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By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer “In a landmark robo-signing case, a former executive of a Jacksonville mortgage-processing giant faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to orchestrating years of fraudulent foreclosure documents, according to a plea deal filed Tuesday in Jacksonville federal court. Lorraine Brown, who headed a Georgia processing firm, DocX,Read more

Reuters | “Applications for U.S. home mortgages fell last week as Superstorm Sandy battered the East Coast and disrupted normal business activity for millions of people, an industry group said on Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity fell 5 percent in the week ended Nov. 2. TheRead more

By CHRISTINA REXRODE | The Associated Press | “The latest federal lawsuit over alleged mortgage fraud paints an unflattering picture of a doomed lender: Executives at Countrywide Financial urged workers to churn out loans, accepted fudged applications and tried to hide ballooning defaults. The suit, filed Wednesday by the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, also underscored how BankRead more

By Les Christie @CNNMoney | “Foreclosures fell in nearly two-thirds of the nation’s largest metro areas during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac Thursday. With 62% of the nation’s 212 largest markets seeing foreclosure activity shrink during the latest quarter, the ongoing decline is yet another sign that the housing market is starting to stabilize. During September, foreclosureRead more

By: Diana Olick CNBC Real Estate Reporter |   “Who can forget the heady days of the housing boom when property flippers would follow condo developers around like hungry wolves, waiting to pounce on new projects before one grain of earth had moved? Property auctions for single family homes weren’t any different, as novice buyers wereRead more

By: Diana Olick CNBC Real Estate Reporter Watch:  Where ReFi Money is Going (Video)  “U.S. home owners are refinancing their mortgages at the fastest clip since 2005, but the difference now is they are putting cash in, not taking it out. At the going rate, 25 percent of all first-lien U.S. mortgages will be refinanced thisRead more

By Reuters | “The American Civil Liberties Union sued Morgan Stanley on Monday, in what the group said is the first lawsuit against an investment bank alleging racial discrimination over packaging subprime mortgage loans into securities. The lawsuit alleges Morgan Stanley encouraged a unit of now-bankrupt New Century Financial Corp to target black borrowers disproportionatelyRead more

By Jody Shenn, Clea Benson and Heather Perlberg | “Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Ginnie Mae are seeking to protect taxpayers as a flood of new lenders apply to do business with them. That’s also helping big banks’ profit and blunting Federal Reserve efforts to boost housing. Fannie Mae, the government-supported mortgage financier, has begun limiting howRead more

By The Miami Herald “Florida is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the number of homes in foreclosure and the number of people on the verge of losing their homes. But the Sunshine State is last in the nation when it comes to using the billions of dollars in available housing aid from a nationalRead more

  Defense of homeowners and real estate investors in foreclosure actions. Representing both homeowners and real estate investors, we have taken our practical experience and knowledge of business and real estate litigation into the ever growing field of real estate foreclosure defense. Whether you are homeowner facing the loss of your home, or a realRead more