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by Kim Miller |  Palm Beach Post | “The founder of a Florida-based mortgage servicing firm was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for her participation in a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently-signed and notarized documents. Lorraine Brown, 56, launched the company DocX, which later became Jacksonville-based LPSRead more

TampaBay Newspapers | CLEARWATER – “One judge’s caseload will be distributed to other Civil Division judges so that he can work fulltime on clearing the more than 16,000 foreclosure cases that are backlogged in Pinellas County. Effective Sept. 1, Circuit Judge Thomas M. Minkoff’s court dockets and calendars will be filled with foreclosure cases that wereRead more

by Kim Miller | “The number of foreclosed homes that have been abandoned by their owners is by far the highest in Florida with 55,503 properties sitting empty and in some stage of a bank takeover. That’s 33 percent of the national total with Illinois coming second with 17,672 vacant and foreclosed homes. In aRead more

Posted by Kerri Ann Panchuk | “When Florida’s Governor Rick Scott signed House Bill 87 – the so-called foreclosure Rocket Docket bill – he had no idea he was opening another can of worms and potentially giving foreclosure defense attorneys more tools in their arsenal to delay foreclosures. The bill was passed into law to deal withRead more

By Lauren Carroll, Times Staff Writer | “Homeowners facing foreclosure should prepare for speedier judgment than they might expect. Last week, Gov. Rick Scott approved legislation intended to expedite the foreclosure process, which led the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit to make changes that will affect lenders and buyers. Currently, the average Florida foreclosure case lasts about 900 days. ChiefRead more

Reported by: Amanda Warford | JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Look around, there’s probably a foreclosure in your neighborhood, and those homes can sit empty for years due to a huge backlog in Florida courts. Since 2008, when the average foreclosure took five months, the process has been known to last as long as 814 days. This week, Gov.Read more

HispanicBusiness.com | “A foreclosure bill emerged from Florida‘s legislature and found its way to the governor’s desk. The new law expedites foreclosures on abandoned properties and reduces the window of time for lender to obtain a deficiency judgment. Florida Gov. Rick Scott was busy on Friday, signing 34 state bills into law — including a bill knownRead more

By JACKIE CALMES | WASHINGTON — “Despite signs of revival in housing, the Obama administration announced on Thursday an extension of its principal program for helping distressed homeowners to get mortgage modifications and avoid foreclosure. Jacob J. Lew, the Treasury secretary, and Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the Making Home Affordable program, whichRead more

Drew Harwell | Times Staff Writer | “Suffer a foreclosure abuse while losing your home? How does $1,480 sound? That’s how much 72,000 Floridians will receive from a big bank settlement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday. The $106 million in checks will be split among homeowners who filed claims of wrongdoing after their foreclosure betweenRead more

By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel | A homeowner-advocacy group is pressuring Florida Gov. Rick Scott to veto a bill that would expedite foreclosures in the state starting July 1. The new state law would allow banks to complete foreclosures without court hearings, unless a homeowner requests to have a specific case heard by a judge.In the past, allRead more