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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

SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN | Tampa Bay Times | “In February, a new company in Tampa called RE-710 got a terrific deal. It paid $5,700 for a five-bedroom home valued at $311,000. The same month, RE-710 acquired control of dozens of other houses and condos throughout the Tampa Bay area for just cents on the dollar.Read 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

BRIAN J. O’CONNOR | DETROIT NEWS FINANCE EDITOR | “The former president of a Georgia company that filed more than 1 million forged foreclosure documents in Michigan and other states was sentenced to five years in federal prison Tuesday. Lorraine Brown: Former President of DocX Lorraine Brown, the former president of the DocX document processing firmRead more

By Michael Estrin of Bankrate.com “You dream of taking ownership of a vacant home by living in it. Then legal reality sets in. Describing himself as a “savvy investor,” a man used an arcane property-law doctrine known as adverse possession to squat in a vacant Dallas-area home. Kenneth Robinson’s gambit cost him $16 in filing fees paid to theRead more

The neighbors are outraged, but the Texas resident says his takeover is legal and will eventually give him title to the suburban Dallas home. By Teresa at MSN Real Estate “We all dream of scoring a great deal on a house. But a $330,000 house for $16? Kenneth Robinson of the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas,Read more

By: Amy Green | May 13, 2013 | WMFE – A consumer advocacy group is calling on Gov. Rick Scott to veto legislation aimed at accelerating the foreclosure process. Advocates say the bill should focus on banks and funding for judges, not homeowners. The bill allows more parties – like homeowners and condominium associations –Read more

A few lenders are offering loans to borrowers with damaged credit. But, unlike during the boom, they are asking for big down payments and lots of documentation. By Teresa at MSN Real Estate They’re ba-ack. We don’t mean ghosts. But some may see the ghosts of the real-estate crash past in the reappearance of subprime loans.Read more