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Orlando, FL - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Orlando mortgage lender FBC recently released their Central Florida Mortgage Report for June 2011. All of the data contained in the report is compiled from financed properties located in Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola and Lake Counties and excludes condos and distressed properties unable to obtain financing.

ORLANDO, FL - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing condo sales rose 8 percent in June with a total of 7,941 units sold statewide compared to 7,330 sold in June 2010, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $93,900; a year earlier, it was $92,300 for a 2 percent increase.

Destin, FL - June 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homeowners who have suffered through illegal foreclosures to become victims at the hands of bankers should be financially compensated by the lenders, according to a new Housing Predictor opinion poll.

Destin , FL - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new Housing Predictor survey reveals that Americans are almost amazingly as divided as Congress on how to handle the growing foreclosure crisis. And a large portion of them say that the U.S. government should just let homeowners in default on mortgages get foreclosed.

Washington, DC - May 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) was joined by 17 of his House colleagues in introducing legislation to aid economic recovery by preventing federal bank regulators from arbitrarily penalizing community banks for working with borrowers to modify their loans or accepting mortgage payments from someone other than the borrower. Since the 2008 financial crisis, federal bank regulators have been unnecessarily obstructing the ability of community banks to make and modify loans to small businesses and mortgage recipients.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - April 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of Jose Claudio Pereira, owner of BR Mortgage Group Corporation, on charges of racketeering for his part in fraudulent mortgage transactions in Broward, St. Lucie and Brevard counties.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Jacksonville Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling Duval County homeowners. The Jacksonville Center, the latest of eight Mortgage Help Centers to open across the country, is part of Fannie Mae's nationwide initiative to educate families about the options and tools available to help them stay in their homes. The Center was developed in partnership with Wealth Watchers, Duval County community and elected officials, and area mortgage servicers

WASHINGTON, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Tampa Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling homeowners in the Greater Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Center, the seventh Mortgage Help Center to open across the country, is part of Fannie Mae's nationwide initiative to educate families about the options and tools available to help them stay in their homes.

February 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to encourage first-time homebuyers into the market, Hillsborough County Affordable Housing Department has $1 million in funding available to help qualifying households purchase their first home. The funds are available through the County’s First Time Homebuyer (FHTB) Program from State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program Funds. The Program helps low to moderate-income homebuyers with closing costs and down payment assistance. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of mortgage fraud scammer Guillermo Fraginals Parra, 37, of Hialeah, on charges of first degree grand theft. Parra, the 18th individual arrested in this scam, was a real estate appraiser at the time the crimes occurred and was being paid on the side to inflate the value of various condominiums in the Brickell Bay Condo Community

TALLAHASSEE, FL - October 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced an on-going effort to rein in mortgage servicers and protect Floridians from purported deceptive and unfair practices. Attorney General McCollum, along with 48 other Attorneys General, are part of a multistate effort to stop mortgage loan servicers from allegedly submitting affidavits or signing notices that appear to have procedural defects of either a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - October 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a multi state agreement with Wells Fargo Bank over allegations of deceptive marketing of payment option adjustable rate mortgage loans (POA’s) by Wachovia Corporation and Golden West Corporation, before Wells Fargo acquired the companies. From April 1, 2010 through the term of the agreement, more than 4,000 Florida POA borrowers will be eligible for loan modifications that are expected to provide almost $388 million in mortgage relief in Florida. This sum includes more than $208 million in principal forgiveness for Florida homeowners. Overall, loan modifications will be offered to 8,700 borrowers in eight states with a total economic value estimated to be more than $772 million through mid-2013.

Fort Lauderdale, FL - July 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bank of America Home Loans has opened a new customer outreach center in Fort Lauderdale to serve customers in the South Florida area. Bank of America homeownership retention specialists will be meeting face to face with financially troubled mortgage customers who are having difficulty making their monthly payments. Dedicated associates are also available to help customers facing hardship with their auto loans, credit cards and personal loans

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the arrests of six criminals involved in a mortgage fraud scam that resulted in more than $2 million in fraudulent mortgages. The arrests are the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations’ Miami Field Off

MIAMI, FL - July 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 700 Miami-Dade metro area mortgage borrowers seeking to avoid foreclosure have received assistance from the Fannie Mae Mortgage Help Center in the first three months of operation. The Mortgage Help Center is a partnership between Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF), and offers free mortgage and financial counseling to homeowners who may be in default or struggling to make monthly payments

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Commissioner Gerald Bailey today announce the arrest of 10 members of a criminal mortgage fraud and identity theft operation. The group is charged with defrauding numerous financial institutions out of more than $8 million, and using the identities of unsuspecting individuals as part of the conspiracy to obtain the mortgages and properties. The arrests are the result of a four-year investigation conducted by FDLE’s Miami Regional Operations Center and the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution. The individuals arrested face charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft, and title insurance fraud

Washington, DC - June 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) --Congressmen Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Adam Putnam (R-FL) today introduced legislation to provide mortgage forbearance to homeowners in the areas affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Some relief is coming for those with Chinese drywall in their homes, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says. The defective drywall has been linked to possible health problems and causes corrosion of electrical wiring, appliances and air conditioning units.

MIAMI, FL - May 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a community forum in Miami to discuss the housing crisis. The event was designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues and provide information and assistance to consumers. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE) today announced a new partnership that will accelerate response time and provide financial counseling to distressed Florida homeowners whose mortgages are owned by Fannie Mae and serviced by SunTrust.