Wingspan Portfolio Advisors LLC, a special servicer based in Dallas, Texas, is launching an affiliate technology company to help servicers implement the single-point-of-contact requirement that is part of the GSEs' Servicing Alignment Initiative. The innovative technology that earned Wingspan a ""Servicer of the Year"" award will soon be available across the industry.

Bank of America has begun a pilot program in Florida offering extra incentive payouts to distressed homeowners who agree to and successfully close on a short sale. Incentive payments for relocation assistance range between $5,000 and $20,000. The program is being offered on a limited basis for investor-approved, pre-offer short sales. Bank of America is calling it a pilot ""test-and-learn"" program, and if successful in Florida, it could be expanded to other states.

The Kansas City, Missouri-based default servicing law firm Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. recently announced that two attorneys with the firm - Steven M. Leigh and Beverly M. Weber - have been named Best of Bar and appear in the September 23, 2011 issue of the Kansas City Business Journal. Best of the Bar recognizes outstanding lawyers in the metro area as chosen by their peers.

With the release Tuesday of the Zillow Real Estate Market Report, which recorded a 0.1 percent increase in home values from July to August, the company's chief economist issued his forecast for home prices heading into next year. Dr. Stan Humphries says prices have yet to find their trough. He doesn't expect a definitive bottom to be reached until 2012 at the earliest. Zillow's report also showed that foreclosure liquidation rates are still lower than they were before the robo-signing controversy - now more than a year since the news broke.

Integrated Mortgage Solutions (IMS) now offers a cost-effective, long-term solution to defective drywall, a problem that has plagued thousands of homes, particularly along the Gulf Coast. The term defective drywall refers to a type of drywall that releases sulfur compounds, especially in warm, moist climates. Salvaging a home with defective drywall required major reconstruction to replace all the drywall in the structure, but IMS now offers an on-location solution that requires about one-third of the time and about one-half of the cost of traditional methods.

Stewart Lender Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Title Company, now provides nationwide foreclosure file processing reviews for mortgage servicers to ensure their compliance with standard foreclosure practices. The company says these services can also prove beneficial to servicers in preparation for the continued scrutiny and subsequent response to federal and state law enforcement agencies investigating mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing practices.

Urban Lending Solutions, a provider of residential and commercial mortgage products and services, has hired settlement services industry veteran Michael Forgas to serve as the company's chief strategy officer. Forgas, formerly CEO of National Real Estate Information Services (NREIS), will help set the strategic direction for Urban Lending Solutions and head up the firm's sales and marketing efforts.

Pro Teck Valuation Services and Collateral Analytics have teamed up to launch Home Value Forecast (HVF). The inaugural edition of the monthly HVF was released Monday. The two partnering companies describe it as bringing ""a unique perspective on the U.S. housing market."" The goal of the new forecasting solution is to highlight the fact that all real estate is local. HVF employs a unique ranking system for the largest metros to highlight the best and worst markets with regard to a number of real estate indicators.

Mortgage servicing took center stage at a mortgage banking conference in Chicago on Monday, with industry experts making a case for reform. Panelists at a session on the future of mortgage servicing assured attendees that in five years, the servicing business ""will look nothing"" like it does today. Executives from such organizations as Freddie Mac, Amherst Securities, and the University of North Carolina advocated for national servicing standards, greater transparency, and new compensation structures.

Two Georgia congressmen are proposing a bill they believe will help some homeowners keep up with their mortgage payments and avoid foreclosure. Sen. Johnny Isakson and Rep. Tom Graves have introduced the Hardship Outlays to protect Mortgagee Equity (HOME) Act, which would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide penalty free distributions from certain retirement plans, which a homeowner could use to cover mortgage payments on a principal residence.