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Wells Fargo & Co. this week launched a new unit to provide financial services to publicly traded real estate investment trusts involved in commercial properties.

The Federal Housing Administration confirmed that it has hired a new multifamily director and a new chief risk officer.

Former Mortgage Bankers Association chief executive John Courson is the new president and CEO of the Home Builders Institute, the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders.

William Matthews has been promoted to executive vice president of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Shore Financial Services Inc., the parent company of United Wholesale Mortgage, hired Michael Kaysen as its new chief operating officer.

Jefferies appointed Guy Cornelius as a managing director and head of sterling credit sales, and Christian Janssen as a managing director and head of commercial real estate debt capital markets Europe.

Berkadia said that Shelly Conlon has joined the company as senior vice president of the life company servicing group.

Markus Beran will take over as head of the central international department in the international real estate financing sales business division of Berlin Hyp and LBB at the start of 2012.

Selene Finance, a specialty servicer/loan modification company controlled by Lewis Ranieri, has hired Larry Litton Jr., and a handful of top managers from Litton Loan Servicing, Houston, according to servicing executives that have done business with the firm.

Matt Morris is the new chief executive of Stewart Information Services Corp., Houston, while Edward Douglas Hodo is now the company's chairman.