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Robert Trigaux | Times Business Columnist | “Consumer ripoffs, scams and disputes are alive, well and changing as the nation emerges from recession, consumer protection experts said Tuesday. “There is a boundless creativity of scammers to find new ways to fleece consumers,” warns Susan Grant, the Consumer Federation of America’s director of consumer protection. Unlicensed contractingRead more

Lisa Mahapatra | International Business Times | “A total of 55,000 foreclosures were completed in June, a 20 percent decline from a year earlier, according to a just-released report from CoreLogic , a financial services and analytics firm. The number of distressed homes have fallen for 19 consecutive months, as have the number of homes that are seriouslyRead more

Francys Vallecillo | World Property Channel | “The number of completed foreclosures in the U.S. decreased 20 percent in June from the same time last year, according to the latest data from CoreLogic. The data also showed positive signs for the foreclosure inventory in the U.S. In June, there were about one million homes inRead more

“HARP Mortgage Lenders, a national network of mortgage professionals who are approved for the Home Affordable Refinance Program , reported that recent Florida foreclosure rates are improving, but some counties are still swimming in waves of foreclosures and HARP 2.0 may just be the solution to their problem. According to RealtyTrac (the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties and real estateRead more

Fox23.com | “Ally Financial and its related companies are paying about $198 million to settle federal complaints that the companies wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners. The Federal Reserve announced the agreement Friday with Ally Financial, the former lending arm of General Motors known as GMAC Mortgage. Ally’s settlement is similar to accords between federal regulators and 13 otherRead more

Martin Michaels | Mint Press News | Protesters marched for International Workers Day on May Day in Minneapolis, Minn. (Photo/Fibonacci Blue via Flickr) “Last week, housing rights advocates in 15 U.S. cities delivered 10,000 petition signatures to Chase Bank branches demanding justice for Sergio Ceballos, a Minneapolis resident who faces what advocates believe is an unjust foreclosure proceeding.Read more

eCreditDaily | “There is a considerably larger volume of loans in the foreclosure process in judicial states — where a judge presides — and that appears to be impeding home price recovery in those states. An analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that the average number of days that a mortgageRead more

Watch List News | “HARP Mortgage Lender, a national Internet network of pre-approved loan specialists qualified to deal in the Obama administration’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), reports that recent government figures see Florida borrowers using more HARP loans for deeply underwater borrowers than any state in the nation—a clear signal that updates made to the program,Read more

Shanthi Bharatwaj | NuWire | “A total of 127,790 properties had foreclosure filings in June, down 14% from the previous month and down 35% from a year ago, reaching their lowest level since December 2006, according to a report released by RealtyTrac. In the first half of 2013, a total of 801,359 properties had a foreclosureRead more

Josh Salman | Herald Tribune | “Courts across Florida are chipping away at massive foreclosure backlogs, and while that pace may accelerate thanks to a new law aimed at further expediting the process, choked court systems remain a reality throughout the state. In the 12th Judicial Circuit, which includes Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties, more thanRead more