Technology

In Virginia, Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) is celebrating the final weeks of the year with record closing volume. Recently announcing that the organization's total mortgage loan closings for October hit $1 billion, NFCU reported that year-to-date, it has made more than $8.3 billion in mortgage-related funding available to consumers.

In California, WFG Lender Services (WFGLS) is welcoming a new senior leader. The title insurance and real estate services company recently announced that Jason Schmidt has been named SVP of closing operations.

Smithfield & Wainwright is teaming up with Marshall & Swift/Boeckh to launch a new, automated solution for evaluating properties and resulting portfolios of mortgage loans. Releasing the Residential Asset Monitoring (RAM) module, the companies' initiative will give banks and lenders a more comprehensive, "forward-looking" method for assessing the value of residential real estate and, ultimately, their portfolio health and compliance procedures.

Though the expansive estate is not yet officially on the market, Curbed.com is reporting that the former residence of Bob Hope will soon list for an estimated $45 million. Located in Palm Springs, California, the 17,500-square-foot mansion has more than one claim to fame, having been designed by well-known architect John Lautner.

LendingTree, LLC, a subsidiary of the North Carolina-based Tree.com, announced it has reached a settlement in its patent infringement lawsuit against Internet marketing company QuinStreet, Inc. The lawsuit concerned LendingTree's patent relating to coordinating loans over the Internet.

Despite significant current challenges in the reverse mortgage market, American Financial Resources, Inc., recently rolled out a full range of related loan products. Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, AFR Mortgage will launch the new initiative in the company's home state, giving borrowers who are over the age of 62 access to the specialty loans.

Los Angeles' homebuyers have a chance to own a piece of Motown history. Located on Outpost Drive, the Hollywood Hills home once belonging to artist Marvin Gaye has been listed for $3.799 million.

Douglas Elliman is abiding by an old adage, proving that everything old is new again by adopting the company's original name. The announcement of the firm's revamped identity accompanies other updates for Douglas Elliman, including the recent launch of AskElliman, a new consumer-facing platform, and the relaunch of the company's lifestyle publication.

Radian Guaranty Inc., the mortgage insurance (MI) subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based Radian Group Inc., announced that it will now provide MI on loans within the HarmonyLoan platform.

Equator, a Los Angeles-based default servicing technology provider, hired Sevak Markarian as the company's new VP of quality assurance (QA). Markarian has more than a decade of experience in the field of information technology and has held management-level positions in QA and process improvement for more than 10 years.