazards Worry Index, 40 percent of respondents believe the U.S. economy could enter another recession in 2010 if the government does not provide a stimulus plan.