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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

Rebecca Freeman | U.S. Finance Post | “The number of foreclosures in July were down 25 percent from a year earlier according to CoreLogic. During the month of July 49,000 foreclosures were completed compared to 53,000 the previous month.That was a decrease of 8.6 percent. In July 2012 there were 65,000 foreclosures. For context, CoreLogic pointed toRead more

By Francys Vallecillo | World Property Channel | “The U.S. foreclosure inventory decreased 32 percent in July compared to last year, according to the latest numbers from CoreLogic. The inventory included approximately 949,000 homes in some stage of foreclosure. As of July, the foreclosure inventory represented 2.4 percent of all homes with a mortgage, compared toRead more

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

ALEX FERRERAS | “The latest housing data from the Florida Association of Realtors has revealed that the Sunshine State’s housing market is now in recovery mode – despite the fact the state suffered massive foreclosure losses over the last 6 years. Florida is not only witnessing double-digit gains in statewide home sales, new listings, pending salesRead 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

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

By Christine DeGangi | AOL Real Estate | “Maryland’s foreclosure starts in July increased 275 percent from last year, according to RealtyTrac’s July 2013 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Overall Maryland foreclosure activity — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — saw a 148 percent increase since July 2012 with one in every 598 housing units inRead more

Les Christie  @CNNMoney | “States like Maryland, Oregon and New Jersey, which maintained relatively stable markets after the housing bubble popped, saw new foreclosure filings climb by double- and triple-digit percentages in July, according to RealtyTrac. In Maryland, for example, new foreclosure filings skyrocketed 275% compared with a year earlier. When it came to overall foreclosure activity, includingRead more

ILYCE GLINK | Moneywatch | CBS News | “Throughout the housing crisis, short sales have generally been praised as a good deal for everyone: distressed homeowners get a chance to avoid foreclosure, banks recoup more money from the sale and buyers get a great deal. But it’s not all roses. In fact, in some areasRead more