Washington's highest court rules MERS cannot foreclose on homeowners

``The Washington Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the mortgage industry's controversial document-recording system lacked authority to start out-of-court foreclosures and might have violated state consumer protection laws... MERS spokeswoman Janis Smith noted that Thursday's decision applies only to non-judicial foreclosures done outside a courtroom, the process lenders typically use. MERS voluntarily changed its rules in July 2011 to stop foreclosures in its name, she said.''