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Linda Hersey (Editor) | Clearwater Patch “Here’s a look at the foreclosure rate for Clearwater, Pinellas County and the state as a whole. Clearwater foreclosure filings dropped by 61 percent in June compared to May, as the number of home sales continue to rise. That is the latest report from RealtyTrac, which monitors foreclosures nationwide. Find Homes InRead more

Jonathan Stempel | Reuters | “Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) rejected allegations that greed and bad faith drove the bank and its workers to push distressed homeowners into foreclosure, rather than help them obtain loan modifications to which they were entitled. The second-largest U.S. bank made its argument in court filings on Friday, in an effortRead more

Florida Current Staff | “Florida once again led the nation in its foreclosure rate for the first six months the year, according to a report released Thursday by RealtyTrac, a California-based company that tracks foreclosed properties. The Sunshine State had one foreclosure filing — a default notice, scheduled auction or bank repossession — for every 58Read more

ILYCE GLINK / MONEYWATCH / “Starting this month, some lenders are offering certain homeowners loan modifications — without even being asked. Under a new plan created by the Federal Housing and Finance Administration, mortgage servicers must offer homeowners who are three to 24 months behind on their payments a plan to help them avoid foreclosure. The StreamlinedRead more

By Scott Blake |     Banks and other mortgage servicers are holding many homes in foreclosure without putting them up for sale, according to local market watchers.    In fact, Florida leads the nation by far in vacant homes in foreclosure, with more than 55,000 homes in foreclosure sitting empty, according to a recent report by RealtyTracRead more

SUZETTE PORTER | “Buying a home is a big deal. Whether it’s your first time or you feel like a seasoned pro, getting what you want at the best price means keeping your eye on the details from beginning to end. A lot of the process involves personal decisions, starting with what type of home youRead more

Garrett Kenny | The Canadian | “I am very pleased to be reporting on the striving property market this month. I have witnessed it first hand as the CEO of Century 21 Team Feltrim. Florida’s property market is rapidly recovering from the property bust years prior and was one of the hardest hit states during theRead more

Al Sunshine | Checks earmarked for thousands of Florida foreclosure victims are finally in the process of being sent out and hundreds of millions of additional dollars more are being earmarked for new housing programs statewide. Yet there is a growing debate about where most of the money is going and if foreclosure victims are reallyRead more

by Kim Miller |  Palm Beach Post | “The founder of a Florida-based mortgage servicing firm was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for her participation in a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently-signed and notarized documents. Lorraine Brown, 56, launched the company DocX, which later became Jacksonville-based LPSRead more

TampaBay Newspapers | CLEARWATER – “One judge’s caseload will be distributed to other Civil Division judges so that he can work fulltime on clearing the more than 16,000 foreclosure cases that are backlogged in Pinellas County. Effective Sept. 1, Circuit Judge Thomas M. Minkoff’s court dockets and calendars will be filled with foreclosure cases that wereRead more