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IN THE NEWS Maine rank: 9 90+ Day Foreclosure Unemployment Delinquency Rate RateRate may 2012 3.05%5.12% 7.4% year ago 2.59%4.93% 7.7% percent point change 17.8%4.0%-3.9% Top County WASHINGTON COUNTY 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate may 2012 4.25%12.93% year ago 4.34%9.94% percent point change -2.1%30.1% Top Core-Based Statistical Area LEWISTON-AUBURN, ME 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate may 2012 3.98%6.25% year ago 3.29%5.72% percent point change 21.0%9.1% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the May 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary May 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. Maryland rank: 11 90+ Day Foreclosure Unemployment Delinquency Rate RateRate may 2012 4.08%4.60% 6.8% Hope LoanPort Launches Online Portal for Foreclosure Mediation Hope LoanPort recently announced the launch of the statewide Maryland Mediation Portal, the first of its kind in the United States. Together with GMAC Mortgage and the state of Maryland, Hope LoanPort created the portal as a way to ease the process by which homeowners can opt in for Maryland's foreclosure mediation program. Before now, homeowners had to submit paper copies of documents to the state's Office of Administrative Hearings. With the added option of electronic submission through the portal, it is hoped that more homeowners will take the step to opt in for mediation. The portal makes it possible for all mediation participants—including the servicer, the state mediator, the housing counselor, and the foreclosure attorney—to more effectively communicate and exchange information for a successful mediation. Parties can use the portal to exchange documents for mediation and other key information necessary for the hearing. "Maryland has led the nation in its swift response to the foreclosure crisis," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Since 2007, we have year ago 4.80%3.21% 7.1% percent point change -15.0%43.3% -4.2% Top County SOMERSET COUNTY 90+ Day Delinquency Rate may 2012 Foreclosure Rate 4.94%8.20% year ago 4.76%6.31% percent point change 3.7%29.9% Top Core-Based Statistical Area SALISBURY, MD 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate may 2012 3.72%6.21% year ago 4.96%3.92% percent point change -25.0%58.5% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the May 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary May 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. 90 STAT INSIGHT 485 Maximum number of days the GSEs allow between the due date of a borrower's last payment and the foreclosure sale date in the state of Maryland. Source: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac worked to preserve homeownership through legislation, supporting resources for homeowners and with extensive outreach. We are moving forward, but we haven't reached the finish line yet." O'Malley added, "Bringing efficiency and transparency to the mediation process will provide homeowners facing foreclosure with a new opportunity to meet with their servicer and thoroughly review any alternatives to foreclosure that may be available." Hope LoanPort is a Web-based tool that streamlines processing for foreclosure alternatives. It is a member of the HOPE NOW Alliance. Coester Appraisal Group Changes Name Coester Appraisal Group is now CoesterVMS. The new name reflects the company's new, expanded line of valuation management services, CoesterVMS explained in a statement issued June 18. Among these services is the industry's firstever "assisted self-service" option, in which CoesterVMS provides appraisal management services in addition to managing the lender's appraisal panel. Before the launch of CoesterVMS' assisted self-service, lenders could either outsource appraisal management to an AMC or use an appraisal management technology to manage in-house. Now, the assisted self-serve option allows lenders to use Coester's appraisal management services along with their own in-house panels. Coester can manage the entire process and ensure compliance with all regulations, guidelines, and blacklists. "We're changing the way that the mortgage industry handles appraisals," said Brian Coester, CEO of CoesterVMS. "Lenders need ways to stay compliant without upsetting their ecosystems or their budgets. No one was addressing their needs, so we stepped up to the plate. Until the assisted self-serve option, no AMC would manage a lender's appraisal panel. Until cloud control, no appraisal management technology was configurable to the user level, and no appraisal technology was 100 percent free. These advances might upset our competition, but we're just giving lenders what they're asking for." Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, CoesterVMS is a nationwide provider of valuation management technology and services.

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