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“Florida Senator Bill Nelson wants the U.S. bailout program overseer to determine why Florida is missing out on many intended benefits for homeowners facing foreclosure that was suppose to come from the so-called Hardest Hit Fund. In a letter accusing Florida officials of “mismanagement” and “inaction,” Nelson is seeking an investigation by the special inspectorRead more

By Kenneth R. Harney, Special to the Times |   “WASHINGTON — Jeanette Ogle, a 92-year-old widow with a reverse mortgage on her house, got a birthday surprise last week: She did not lose her home at a scheduled foreclosure auction that had drawn scrutiny from federal and state agencies and consumer advocates. Because ofRead more

by Robin Sussingham | A decade ago, speculators in Florida were pumping up a huge housing bubble. “You couldn’t go wrong,” Tampa real estate attorney Charlie Hounchell says. In that overheated period from 2001 to 2006, “you could buy a house and make $100,000 a year later by selling it,” he says. But the party ended in 2007Read more

By Kenneth R. Harney, Special to the Times |   WASHINGTON — In the contentious debate over whether to reduce or eliminate the home-mortgage interest tax deduction — or leave it alone — one fact has been virtually unchallenged: The popular write-off used by millions of American owners costs the government massive amounts of revenue,Read more

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer | TAMPA — When Charles Dowman, a hydrogeologist moving from San Francisco, began house-hunting with his wife and two children, he sought a charming, craftsman-style home in South Tampa and didn’t mind a fixer-upper. But after looking, and missing out on, about 35 houses, Dowman found “it was hard toRead more

 From Suze Orman (VIDEO)       If your home is in foreclosure, there is no reason to claim bankruptcy. When personal finance expertSuze Orman met with me on Mondays With Marlo, she explained that the government extended a law which states that even if you owe the bank any money, you won’t owe income taxRead more

Look, I know what you are thinking. Every day, it seems, comes news of another mortgage lawsuit or settlement, including a foreclosure abuse deal between HSBC and federal regulators announced Friday. It’s hard to keep them all straight. Frankly, if you didn’t lose your home to foreclosure, or come close to doing so, you might notRead more

                                This week in celebrity real estate, Anna Nicole Smith’s home has sold, six years after her death, and actor Jeremy Renner listed a mammoth mansion for sale. Anna Nicole Smith’s home sells; proceeds go to daughter Six years after theRead more

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer | Florida is still suffering beneath a deluge of home foreclosures, leading the nation with the highest state foreclosure rate of 2012, research firm RealtyTrac reported today. One in 32 homes in the Sunshine State faced foreclosure last year, more than double the national average. That equates to nearly 280,000 homesRead more

WASHINGTON (AP) — British bank HSBC will pay $249 million to settle federal complaints that its U.S. division wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. The agreement with the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is similar to deals with 12 other banksRead more