Archives

TALLAHASSEE, FL - September 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Bar Foundation today awarded approximately $700,000 in grants to several South Florida non-profit organizations to fund free foreclosure legal defense work. A total of $4 million will be available statewide over two years to fund attorneys and paralegals who will provide free legal assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. The grants were funded by the Attorney General’s settlement with Countrywide Financial last October.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 31, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and The Florida Bar Foundation today awarded $84,000 to the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc. to be used for a new foreclosure defense assistance program. The program is funded by money obtained by the Attorney General through a settlement with Countrywide Financial. A total of $4 million will be available over two years to fund additional lawyer and paralegal positions devoted to providing free assistance to homeowners facing foreclosures who cannot afford legal defense.

ORLANDO, FL - August 28, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Realtors® applaud Gov. Charlie Crist’s decision to appoint George LeMieux to serve out the remainder of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez’s term

Monroe County, FL - August 27, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a senior member of the Florida Congressional Delegation, and Peter J. Horton, Director of Airports at Key West International Airport, were both very pleased that the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized a $2.5 million grant to sound proof homes in Key West, Florida.

Congressman Grayson wants to do all he can to boost the housing market in Central Florida.

ORLANDO, FL - August 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing home sales rose in July – the 11th month in a row that sales activity increased in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). Statewide existing home sales in July also rose over the previous month’s sales level.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum sued a Kissimmee-based company over allegations it targeted Hispanics in a foreclosure rescue fraud scheme. JPB Consulting Inc. and its president, Juan P. Bordali, allegedly charged up front fees of more than $1,000 per customer to homeowners about to lose their homes, but never performed any services. Charging fees up front before completing foreclosure rescue services is a direct violation of Florida’s Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act.

TAMPA, FL - August 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today hosted a Tampa town hall meeting with Florida’s Interagency Mortgage Fraud Task Force to discuss the housing crisis. The event, designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues, provided community education and assistance to over 150 attendees. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement, regulatory authorities, housing counselors and volunteer lawyers.

ORLANDO, FL - August 12, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 23 percent in second quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). A total of 43,125 existing homes sold statewide in 2Q 2009; during the same period the year before, a total of 35,008 existing homes sold. It marks the fourth consecutive quarter that Florida has seen higher existing year-to-year home sales, according to FAR

TAMPA, FL - August 11, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that Thomas E. Stringer (Tampa, Florida) today pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud fore Magistrate Judge Mark A. Pizzo. Stringer faces a maximum penalty of thirty years in federal prison. However, because it appears that no one sustained a loss from the commission of the crime, the relevant sentencing guidelines contemplate the imposition of a non-custodial sentence. United States intends to seek forfeiture of $222,362.00, the amount of the proceeds from the fraud. A sentencing date has not been set

WASHINGTON, DC - August 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- On July 15, The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the award of the HUD - VASH housing voucher allocations nationwide.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced plans for her Bureau of Unclaimed Property’s Statewide Auction, an annual sell-off of unclaimed safe deposit box contents turned over to the state. The auction, which is open to the public, will be held October 24, 2009, in Ft. Lauderdale at the Embassy Suites Hotel. A public preview of the items up for bid will be held Friday, October 23.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 28, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and The Florida Bar Foundation today announced a new foreclosure defense assistance program, funded by money obtained by the Attorney General through a settlement with Countrywide Financial. A total of $4 million will be available over two years to fund additional lawyer and paralegal positions devoted to providing free assistance to homeowners facing foreclosures who cannot afford legal defense. Florida currently has the fourth highest rate of foreclosures in the nation

EUSTIS - July 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lake And Sumter Emergency Recovery (LASER) will be welcoming next week 23 groups of volunteers from as far away as Michigan to help repair homes damaged by Tropical Storm Fay

July 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- ORLANDO, FL – Florida’s existing home sales rose in June – the 10th consecutive month that sales activity showed gains in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). Statewide sales in June also increased over the previous month’s sales level in both the existing home and existing condominium markets. And, for the second month in a row, the statewide median sales price for existing homes was higher than the previous month’s statewide median.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Jensen Beach Pastor and his wife have been convicted of mortgage fraud by a Martin County Jury. Rodney McGill and his mortgage broker wife Shalonda face up to 170 years in prison after running a mortgage fraud scheme that enticed victims to participate in a real estate investment “opportunity” but instead was an effort to rid the McGills of their mortgages. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution in partnership with the State Attorney Bruce Colton of the 19th Judicial Circuit.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced that the Florida Attorneys Saving Homes program, which pairs volunteer lawyers with Florida homeowners facing foreclosure, has produced almost triple the amount of successful outcomes since changes initiated with CFO Sink’s leadership this spring. CFO Sink cheered lawyers and Florida lenders after publication of a progress report showing a 168% increase in foreclosure preventions since the April 20, 2009 roundtable discussion between the two groups focused on finding solutions to keep more Floridians in their homes.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced his office has filed a lawsuit against a Central Florida company that allegedly charges homeowners facing foreclosure up-front fees for loan modification services. According to the lawsuit filed today in Orange County, Victor Lopez & Associates and its owners are in violation of Florida’s Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act. The company’s office is located in Orlando.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 15, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Congressman Kendrick B. Meek today announced that Florida will receive up to $17,585,000 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for its state rebate program for consumer purchases of energy efficient appliances. The program will specifically fund home appliances designated as ENERGY STAR qualified.

Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program Runs Through Nov. 30. ORLANDO, FL - July 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Like thousands of first-time homebuyers around the state, Aaron Thorp is planning to take advantage of a new Florida economic stimulus initiative. Under the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program, eligible buyers can receive up to $8,000 in immediate assistance for a downpayment or closing costs, rather than wait to receive their federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers.