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Now that bankrupt LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., Richmond, Va., has disposed of its title underwriting units, its chairman and chief executive, Theodore L. Chandler Jr., will leave the company on Jan. 15. The company said he leaves on good terms. The title units were 85% of LandAmerica's revenues. LandAmerica is now focusing on disposing of its remaining businesses. To handle that task, the chief restructuring officer, Jonathan Mitchell, will lead the company. Melissa Hill, most recently president of LandAmerica's residential services channel, has been promoted to executive vice president of operations.

Jonathan L. Kempner, who was president and chief executive of the Mortgage Bankers Association until the end of last year, has accepted a position as an independent director of Behringer Harvard Multifamily REIT I Inc. Before joining MBA in 2001, he spent 14 years as president of the National Multi Housing Council. Said Robert S. Aisner, chief executive of Behringer Harvard, "Jonathan brings to this role more than two decades of experience encompassing all facets of the commercial real estate industry. He's developed extensive expertise in both the multifamily property sector and commercial lending, as well as deep relationships with leaders in both industries."

Chicago-based commercial real estate firm Sheldon Good & Co. Auctions International LLC marked the passing of its chairman and CEO, Steven L. Good - a globally-known author and philanthropist - on Tuesday by closing all its offices as it made plans to reopen Wednesday under its president's day-to-day management. Multiple news reports indicate Mr. Good's death was an apparent suicide. He had been quoted as saying, like many industry executives, that the commercial real estate market has been challenging. A spokeswoman who has worked with the family since 1976, Susan Berman Hammer, told MortgageWire that the death was a surprise to all that knew him and he had been optimistic and energized by his many business and philanthropic activities as well as his writing, and had been looking forward to chairing the National Association of Realtors' commercial alliance this year. Several family members survive Mr. Good, including his father, Sheldon Good, whom his company was named after and who also is a well-known international real estate executive. Company president Alan R. Kravets said in a statement posted on the company's website that it plans to "continue the tradition of excellence established by our founder, Sheldon Good, and expanded upon by our late chief executive" going forward. "We have a number of exciting projects currently in development. Steve enjoyed this fact," he said.

Colonial Properties Trust, Birmingham, Ala., has returned its chairman, Thomas H. Lowder to the chief executive position he held between July 1993 and April 2006. In a related move, C. Reynolds Thompson III, who replaced Mr. Lowder as CEO, has been reassigned to the positions of president and chief financial officer. In the new corporate structure, Mr. Lowder will serve as the principal executive officer and Mr. Thompson will serve as the principal financial officer. The current president and CFO, Weston M. Andress has resigned; he has entered into a one-year consulting agreement with the company. Commenting on the appointments, Mr. Lowder noted, "The board felt it would be in the best interest of our shareholders for me to take a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the company as we navigate the current economic environment." Colonial does not anticipate a material impact to net income or funds from operations per share for the full-year 2008 as a result of these management changes.

Freddie Mac has officially named Raymond G. Romano as the company's chief credit officer, responsible for enterprise-wide credit risk management activities. Mr. Romano has served as senior vice president of credit risk oversight since he joined the company in 2004. In September 2008, Mr. Romano also assumed the role as acting chief credit officer while the company conducted a nationwide search for the position. Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Mr. Romano served as senior vice president and chief credit officer and in other executive positions at different financial institutions including North American Mortgage Company, Dime Savings Bank of NY, and with Citicorp's Investment Bank.

WinTrust Financial Corp., Lake Forest, Ill., has acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities of the Downers Grove, Ill.-based Professional Mortgage Partners' mortgage banking business and named PMP's president to an executive post within WinTrust's mortgage subsidiary. WinTrust said a "significant portion" of the cash transaction's purchase price is conditional based upon "certain future profitability measures. The Lake Forest, Ill.-based company also said the deal is not expected to have a material effect on its 2008 or 2009 earnings per share. PMP president Barton Pitts has been named executive vice president of Wintrust Mortgage Corp. as part of the transaction. Terms of the deal were not otherwise disclosed. "The addition of the staff hired from PMP and their offices will create one of the strongest mortgage lenders in the Chicago area," said David Hrobon, president of Wintrust Mortgage Corp. "Combined we will have more than 500 employees, 27 retail offices and, based on historical results, almost $3 billion in annual mortgage originations."

The Mortgage Bankers Association has added the title of senior vice president to the title of Angela Lazear, who continues to serve as the association's chief financial officer. Ms. Lazear will be responsible for overseeing the development of the association's budgets, accounting, treasury, technology infrastructure and information systems. John Courson, the MBA's chief operating officer, said "Angela's leadership has been critical in the financial strategies and practices of the MBA during this important period for our industry." Ms. Lazear joined the MBA in 2000 and previously served as executive director for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Hilco Real Estate LLC, Northbrook, Ill., has named Neil R. Aaronson as its new chief executive and Gregory S. Apter as its new president. Mr. Aaronson replaced Mitchell P. Kahn, 48, who has decided to pursue opportunities outside the Hilco family of companies. Most recently Mr. Aaronson had been executive vice president with Hilco Trading LLC, the parent company of Hilco Real Estate. Mr. Apter was promoted from chief operating officer and will now formally lead Hilco Real Estate's agency transactions group, managing owned and leased property disposition and lease restructuring services. Hilco Real Estate provides comprehensive real estate repositioning services. For more information about the company, visit http://www.hilcorealestate.com.

BioMed Realty Trust Inc., a San Diego real estate investment trust focused on providing real estate to the life science industry, today announced that Kent Griffin has been promoted to president and chief operating officer. He will oversee the day-to-day operational activities while continuing to serve chief financial officer. Alan Gold, BioMed's chief executive said, remarked, "I am very pleased that the board has chosen to recognize the contributions that Kent has made to BioMed, originating with him playing a key role in the company's successful initial public offering in August 2004. As our chief financial officer since 2006, Kent has been a critical member of our leadership team, developing and executing key financial strategies, while also taking an increasingly integral role in managing the growth of our organization and overseeing our operations."

L. William Seidman, a past chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., has been named senior advisor to SecondMarket, New York, and plans to help the company with expansion plans into such areas as mortgage-backed securities. --> "Bill's experience and expertise will prove critical as SecondMarket expands to fill the market void left by the shift of government funds away from purchasing illiquid assets under the Troubled Asset Relief Program," said SecondMarket CEO Barry E. Silbert. During his long career Mr. Seidman served as an economic advisor to Presidents Reagan and Ford, and ran the Resolution Trust Corp., the S&L bailout agency.