When documents showed up on the Utah county recorder's Web site containing Social Security numbers, the county recorder blamed the citizens and called them "ignorant."

Second quarter 2010 commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations were one percent higher than during the same period last year and 35 percent higher than during the first quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Legislation hailed by The American Society of Home Inspectors will educate buyers on the importance of obtaining an inspection

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 23, 2010.

A homeowner alleged that the bank foreclosing on his home lacked standing to file the complaint because the mortgage was not assigned to it until four days after the foreclosure was commenced.  The Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals addressed this issue in a recent decision.

While the American Land Title Association (ALTA) supports efforts to reduce energy consumption and limit greenhouse gas emissions, several questions need answered regarding the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program in order to prevent potential risks in delaying or cancelling real estate transactions.

In a completely new approach to the way title insurance is delivered, a Pennsylvania title company began offering its services directly to homeowners earlier this year.

An American Land Title Association (ALTA) delegation, which included ALTA CEO Kurt Pfotenhauer, recently met with Alfred Pollard, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) General Counsel, to discuss private transfer fees.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it will launch multiple investigations into the lending practices of certain mortgage lenders to determine if they illegally denied families mortgages because the mother is pregnant or a family member is experiencing a short-term disability.

Last week a letter surfaced from Washington indicating that Countrywide made 173 "VIP" loans, with preferential terms, to executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The letter was from Congressman Darrell Issa, Ranking Member of House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and requested the Federal Housing Finance Agency to open an investigation.  Alternatively, he asked Alfred Pollard, FHFA General Counsel, if he believed the matter should be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A new pilot program in Cook County, Illinois now requires notaries to obtain thumbprints of those signing conveyance documents in connection with residential real property.  The aim of the program is to prevent mortgage fraud, but some have claimed that it amounts to an invasion of privacy.

The Wall Street Reform bill has been hailed as the most-sweeping set of changes to our nation's financial regulatory system since the Great Depression. It was signed in to law this morning by President Obama. 

FHFA, as Conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has issued 64 subpoenas to various entities, seeking documents related to private-label mortgage-backed securities.

CitiFinancial made a loan to a homeowner while an action filed by the previous owner was pending to reacquire title based on a fraudulent inducement claim.  When it was ordered that title be re-conveyed back to the previous owner, CitiFinancial refused to cancel its deed of trust.  A quiet title action was commenced, and when that case was dismissed an appeal followed.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 16, 2010. 

Independent mortgage bankers and subsidiaries made an average profit of $606 on each loan they originated in the first quarter of 2010, down from $890 per loan in the fourth quarter of 2009 and $1,088 in the first quarter of 2009, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)'s 1st Quarter 2010 Mortgage Bankers Production Survey released today.

Louisiana adopts a new law requiring that a title opinion contain a search of the mortgage or public records for a specified period of time for federal judgments or if the transaction being insured is a sale or a mortgage.

The Appraisal Institute, one of the nation’s largest professional organizations of real estate appraisers applauded the U.S. Senate for passing a sweeping financial regulatory reform bill that includes the first modernization of real estate appraisal regulations in more than 20 years.

To settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its 2008 acquisition of three LandAmerica Financial, Inc. subsidiaries was anticompetitive, Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will sell several title plants and related assets in the Portland, Oregon, and Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan areas, and in four other Oregon counties.

An Indiana Appellate Court had to decide if Fidelity National Title was responsible when its agent, Intercounty Title, stole $1.6 million from its escrow account.  At issue in the case was whether Intercounty Title was acting as an agent of Fidelity in providing escrow and closing services. 

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today filed a lawsuit against mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for blocking an innovative California clean energy program that was designed to create tens of thousands of jobs, promote energy independence and lower utility bills.

Clearfield County (PA) District Attorney, William A. Shaw, Jr., announced that an investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the recording of fraudulent deeds filed at the Clearfield County Courthouse.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 9, 2010.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) announced it has updated its uniform set of instructions to help facilitate the handling of new settlement documents that became mandatory Jan. 1, 2010 due to changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).

On March 31, 2010, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland signed S.B. 165, which became effective June 30, 2010 and provides "super priority" to certain oil and gas interests involved in foreclosure. 

In the past Fannie Mae has not provided requirements concerning lenders making changes to the opinion of market value reflected in the appraisal report.  However, during post-purchase review, Fannie has identified cases where the lender had reduced the opinion of market value in the appraisal based on "underwriter judgment, automated valuation models, or other methodology."  To address these concerns, Fannie has updated its appraisal policies.

On July 7, 2010 Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed H.B. 1133 prohibiting private transfer fees. 

When the brother of a homeowner fraudulently executed and recorded a power of attorney and two quit claim deeds, the homeowner sued everyone, including the brother, the notary, and the county recorder.  It was alleged that the county recorder was liable for accepting the documents because they were "highly suspicious of a forgery," and the recorder has a duty to "spot forgeries."

Stewart Title Guaranty Company, a subsidiary of Stewart Information Services, announced the merger of Arkansas Title Insurance Company, National Land Title Insurance Company, and Stewart Title Insurance Company of Oregon with Stewart Title Guaranty Company.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 2, 2010.

Last week, Judge Jack Zouhary in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled that HUD's Ten-part test, used to determine whether an Affiliated Business Arrangement (AfBA) is a bona-fide settlement service provider or a mere sham, was unconstitutionally vague.  With no other guidance, sham AfBAs will be able to operate without fear of civil suits or criminal sanctions under RESPA.

On Friday, President Obama signed a three-month extension on the deadline for home buyers to close on a home in order to qualify for a federal home-buyer tax credit of up to $8,000.

Susan M. Ranochak, Mendocino County (CA) Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, reported last week that a company has sent notices to homeowners that it can provide a copy of their Grant Deed and a Property Profile for a fee of $87.00.

RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, this week released its first U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report™, which shows that foreclosure homes accounted for 31 percent of all residential sales in the first quarter of 2010, and that the average sales price of properties that sold while in some stage of foreclosure was nearly 27 percent below the average sales price of properties not in the foreclosure process.

U.S. homes today are bigger with more bedrooms and bathrooms than 197.

Robert E. Story, Jr., CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) hailed yesterday's passage in the Senate of legislation to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 30, 2010.