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By ASSOCIATED PRESS |   “TALLAHASSEE — With tens of thousands of foreclosure cases clogged in the state’s courts, the Florida Supreme Court is signing off on a plan to use lawyers — and not judges — to handle them. The court on Thursday issued an order that will allow chief judges across the state to use “generalRead more

By John Hielscher | Florida again led the nation with the highest percentage of homes in foreclosure in March, according to a new report. Facts HIGHEST PERCENTAGE: 9.7% of state’s homes were in such distress in March The state’s foreclosure inventory — those in some stage of foreclosure — extended to 9.7 percent of all mortgaged homesRead more

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA | Two hundred million dollars from banks would go for various housing programs, and to help the homeless, under legislation passed Tuesday by the Florida House. The money was earmarked from the national mortgage settlement. Bank of America was one of five large banks that paid the state $334 million to settleRead 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

By JENNA BUZZACCO-FOERSTER |   TALLAHASSEE — Legislation to streamline the state’s foreclosure process has cleared its final legislative hurdle. Now the fate of House Bill 87 — the mortgage foreclosure bill carried by Rep.Kathleen Passidomo , R-Naples, in the House and Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, in the Senate — lies in the hands of Gov. Rick Scott . The stateRead more

Foreclosure | By Zac Anderson, Herald-Tribune |   TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers rammed a controversial fast-track foreclosure bill through a second Senate committee Tuesday, limiting debate on legislation critics say weakens legal protections for homeowners. The legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 6-2 and is gaining momentum after little activity in recent weeks. Even lawmakers who voted againstRead more

By LYNN HATTER | Florida received more than $330 million as part of a multi-state foreclosure fraud settlement with the nation’s biggest banks. Other states have used their share of the dollars to plug budget holes, and they’ve been criticized for not spending the money on housing-related issues. That’s not the case in Florida. Still, as theRead more

By: Associated Press | “TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The senator sponsoring a bill that would overhaul the state’s mortgage foreclosure system has temporarily yanked it from consideration. Sen. Jack Latvala on Monday withdrew the bill (SB 1666) as 10 minutes remained in the Senate Judiciary committee meeting on Monday. The Clearwater Republican later said the billRead more

  Written by: Brian O’Connell | Daren Blomquist, a vice-president at RealtyTrac, sees an interesting trend in the U.S. real estate market: The emergence of the “zombie” home. Blomquist laid it out in a recent “state of the real industry” presentation in Las Vegas describing how zombie homes are rising, bringing down the value of neighboring homes inRead more