MERS Names Chairman

John Johnson has been elected chairman of MERS, the industry-owned system for tracking ownership of mortgage loans and servicing rights.Mr. Johnson is president and chief executive officer of MortgageAmerica Inc., Birmingham, Ala. He has served as president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Alabama and was chairman of the national Mortgage Bankers Association's Residential Board of Governors. The announcement of Mr. Johnson's election as chairman of MERS came at the organization's annual Strategic Planning Conference. MERS, based in Vienna, Va., can be found online at http://www.mersinc.org.