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Michael Sasso | Tribune Staff | “An encouraging jump in home prices in the Sunshine State belies a more troubling fact below the surface: the number of foreclosed homes in banks’ possession keeps rising. RealtyTrac, a national firm that lists foreclosed homes for sale, estimates that 83,238 homes in Florida currently are classified as “real estateRead 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

JANN SWANSON | Mortgage News Daily | “CoreLogic said today that the shadow inventory or pending supply of homes at the end of July consisted of 1.9 million homes with an approximate market value of $293 billion. The shadow inventory is a measure of the number of properties that are seriously delinquent, in foreclosure or held as REORead more

Celia Watson Seupel, Special to CNBC | “When real estate agent John Lebron opened EZ Investments in Tampa, Fla., he may have already been planning fraud. His very first EZ Investments transaction involved selling a distressed property to his sister, then to his brother-in-law, the kind of “non-arms-length” flopping that tips authorities to collusion. LebronRead more

By Michael Braga, Herald-Tribune | “Florida had the highest foreclosure rate in the U.S. in July, according to the Florida Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research. One in every 326 housing units was in foreclosure. Nine of the top 10 cities in the country – in terms of foreclosure rates – were in Florida – Jacksonville,Read more

“A lawsuit accusing Bank of America Corp of reneging on promises to help distressed homeowners modify their mortgage loans and of driving them into foreclosure instead cannot proceed as a class action, a federal judge has ruled. While agreeing that the borrowers’ claims “may well be meritorious,” US District Judge Rya Zobel in Boston saidRead 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

Mary Shanklin | Orlando Sentinel | “Florida led the nation last month with what one expert called an “astounding” rate of all-cash home sales: 66 percent, a new report shows. Investor groups, international buyers, landlords and those in the market for vacation homes are fueling a cash-only market that has virtually shut out entry-level homebuyers, who can’tRead 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

Timothy Gibbons | Managing Editor- Jacksonville Business Journal | “Florida had nine of the top 10 cities with the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, a list led by Jacksonville, according to the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. That’s the third month in a row, the Jacksonville News & Daily Record say, that the stateRead more