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by NorthEscambia.com | “While Gov. Rick Scott travels the state touting job growth and an unemployment rate below the national average, a report released last week by state analysts points to some continuing economic problems such as a lack of income growth and persistent home foreclosures. Florida had a 1.5 percent decline in personal incomeRead 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

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

Brian Bandell | South Florida Business Journal | “O.J. Simpson didn’t fare as well in front of Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Gisela Cardonne Ely as he did before Judge Lance Ito, as the former judge sent his Kendall home to foreclosure auction. The football legend, currently in a Nevada prison after a robbery and kidnapping conviction, lost an $892,283 foreclosure judgmentRead 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