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Applied Business Software recently announced that U.S. Bancorp CDC is utilizing its servicing management platform, The Mortgage Office. U.S. Bancorp CDC will use the platform to service its tax credit loans.

On Friday the House of Representatives put largely partisan weight behind a bill that would require the FDIC to investigate the 382 bank failures it has corralled with shutdowns since 2008. If reconciled with a similar bill passed by the Senate, H.R. 2056 could require the FDIC's inspector general to examine whether the current regulatory climate crimps lending for community banks. A House Financial Services Committee statement cites some 140 bank failures over 2009 and 157 over 2010, claiming their concentration in only 10 states.

A rule recently finalized by the Federal Trade Commission will take effect this month, prohibiting mortgage brokers, servicers, and nonbank lenders from advertising 19 practices it calls deceptive. The rule will enable the FTC, newly opened Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and state regulators to issue civil monetary fines and penalties against wayward mortgage advertisers. The Mortgage Acts and Practices Rule prescribes a number of penalties for deceptive claims about mortgages.

Canada may soon face a housing bubble crisis not unlike the one still felt by its southern neighbor, with a possible burst threatening to soak pockets of the U.S. economy that rely on purchases by overseas homebuyers.

According to results of a new survey by mortgage giant Freddie Mac, borrowers who were given the chance to refinance their mortgages showed a 77 percent success rate in maintaining or reducing their loan debt.

Some 240 lenders across the country got in trouble with the Federal Housing Administration this year, with the federal agency announcing sanctions on Friday that included revocations of approval, suspensions, reprimands, and civil monetary fines. The FHA's Mortgagee Review Board slapped lenders with administrative penalties for scrimping on loan criteria required by the federal agency, which it said in some cases resulted in over-insured loans, excessive and duplicative fees for borrowers, among other things.

Total bank failures leveled out at 61 over last week as three more financial institutions faced closure and acquisition by other banks. The failures and acquisitions left the FDIC with a total $253.4 million tab.

DecisionReady Solutions has found a new EVP, director of national sales and client relations in Matthew Lichtner. Recently hired into the role, Lichtner will oversee direct and indirect sales; marketing strategy; and market penetration among loan servicers, investors, and regulation agencies.

Market worries cooled Monday as news reports confirmed a tentative debt-ceiling deal by public officials Sunday, a last-minute agreement that would avert the next financial crisis predicted by economists. In response to the possible deal, mortgage rates stepped down from nominal highs from last week. According to Headline News, Bank of America reported that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.37 percent, down several basis-points from last week. Fellow mortgage giant Wells Fargo yielded 30-year loans at 4.50 percent.

Big news abounds at Total Mortgage Services, LLC, with two major recent announcements focused on the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós retail channel. Total Mortgage is amping up its staff with 50 new loan officers, and in addition, has just launched its Home Loan Program through the Agriculture Department.