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John Hielscher | Herald Tribune | “Florida held the nation’s top spot again in January for both the most completed foreclosures and the highest percentage of distressed properties. A total of 116,000 foreclosures were completed in Florida during the 12-month period ended last month, more than twice as many as any other state, data provider CoreLogicRead more

Paul Owers | Sun Sentinel | “Just 10 days before Christmas 2009, Ganel Appolon found an envelope taped to his front door. He and his family were being evicted from their Tamarac home. Appolon had fallen behind on his mortgage payments, and the lender repossessed the property under terms of his bankruptcy filing. Despite the financial setback, Appolon vowedRead more

News Release: Florida Senate | WCTV | “Today SB 542 by Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) passed the Senate Committee on Appropriations with strong unanimous support. The bill lays the framework for a private flood insurance marketplace in Florida in response to rate increases from the National Flood Insurance Program. “Florida families are facing foreclosureRead more

Prashant Gopal | Bloomberg | The rate of new foreclosures in the U.S. dropped to the lowest level in eight years as rising property prices erased negative equity and allowed more delinquent homeowners to sell without losing money. The share of loans on which foreclosure actions were started declined in the fourth quarter to 0.54 percent from 0.7 percentRead more

MortgageOrb.com | “The end of 2013 showed broad improvements in delinquency and foreclosure rates, dropping to their lowest levels in six years, reports the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) in its Q4 2013 National Delinquency Survey. The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.39% of all loans outstandingRead more

Tara Steele | AgentGenius | “According to RealtyTrac data out today, although bank repossessions are at their lowest level since July 2007, foreclosure starts rose over 50 percent annually in several states like California, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey. Foreclosure activity fell 18 percent annually, but rose 8.0 percent in January from December, which RealtyTrac says isRead more

Jane Meinhardt | Tampa Bay Business Journal | “The Tony Cheval Golf & Country Club in Lutz is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The popular 18-hole golf course golf course property was in foreclosure proceedings when the bankruptcy petition was filed Feb. 6, court records show. The property includes the golf course, practice facility, clubhouse,Read more

Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times | “Tampa Bay saw 20 percent fewer foreclosure filings last month than in January 2013, a sign that lingering distress from the housing crash continues to slowly fade from view, RealtyTrac data released today show. But the good news ends there. Tampa Bay posted the seventh-highest foreclosure rate inRead more

Alexander E.M. Hess, Michael B. Sauter and Thomas C. Frohlich | 24/7 Wall St. | USA Today “Last December, 16.2% of all home sales involved distressed properties, according to a recent report. These homes were sold at an average discount of nearly 40% when compared to conventional, non-distressed homes. Housing data site RealtyTrac recently releasedRead more

Rich Shopes | Tampa Bay Times | “The county’s community development office on Tuesday rolled out a new interest-free loan program aimed at helping low-income seniors burdened by big tax bills. The program, which is intended to curb foreclosures from delinquent taxes, is funded by a $300,000 state housing grant. It’s aimed at low-income folksRead more