New York's largest foreclosure law firm agreed last week to pay $2 million as part of a settlement over questionable foreclosure practices with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

While Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had little direct influence in the mortgage technology industry, his passing has prompted many mortgage tech executives to reflect on how Jobs influenced and inspired their own contributions to technology.

Century Bancorp Inc. in Medford, Mass., said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings rose about 40% compared to a year earlier, to almost $4.6 million, due to loan growth and a special gain.

The Obama Administration expects to roll out a plan to lower barriers to refinancing in "the next couple of weeks," HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan told mortgage bankers at their annual convention in Chicago.

Huntington Bancshares Inc. will start providing financing to car dealers in Wisconsin and Minnesota later this month.

The Government National Mortgage Association is making it easier for MBS issuers to pledge their servicing rights to obtain financing from warehouse lenders.

United Community Banks Inc. in Blairsville, Ga., said it will record a special loan-loss provision of $25 million for the third quarter due to concerns over collateral associated with its largest loan relationship.

Park National Corp. in Newark, Ohio, said Tuesday that it had found a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, tied to its use of a third-party contractor.

Park Bancorp Inc. in Chicago said Tuesday that it had hired an investment bank to help it explore its strategic options, including a possible sale.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is open for business, of course, but it still promises to be awhile before the collection industry gets a clear idea of how the regulatory agency intends to oversee it.

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PHOENIX – TruWest CU on Tuesday said it is replacing its fleet of 30 ATMs with NCR SelfServ 32, 34 and 38 deposit-taking models.

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AppraiserLoft, the troubled appraisal management company, has suspended all new business and is preparing to shut down.

New Hampshire Thrift Bancshares Inc., the parent of Lake Sunapee Bank, is entering the insurance business with its buy of McCrillis and Eldredge Insurance.

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Home mortgage lending will likely fall 25% next year to its lowest level since the late 1990s as the economic slump keeps demand low and banks begin running out of qualified borrowers to refinance, the Mortgage Bankers Association forecast Tuesday.

Three former United Commercial Bank executives misled investors by concealing at least $65 million in loan losses before the San Francisco-based lender collapsed in 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said.

Through a deal with money-transfer company UniTeller, Wells Fargo & Co. is expanding its remittance network by adding access points in Latin America and Asia, in an attempt to gain more money-transfer business from former Wachovia Corp. customers.

First Financial Corp.'s willingness to pay nearly double the tangible book value for Freestar Bank outside of Chicago is the most expensive small bank deal in months.