California-based Equator has announced the appointment of a new company leader. Adding Ashley Bean as the company's VP of certification, Equator is set to bolster its service provisions for real estate agents.

In Maryland, Walker & Dunlop, Inc., is preparing to welcome two new board members. Announcing the addition of Andrew Florance and Michael Malone to the firm's directorship, Walker & Dunlop filled two of three vacancies on the board.

In sunny Naples, Florida, the winter retreat belonging to high-profile Boston, Massachusetts, resident Jack Connors has hit the market for $22.9 million. Connors, who the Boston Globe calls a legendary Boston power broker, is believed to have purchased the home for an estimated $16 million in 2006, according to Curbed.

The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) has appointed a leader for its newly-formed strategic planning committee. The group recently announced that Randy Gillis, VP of enterprise information management for the servicing solutions and technology unit of Lender Processing Services, Inc., will join MISMO as chair for the committee.

Arizona-based Integra Group Real Estate LLC is rolling out a new program for investors seeking to tap into the U.S. housing market. Providing "education, guidance, and opportunities" for investing in the current real estate environment, the company has announced the launch of the Integra Group Multi-Family Home Investors Initiative.

Don Abbey, the famed founder of eponymous commercial real estate company The Abbey Co., has put another mega property on the market. Recently listing his massive estate in Montana, Abbey has now put his equally expansive California abode up for sale at $78.8 million.

California-based Prospect Mortgage is preparing to welcome a new financial leader. The lender recently announced 30-year industry veteran Sandra E. Bell as the Prospect's new chief financial officer (CFO).

Relisting his pricey pad in the Hamptons, artist Ross Bleckner has put his palatial estate on the market for $15 million. Located in Sagaponack, New York, Bleckner's abode boasts multiple structures, including a main home with an ocean view, a cedar-shingled guest cottage, and an art studio.

In Colorado, Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), has reached a settlement with the state's attorney general. Concluding the investigation into document execution practices by subsidiaries of LPS, the company has agreed to provide payment and reimbursement fees in exchange for a release of potential liability.

Though a few recent U.S. real estate listings have promised royal living in oversized stateside mansions, a sprawling home in France has hit the market, giving potential buyers the opportunity to purchase an authentic castle that's truly worth of a fairytale.