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The other day I was changing a flat on my car and the damn jack gave way causing the car to come crashing down on my left hand.  Not only was there some serious bleeding, but it felt like my entire hand was crushed.  Not to worry.  After extricating myself from underneath the car IRead more

So, you or your small business entered into a contract to supply services, material, products, etc…  You do a great job and its time to get paid, but the person or entity with whom you have contracted stiffs you.  No problem, right?  You have a solid contract; you performed as required; so you will just fileRead more

Article via: Noah Pransky, WTSP: “TAMPA BAY, Florida – Thousands of homeowners will be eligible for restitution after Florida’s attorney general struck an eight-figure settlement with KB Home, one of the largest homebuilders in the Southeast, over widespread construction defects and problematic business practices.  The deal comes three-and-a-half years after 10Investigates first exposed shoddy construction andRead more

Article: “The Mortgage Professor: Down payment insurance: Does it make sense? (By JACK GUTTENTAG) Investment in a home is often the largest investment a consumer will ever make, so any measures to reduce the risk deserve careful attention. The big risk is that a major house price decline will wipe out the owners’ equity, leavingRead more

By Marcie Geffner of Bankrate.com “Buying a home is a challenging goal for most hopeful homeowners. But for those who have experienced a bankruptcy, foreclosure or short sale, the hurdles are even higher. Still, it’s not impossible to buy a home after financial difficulties, says Dan Keller, a mortgage banker with Hometown Lending in Everett, Wash. In fact,Read more

By: Ken Amaro  | firstcoastnews.com “JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Letitia Early, 51, lost her job in January 2008 and her ability to pay the mortgage on her home. But Early said she never lost her hope. “I limped along and used my savings,” she said, “Everything I had to make my payments.” She was doing everythingRead more

By Elliot Njus | oregonlive.com “An expanded state foreclosure mediation program is showing far more promise for homeowners than its 2012 launch, a virtual nonstarter. In the first six weeks since the expansion took effect in August, the program has received 456 requests for face-to-face meetings between mortgage borrowers and lenders, the Department of JusticeRead more

“A lawsuit accusing Bank of America Corp of reneging on promises to help distressed homeowners modify their mortgage loans and of driving them into foreclosure instead cannot proceed as a class action, a federal judge has ruled. While agreeing that the borrowers’ claims “may well be meritorious,” US District Judge Rya Zobel in Boston saidRead more

Kevin Bouffard | THE LEDGER | “Controversial Lakeland developer Jeff Holden may lose a significant chunk of his commercial real estate holdings to foreclosure unless he can come up with almost $18 million to pay off the mortgages. Two Holden properties have already been placed into receivership under foreclosure actions that began in February 2012 while aRead more

Robert Trigaux | Times Business Columnist | “Consumer ripoffs, scams and disputes are alive, well and changing as the nation emerges from recession, consumer protection experts said Tuesday. “There is a boundless creativity of scammers to find new ways to fleece consumers,” warns Susan Grant, the Consumer Federation of America’s director of consumer protection. Unlicensed contractingRead more