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By LYNN HATTER | Florida received more than $330 million as part of a multi-state foreclosure fraud settlement with the nation’s biggest banks. Other states have used their share of the dollars to plug budget holes, and they’ve been criticized for not spending the money on housing-related issues. That’s not the case in Florida. Still, as theRead more

By: Associated Press | “TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The senator sponsoring a bill that would overhaul the state’s mortgage foreclosure system has temporarily yanked it from consideration. Sen. Jack Latvala on Monday withdrew the bill (SB 1666) as 10 minutes remained in the Senate Judiciary committee meeting on Monday. The Clearwater Republican later said the billRead more

  Written by: Brian O’Connell | Daren Blomquist, a vice-president at RealtyTrac, sees an interesting trend in the U.S. real estate market: The emergence of the “zombie” home. Blomquist laid it out in a recent “state of the real industry” presentation in Las Vegas describing how zombie homes are rising, bringing down the value of neighboring homes inRead more

Calling Florida’s No. 1 ranking on foreclosures “shameful,” some lawmakers are pushing for reforms to the foreclosure law, hoping to help homeowners keep their properties. At a Tuesday press conference, some Democrats in the Florida Legislature pushed for new changes to laws governing Florida’s hundreds of thousands distressed properties. They say the changes are necessary to protectRead more

  “TAMPA — Tampa Bay posted the nation’s fourth-highest foreclosure rate last month as the sludge of bad home loans continues to gum up local courts, RealtyTrac data released today show. More than 5,000 notices of mortgage default, foreclosure auction or repossession were sent across Tampa Bay last month, a 23 percent jump over lastRead more

BayNews9 | BRADENTON — “Florida’s foreclosure rates led the nation in February for the sixth consecutive month. And the Bay area was among the communities hit hard. According to Bay News 9’s partner newspaper the Bradenton Herald, the Bay area was the fourth-highest for foreclosures in the country. And the Manatee-Sarasota area jumped to 13th. RealtyTrac, which tracks foreclosuresRead more

Big banks are finding a way to benefit from what was supposed to be their punishment in the robo-signing scandal. In Florida, they have spent 75 percent of $7.7 billion in settlement outlays approving short sales and forgiving home-equity loans, earning credit for debts they were unlikely to collect or sales that would have happenedRead more

By The Miami Herald “Florida is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the number of homes in foreclosure and the number of people on the verge of losing their homes. But the Sunshine State is last in the nation when it comes to using the billions of dollars in available housing aid from a nationalRead more