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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

By  ILYCE GLINK / MONEYWATCH/ (MoneyWatch) So-called zombie homes are appearing on the real estate market, but they’re not built to keep out the walking dead. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the U.S. are now labeled as “zombie” foreclosures. That’s when the owner of a foreclosed home leaves only to find out years later that heRead more

A split has emerged between the Florida House and Senate on how to use $200 million the state received as part of a multi-state agreement with five major lenders. The main spending panel in the Senate will take up a proposed committee bill (SB 7146) Wednesday that would divide the money into a number ofRead more

“Florida Senator Bill Nelson wants the U.S. bailout program overseer to determine why Florida is missing out on many intended benefits for homeowners facing foreclosure that was suppose to come from the so-called Hardest Hit Fund. In a letter accusing Florida officials of “mismanagement” and “inaction,” Nelson is seeking an investigation by the special inspectorRead more