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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

PRWeb.com | Digital Journal | HARP Mortgage Lender (http://harpmortgagelender.com) , a national network of mortgage professionals who are approved for the Home Affordable Refinance Program, reported that Florida HARP applications have dropped in the second quarter of 2013 as mortgage rates continue to rise. The Florida Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was revised in late 2011Read more

by Kim Miller | Palm Beach Post | “A steep drop in Palm Beach County foreclosure filings last month may be the result of the state’s new fast-track foreclosure law, which requires lenders to file specific documents with the initial case. Attorney Heather Hatch, (L), looks over documents with Louise Plasse, (R), a lawyer fromRead more

by HousingWire Staff | “Arizona and California are no longer the foreclosure laughingstocks of the nation, according to USA Today reporter Tim Mullaney. In fact, the sand states recently staged an amazing recovery on the foreclosure front. In his USA Today update, Mullaney writes: In states hit hardest by the housing bust — Arizona, California,Read more

Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times | “Tampa Bay home prices last month made their highest year-over-year jump since the housing boom, soaring 27 percent over July 2012 and reenergizing worries about a new bubble. The typical single-family home here sold last month for $172,000, the highest median price in five years, as buyers clawedRead more

Jeff Harrington | Tampa Bay Times |  “The latest job cuts will be split between two Chase locations near Tampa International Airport and are effective Oct. 11. JPMorgan Chase is closing several business units in Tampa set up to help distressed homeowners, a decision that signifies an improving economy even as it triggers more than 600Read more

Wayne T. Price and Lee Nessel | Florida Today | “Many area Realtors, and others involved in the housing market, say changes probably are needed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but the key will be moving slowly and cautiously. “This is a very forward-looking notion,” said Geoffrey K. Turnbull, a professor of real estate atRead more