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Mari Mahoney has joined Opes Advisors as a mortgage advisor in the firm's Pleasanton, California, location.

The FDIC announced Friday the closure of two more banks--including Connecticut's first collapse in more than a decade--bringing this year's failure tally to 22 so far.

In Virginia, Genworth announced the election of Melina E. Higgins to serve as a new independent director on the company's board.

Realtor.com released Thursday its National Housing Trend Report for August, which shows prices leveling out as the inventory recovery becomes more widespread.

The debate over TARP is only one of several five-year anniversaries we mark this month, all related to the mortgage meltdown.

Tennessee's Acopia Home Loans announced the publishing of its lending library through AllRegs.

At an industry event held in Phoenix, Darrin Benhart, deputy comptroller for credit and market risk at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, described the changing face of risk management as the mortgage industry adapts to increased regulation. "As you well know, the list of mortgage-related reforms is extensive," Benhart said. "These reforms mean you will need an even greater emphasis on risk management techniques that not only look at credit risk but also encompass operational and compliance risk."

Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for August shows mortgage applications for new home purchases declined compared to July. According to MBA's monthly Builder Application Survey (BAS), loan applications for the purchase of new homes fell 14 percent month-over-month in August. Taking information from the BAS--as well as assumptions regarding market coverage and other factors--MBA estimates sales of new single-family homes ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 424,000 in August.

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows the average 30-year fixed rate staying put at 4.57 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending September 12.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending September 7 plunged 31,000 to 292,000, the lowest level since March 2006, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected the number of claims to edge up to 330,000 from the 323,000 originally reported for the week ending August 31. The number of filings for that week was unchanged.