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Raju Chebium | Gannett Washington Bureau | “California’s hard-hit housing market has improved considerably since the crisis of 2008 but Congress should pass President Barack Obama’s latest proposals to keep that recovery on track, Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said Monday. The White House released a raft of evidence touting California’s housing recovery due to policies adopted since ObamaRead more

Timothy Gibbons | Managing Editor- Jacksonville Business Journal | “Florida had nine of the top 10 cities with the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, a list led by Jacksonville, according to the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. That’s the third month in a row, the Jacksonville News & Daily Record say, that the stateRead more

Jesse Hamilton | Bloomberg | “EverBank Financial Corp. (EVER) will make $37 million in cash payments to past mortgage borrowers to settle claims it improperly handled foreclosures, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said in a statement. With the agreement, EverBank joins 14 other loan servicers that struck similar deals with the OCC andRead more

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | “A national report issued Thursday maintains that more than 120,000 Floridians have received billions in aid so far from five major banks. That same report — required as part of a landmark $25 billion settlement that grew out of an investigation of reported foreclosure abuses — shows that much of theRead more

William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer | Scott and Jill Kelley’s posh home on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa is in foreclosure. CAROLINA HIDALGO | Times “Attorneys had gathered in a conference room to question the Tampa socialite who had unwittingly triggered the scandal that ended the career of CIA director David Petraeus. Jill Kelley’s house isRead more

By KEVIN WIATROWSKI | Tribune staff | “An audit of Tampa’s Neighborhood Empowerment division has found the agency failed to collect more than $450,000 in registration fees for foreclosed properties this year. The report prompted a dressing down of division director Jake Slater during Thursday’s Tampa City Council meeting. Slater’s division oversees the city’s foreclosure registryRead more

PRWeb.com | Digital Journal | HARP Mortgage Lender (http://harpmortgagelender.com) , a national network of mortgage professionals who are approved for the Home Affordable Refinance Program, reported that Florida HARP applications have dropped in the second quarter of 2013 as mortgage rates continue to rise. The Florida Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was revised in late 2011Read more

by HousingWire Staff | “Arizona and California are no longer the foreclosure laughingstocks of the nation, according to USA Today reporter Tim Mullaney. In fact, the sand states recently staged an amazing recovery on the foreclosure front. In his USA Today update, Mullaney writes: In states hit hardest by the housing bust — Arizona, California,Read more

Jeff Harrington | Tampa Bay Times |  “The latest job cuts will be split between two Chase locations near Tampa International Airport and are effective Oct. 11. JPMorgan Chase is closing several business units in Tampa set up to help distressed homeowners, a decision that signifies an improving economy even as it triggers more than 600Read more

Wayne T. Price and Lee Nessel | Florida Today | “Many area Realtors, and others involved in the housing market, say changes probably are needed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but the key will be moving slowly and cautiously. “This is a very forward-looking notion,” said Geoffrey K. Turnbull, a professor of real estate atRead more