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ยป Foreclosures Remain High but Improving Annually: CoreLogic The number of completed foreclosures in May totaled 63,000, according to CoreLogic. That's up from 62,000 in April but down from 77,000 in May 2011. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic, points out that although the level of completed foreclosures remains high, it's down 27 percent from the peak in 2010. Since September 2008, 3.6 million homes have been lost to foreclosure. May also saw a yearly drop in the number of homes sitting in the foreclosure inventory. Based on CoreLogic's market assessment, about 1.4 million homes were in some stage of foreclosure during the month of May, down from 1.5 million a year earlier. Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic, says CoreLogic sees "dramatic shifts" in foreclosure inventories at the state level. Nevada, Arizona, and Michigan each experienced at least a 20 percent decline in foreclosure inventory from May 2011. However, a different trend developed for judicial states such as Hawaii, New York, and Connecticut, where foreclosure inventory is still rising. The states with the highest share of housing inventory in foreclosure in May were Florida (11.9 percent), New Jersey (6.6 percent), Illinois (5.3 percent), and New York (5.0 percent), and all four states are judicial. Judicial states require lenders to go through the courts before initiating a foreclosure, whereas non-judicial foreclosure states allow lenders to start the foreclosure process without court intervention. Nevada (4.9 percent) had the fifth highest share of foreclosures in May and is a non-judicial state. Movers & Shakers VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 Top-Producing Agents Recognized by Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends published the names of the top-producing real estate sales professionals of 2011. John Murray, managing broker for Key Realty, ranked as the No. 1 real estate professional in the country for transactional units in the 2011 calendar year. Murray graduated from Illinois Wesleyan and earned his real estate license in 2003. He sold 1,199 homes in 2011, earning himself the top spot. Rasmus Real Estate Group co-founder Jude Rasmus earned a second-place spot on the list. Besides being co-founder, Rasmus is the broker in charge for Rasmus Real Estate, making her responsible for overall strategic direction, growth, and management. She also serves as principal investor for several private and public investment entities. In addition to placing second in transaction sides with 994, Rasmus placed 50th in the nation in terms of sales volume, which tallied $85 million last year. Taking the third-place spot on the list is Jason Benham, co-founder of Benham Real Estate Group. Benham graduated from Liberty University in 1998 and earned his master's degree from American Christian College in 2001. He and his twin brother, David, founded Benham Real Estate Group in 2003 and grew the company to include nearly 100 affiliate offices across the country. Benham stepped up as the third most productive agent in the country with 970 closings in 2011. Two Join Senior Staff at Blackhawk Consulting Blackhawk Consulting announced the addition of Adam Moysaenko and Mark Woodling as senior staff in the firm's Dallas office. Moysaenko brings more than 10 years' mortgage industry experience to his post as director of operations. He oversees the development and management of operations in the Dallas office. Before joining Blackhawk, Moysaenko served as REO outsourcing sales manager at Fannie Mae. Woodling is Blackhawk's new director of business development. He was hired to develop and broaden the company's reach with new business initiatives related to Blackhawk's analytics consulting services. Previously, Woodling was REO sales manager at Fannie Mae, where he managed auction, sales and provided solutions for improved portfolio management. He brings with him 12 years' industry experience in areas involving distressed real estate. Potestivo & Associates Hires Attorney for Chicago Office Potestivo & Associates, P.C., has a new attorney on its team. Caleb J. Halberg is the firm's latest addition to its Chicago office. Halberg graduated with a bachelor's in economics from the University of Minnesota and earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law. He passed the Illinois bar exam in November 2011 and worked as a contract attorney before joining Potestivo. Trott Recovery Services Partner Seated on Collections Group Board Doreen Hoffman, managing partner of Trott Recovery Services, PLLC, was made a member of the board of the Michigan Association of Collection Agencies. In her role, Hoffman regularly convenes with government officials and collections industry experts to discuss legislative issues in the collections space and helps drive the strategic direction of the association. Allonhill Gains Three Sales Leaders Allonhill recently introduced Mark Korell as the company's new chief sales and marketing officer. He has overall responsibility for sales, business development, client relationships, strategic partnerships, and corporate marketing initiatives for the mortgage risk management firm. Korell spent 25 years in the mortgage banking industry. He previously served as SVP of mortgage banking for JPMorgan Chase. Allonhill also announced it selected mortgage banking industry veterans Shelly Schwieso and Lori Zaloumis to act as managing directors of sales. With more than 20 years' mortgage banking experience, Schwieso will oversee the development and maintenance of client relationships for Allonhill's due diligence, securitization, and credit risk management services. She will also focus on expanding the company's client base in the Midwest. Prior to joining Allonhill, Schwieso worked at BMO Harris Bank as a state manager for mortgage product sales. Zaloumis is responsible for developing and maintaining client relationships for Allonhill's due diligence, securitization, and credit risk management services. She has 20 years of mortgage banking experience and spent more than 18 of those years working her way up the ranks at GMAC. She most recently served as sales director with Ally Financial. Keystone CEO Joins WinDS Foundation Board Jane Hennessy, president and CEO of Keystone Asset Management, Inc., was selected to serve on the Women in Default Services (WinDS) Foundation board of directors. Hennessy has more than 25 years' industry experience and played an integral role in the development of current programs and solutions used in the mortgage default space. Hennessy co-founded Keystone in 1995. 35