Origination

Fidelity National Financial reported net earnings of $80 million in the second quarter as pre-tax earnings in its title division grew by $17 million compared to the year ago period.

Home prices rose 1% in May compared to April, and 16 of 20 metropolitan areas tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller house price index registered monthly price gains.

Denver apartment vacancies reached a 10-year low last quarter, according to a report by the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Division of Housing.

Mortgage technology and service provider Lender Processing Services earned $21.4 million in the second quarter, a 73% decline from the same period a year earlier, citing restructuring charges and lower revenue.

Originations of Federal Housing Administration-backed loans fell 23% during the first three quarters of fiscal 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier, a further sign of a weakening single-family market.

Mortgage advertising that misrepresents terms, fees or the costs of loan products can trigger fines and enforcement actions under a final rule adopted by the Federal Trade Commission.

American Land Title Association CEO Kurt Pfotenhauer is joining First American Title Insurance Co. as executive vice president and vice chairman, leaving the trade group after three and one-half years on the job.

Mortgage industry groups are calling for the creation of a strong safe harbor clause that will shield lenders from litigation if they originate loans that comply with ‘Qualified Mortgage’ underwriting standards.

Evangelical Christian Credit Union, Riverside, Calif., has been granted permission by a federal bankruptcy court to foreclose on a 22-acre property owned by the Life Church of God in Christ where Lehman Brothers had a junior mortgage.

Loan origination system provider Wipro Gallagher Solutions has integrated the settlement services pricing data of Ernst Publishing, providing lenders technology to help accurately complete Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 disclosures.