Connecticut's attorney general is seeking information from mortgage lenders Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) and mortgage-processing services company Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) on how they select law firms for foreclosure services.

In a statement Monday, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office is probing complaints that the majority of the state's foreclosures are assigned to a select group of law firms and complaints from consumers that they didn't receive proper foreclosure notices from marshals.

"Dominance over foreclosure service by a few select law firms and marshals has spurred complaints about improper or illegal practices - wrongfully allocating work to non-marshals, forging papers, failing to serve papers, and making kickbacks," Blumenthal said in a statement. "Concentrating this work in a few hands can be severely problematic - causing unconscionable costs and failed notice delivery."

Blumenthal's office initially said he was seeking information from banking technology company Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS), but later clarified Blumenthal was seeking information from LPS.

LPS was spun off from Fidelity National last year.

Blumenthal said he is seeking the identity of all Connecticut law firms employed for foreclosure actions from 2007 to the present, details on the criteria used in selecting those firms, information on fees paid to those law firms and any fees paid by the law firms to the lenders and any complaints by Connecticut consumers regarding failures to provide proper notice.

"We will cooperate with the attorney general's office on this matter and provide information to assist in the review," said Brian Faith, a Fannie Mae spokesman.

A Freddie Mac spokesman didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

Michelle Kersch, a LPS spokeswoman, said the company hasn't received formal notification from Blumenthal's office, but will respond to the request for information when it's received.

Kersch noted that the company doesn't make attorney selection for its clients or their investors and that LPS isn't an investor or an authorized servicing agent. She said the company's business model is different from "investors, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac."

"LPS provides its clients with a proprietary technology system and associated administrative services that enable them to manage their default portfolios," Kersch said. "Law firms that utilize LPS' technology are selected by the servicer or designated by the investor. As such, LPS' network of attorneys is comprised of the law firms that are selected by its servicing clients."

-By Chad Bray, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-227-2017; chad.bray@dowjones.com