In New York and Florida, sellers appear to be gaining an advantage in the marketplace. According to data Manhattan Miami Real Estate, both states demonstrated significant pricing increases during the first quarter.

Morrison & Foerster has announced a new partner in the firm's financial services group. The company has added Thomas J. Noto to the division, which specializes in finance-related regulatory, litigation, and transactional practices for Morrison & Foerster.

California-based technology provider, Platinum Data Solutions, has announced a new reverse mortgage client partnership in San Diego. The company recently revealed that Plaza Home Mortgage Inc. has implemented Platinum's RealView platform, targeting quality appraisal review for reverse mortgages across the U.S.

In Connecticut, Clayton Holdings LLC has added a new senior-level leader. The company recently announced the appointment of Jenine Fitter as Clayton's senior managing director of business development.

Coester Appraisal Group is updating its technology offerings, recently announcing enhancements to the company's Cloud Control program. The platform upgrade will add Coester's automated appraisal review technology, C-Data, to the Cloud Control module.

Targeting better risk management for the mortgage-backed securities market, RiskSpan, Inc., has added a new independent pricing initiative to the company's service offerings. The enhancement will give risk managers, traders, and pricing professionals immediate, daily access to security prices and changes, enhancing risk mitigation and streamlining audits.

Proving that financial and mortgage professionals do take a break from the bank occasionally, Wells Fargo recently received an award from United Way in honor of the company's volunteer activities.

Mortgage origination numbers from the first quarter of the year are in and closing totals indicate a generally diminished lending pace. While diverse factors contributed to the decline in originations, the departure of two major correspondent lenders during the period are considered a key catalyst in driving down closings. According to statements from Mortgage Lender Ranking, residential production sunk by 5.56 percent between quarters. However, year-over-year origination tallies are in opposition to the quarter-to-quarter results, showing a 10.88 percent improvement.

In Dallas, Texas, First Preston HT has appointed a new president and CEO. The company's chairman, Nancy Tartaglino Richards, recently announced the promotion of First Preston HT veteran Lisa Barrentine to the leadership role.

Bank of Colorado recently reported an estimated 25 percent uptick in loan production during the past 24-months, and the company's technology provider, Mortgagebot, is taking partial credit for the significant increase. Citing the bank's use of MortgageboT's PowerSite platform, the tech company says that its integrated point-of-sale solution helped the financial institution capitalize on current market conditions. Mortgagebot noted that the departure of several larger lenders in Bank of Colorado's geographical region created opportunities to increase market share.