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by MortgageOrb.com| “The national mortgage delinquency rate (loans 30 or more days past due, but not in foreclosure) increased 4.23% in September to reach 6.46% of all mortgages, according to Lender Processing Services’ (LPS) First Look Mortgage Report, which covers about 70% of the U.S. housing market. Still, the delinquency rate for September was down 12.63%Read more

Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times | “Florida is seeing fewer foreclosure filings, but so is everyone else, keeping the Sunshine State on top of the national heap for foreclosure rates, new data from research firm RealtyTrac show. About 70,000 statewide housing units saw a foreclosure filing in July, August and September, down 7 percentRead more

Conor Dougherty | The Wall Street Journal | “The number of foreclosed homes continues to fall across the country, which is helping the U.S. housing market creep back to normal. There were some 48,000 foreclosures completed in August, down 35% from a year ago, according to a release by CoreLogic. At the same time the inventoryRead 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 Elliot Njus | oregonlive.com “An expanded state foreclosure mediation program is showing far more promise for homeowners than its 2012 launch, a virtual nonstarter. In the first six weeks since the expansion took effect in August, the program has received 456 requests for face-to-face meetings between mortgage borrowers and lenders, the Department of JusticeRead more

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

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

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