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“Citing a higher than average foreclosure rate, Moody’s Investors Service assigned a negative outlook for the city of St. Petersburg. The negative outlook was part of an Oct. 3 report from Moody’s that also affirmed the city’s Aa2 issuer rating, or a measure of the city’s ability to meet its obligations. The affirmation of theRead more

Celia Watson Seupel, Special to CNBC | “When real estate agent John Lebron opened EZ Investments in Tampa, Fla., he may have already been planning fraud. His very first EZ Investments transaction involved selling a distressed property to his sister, then to his brother-in-law, the kind of “non-arms-length” flopping that tips authorities to collusion. LebronRead more

By John Hielscher |  “In 2009, nearly half of all Sarasota and Manatee county homeowners with mortgages owed more money on their loans than their properties were worth. Thanks to rising home prices and an improving economy, the percentage of so-called “underwater” homeowners regionwide has dropped significantly. But the Sarasota-Manatee region still has one of the nation’sRead more

by TallahasseeRealEstate | Tallahassee.com “A good friend of mine who is also a real estate investor sent me an article yesterday that provides some insight as to why Tallahassee foreclosures are going nowhere fast. The recent article by 247wallst.com on “zombie homes,” pointed out that roughly one in every five of the 770,000 homes in foreclosure across the USRead more

By Michael Braga, Herald-Tribune | “Florida had the highest foreclosure rate in the U.S. in July, according to the Florida Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research. One in every 326 housing units was in foreclosure. Nine of the top 10 cities in the country – in terms of foreclosure rates – were in Florida – Jacksonville,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

Solomon Poretsky, Demand Media | “Florida’s legislature passed the “Florida Fair Foreclosure Act” on July 1, 2013. It’s designed to help clear up Florida’s large backlog of foreclosures. As written, it contains protections for both lenders and borrowers and spans both owner-occupied and investment properties. Even with the homeowner protections, the law is unpopular withRead more

Linda Hersey | SaintPetersBlog | “More homes sold in St. Petersburg than any other Pinellas County city in July. But Florida overall tops the nation in the percentage of underwater homes and short sales, according to new statistics. RealtyTrac, which monitors homes in foreclosure, reports that in August the Sunshine State was No. 2 in theRead more