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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

Megan Hopkins | Housing Wire | “The Obama Administration’s foreclosure mitigation programs continue to assist million of homeowners throughout the country as housing continues to bounce back from a crisis that left too many homeowners underwater. Nonetheless, the government is staying cautious about issues in mortgage servicing. Delinquencies remain high, the Obama Administration’s scorecard revealed, especially whenRead more

ASSOCIATED PRESS | “President Barack Obama says the housing market is healing, but it’s time to turn the page on the “bubble-and-bust mentality” that led to the market’s collapse. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama calls on Congress to let all Americans refinance at current low rates. He wants more help for first-time homebuyers andRead more

Tim Mullaney | USA TODAY | “After years of being the USA’s foreclosure laughingstocks, Arizona and California now have better credit than the rest of us. That’s from an analysis released last week by Fannie Mae, which chronicled the performance of its $2.8 trillion loan portfolio. In states hit hardest by the housing bust — Arizona,Read more