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Associated Press | “The House approved legislation Tuesday night to roll back a recently enacted overhaul of the federal flood insurance program, after homeowners in flood-prone areas complained about sharp premium increases. The bill would allow sellers to pass along their subsidized, below-market insurance rates to new buyers and lower the limit on how muchRead more

The Staff | National Mortgage Professional Magazine | “RealtyTrac released its January 2014 Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report, which shows that institutional investors — defined as entities purchasing at least 10 properties in a calendar year — accounted for 5.2 percent of all U.S. residential property sales in January, down from 7.9 percent in December andRead more

Mamta Badkar | Business Insider | “According to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, 11.8% of New Jersey’s loans in foreclosure are seriously delinquent. That figure sees New Jersey oust Florida from the top spot, which has 11.7% of seriously delinquent loans. New York takes the third spot at 9.11%. Following this, Bloomberg News reported that “the epicenterRead more

By John Hielscher | Herald-Tribune | “A popular tax break that has saved struggling Southwest Florida homeowners millions of dollars is slated to expire at the end of this year. The tax deduction on forgiven mortgage debt has been available for the past seven years, one of a number of measures intended to ease financial pressure broughtRead more

Press Release | Digital Journal | “RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the nation’s leading source for comprehensive housing data, today released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for September and the third quarter of 2013, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 131,232 U.S. properties in September, a 2 percent increase from theRead more

MARTHA BRANNIGAN | Miami Herald | “Even as Florida’s housing market is showing solid recovery with impressive gains in prices and sales volume, the state led the nation in foreclosures completed in the year ended in August; no other state was even close, according to CoreLogic. Of the 658,463 foreclosures completed nationwide during the 12-monthRead more

Solomon Poretsky, Demand Media | “Florida’s legislature passed the “Florida Fair Foreclosure Act” on July 1, 2013. It’s designed to help clear up Florida’s large backlog of foreclosures. As written, it contains protections for both lenders and borrowers and spans both owner-occupied and investment properties. Even with the homeowner protections, the law is unpopular withRead more

Scott Gunnerson | FLORIDA TODAY | “Zombies are everywhere lately, it seems. TV shows, video games, even chasing runners during special 5K races. You might even have a zombie next door. The first sign of trouble: An unmaintained yard, growing wild amid Florida’s summer heat and rain. “Zombie” properties — homes abandoned by the owners, but stillRead 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

Megan Hopkins | Housing Wire | “The Obama Administration’s foreclosure mitigation programs continue to assist million of homeowners throughout the country as housing continues to bounce back from a crisis that left too many homeowners underwater. Nonetheless, the government is staying cautious about issues in mortgage servicing. Delinquencies remain high, the Obama Administration’s scorecard revealed, especially whenRead more