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U.S. Foreclosure activity decreasing in the west and on the rise in the midwest and east

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for April 2012 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 188,780 properties in the U.S. during the month, a 5 percent decrease from the previous month and a decrease of 14 percent from April 2011 and is [...]

Austin, Texas, Man Sentenced to 61 Months in Federal Prison for Bankruptcy Fraud and Identity Theft in Connection with Nationwide Foreclosure-rescue Scheme

An Austin, Texas, man was sentenced today in the Western District of Texas to 61 months in prison and was ordered to forfeit $84,010 for his role in operating a foreclosure-rescue scam in Southern California and elsewhere that charged distressed homeowners fees in exchange for fraudulently delaying foreclosure sales. [...]

REO’s bolstering home prices;  REO home price gains outpacing fair market prices

Clear Capital just released it’s Home Data Index™ (HDI) for April, which reveals that REO’s, which have been a drag on the market for several years now by bringing home prices down, are actually help bolster prices as a result of investor demand for REO’s for rentals. REO home price gains (on a price per foot basis) are “vastly outpacing fair market prices on a national level” according to the report. [...]

Foreclosure activity falls to lowest level since 2007

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for the first quarter of 2012 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 572,928 properties in the U.S. during the quarter, a 2 percent decrease from the previous quarter and a decrease of 16 percent from the first quarter of 2011. During the month, 1 out of every 230 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies drop in February; good news for the real estate market

Foreclosure starts and foreclosure sales were down in February 15 and 19 percent respectively from January according to the latest Mortgage Monitor report released by Lender Processing Services, Inc. today. The report also showed that mortgage delinquencies continue to decline as well with 7.57 percent of the homes in the U.S. with a mortgage being [...]

Lower Foreclosure Rates than a Year Ago for Sixty-One of the Top 100 Major Markets

The U.S. foreclosure rate in February was 3.4 percent of all homes with a mortgage, the same rate as the month before and down slightly from a year before when the rate was 3.6 percent. The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate in February was 7.3 percent, up slightly from the month before when the rate was 7.2 percent but down significantly from a year before when the rate was 7.8 percent. [...]

Mortgage delinquencies continue to decline; good news for the real estate market!

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 7.57 percent of all home loans in February, down 5.0 percent from the month before and down 14.0 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure presale inventory rate was 4.13 percent in February, a 0.5 percent decrease from the month before and a 0.3 percent decrease from a year ago [...]

Report shows For Every Two Homes Available for Sale, There Is One in the "Shadow"

st-louis-realtor-dennis-norman-shadow-inventory-corelogicA report released this morning by CoreLogic shows that the current residential “shadow” inventory as of January 2012 was 1.6 million units, equivalent to a 6-months’ supply, and approximately the same level last reported in October 2011. The shadow inventory is down from a year ago though, when it was at 1.8 million units, or an 8-months’ supply. Currently, the flow of new seriously delinquent (90 days or more) loans into the shadow inventory has been offset by the roughly equal flow of distressed sales (short and real estate owned), according to the report. “Almost half of the shadow inventory is not yet in the foreclosure process,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “Shadow inventory also remains concentrated in states impacted by sharp price declines and states with long foreclosure timelines.” [...]

Foreclosure report shows mixed signals; rate down in U.S. but half of large metros up from a year ago

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for February 2012 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 206,900 properties in the U.S. during the month, a 2 percent decrease from the previous month and a decrease of 8 percent from the year before. During the month, 1 out of every 637 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Bank of America, J.P. MOrgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial reach $25 Billion Agreement with Fed & State Government over Foreclosure Abuses

The Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and 49 state attorneys general announced today the filing of their landmark $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses. [...]

Top Ten Cities to Buy REO’s and Pre-Foreclosures

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for fourth quarter 2011 which showed that pre-foreclosure and REO home sales accounted for nearly one of every 4 home sales (24 percent) during the quarter which is an increase from 20 percent in the prior quarter, however down from 26 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. [...]

Foreclosure activity increases in January; down from a year ago though

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for January 2012 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 210,941 properties in the U.S. during the month, a three percent increase from the previous month and a decrease of 19 percent from the year before. During the month, 1 out of every 624 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Survey shows 8 in 10 people still say home ownership is a good investment

In a presentation given at the International Builders Show, Jill Waage, Editorial Director for Home Content for Better Homes and Gardens revealed survey results about consumer attitudes towards home ownership, upkeep and renovations, design and personalization, and more. A primary point revealed in the presentation shows that, despite continuing economic uncertainty, consumer thoughts toward home ownership remain strong with 8 in 10 saying home ownership is still a good investment and an important part of the American Dream. [...]

Foreclosures in 2011 down 24 percent from 2010

According to a report just released by CoreLogic, there were 830,000 foreclosures completed during the year in 2011, a 24 percent decrease from 2010 when there were 1.1 million. For the month of December, there were 55,000 foreclosures, down 3.5 percent from November when there were 57,000 and down 17.9 percent from December 2010 when there were 67,000 foreclosures completed. [...]

Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

$25 Billion Agreement Provides Homeowner Relief & New Protections, Stops Abuses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers announced today that the federal government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a landmark [...]

One in five home sales is a foreclosure and only two-thirds the cost of a non-foreclosure home

Foreclosure Price 34 Percent Below Average Price of Non-Foreclosures RealtyTrac, today released its third-quarter 2011 U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report, which shows that sales of homes that were in some stage of foreclosure or bank owned accounted for 20 percent of all U.S. residential sales in the third quarter of 2011, down from 22 percent of all sales in the second quarter and down from 30 percent of all sales in the third quarter of 2010. [...]

AG Settlement: Not Perfect, But Significant Reform of Mortgage Servicing

Based on what we’ve heard, the settlement between major banks and states’ Attorneys General (AGs), the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice would represent an important step forward in addressing foreclosure abuses. The settlement would include key reforms to clean up unfair mortgage servicing practices. It would also provide an important template for ways banks can use principal reduction to reduce unnecessary foreclosures and put the country back on a path to economic recovery. [...]

Foreclosure actions in 2011 hit lowest level since 2007!

This morning, RealtyTrac released their 2011 year-end U.S. Foreclosure Market Report which shows that 2,698,967 foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 1,887,777 properties in the U.S. during the year, a decrease of 34 percent from the year before and marking the lowest level since 2007! [...]

Austin, Texas, Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud and Identity Theft in Connection with Nationwide Foreclosure-rescue Scheme

An Austin, Texas, man pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his role in operating a foreclosure-rescue scam in Southern California and elsewhere that charged distressed homeowners fees in exchange for fraudulently postponing foreclosure sales. [...]

Mortgage delinquencies increase in November;   Foreclosures decline from month before

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 8.15 percent of all home loans in November, up 2.7 percent from the month before and down 9.6 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure rate, on the other hand, was 4.16 percent in November, a 3.0 percent decrease from the month before and a 2.0 percent increase from a year ago. [...]

Foreclosures decrease in November

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for November 2011 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 224,394 properties in the U.S. during the month, a three percent increase from the previous month and a decrease of 14 percent from the year before. During the month, 1 out of every 579 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Three Charged with Fraud in Florida Foreclosure Rescue Scheme

WASHINGTON – Lisa Wright, 46, and Cathy Saffer, 52, of Pompano Beach, Fla., were charged today with a conspiracy to defraud homeowners and banks in a foreclosure rescue scheme, announced the Department of Justice. Also charged was Barrington Coombs, 57, a certified public accountant of Weston, Fla., who participated in the scheme. A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment charging Wright and Saffer with one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. The grand jury charged Coombs with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. [...]

Mortgage delinquencies decline in October;   Foreclosures on the rise

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 7.93 percent of all home loans in October, down 2.0 percent from the month before and down a whopping 14.6 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure rate, on the other hand, was 4.29 percent in October, a 2.5 percent increase from the month before and a 9.4 percent increase from a year ago. [...]

How long after a foreclosure or short sale do you have to wait to get a home loan?

Over the past few years many people that had never faced financial trouble found themselves in foreclosure, doing a short-sale or deed in lieu or filing bankruptcy as a result of the burst of the housing bubble, record unemployment and a weak economy in general. People in this situation, many of whom were homeowners for years, were forced to lived with relatives or friends, or rent until they were able to get through their financial crisis. Now, many of these folks have been able to get back on their feet and want to buy a home again but don’t know when, or if they will be able to get a home loan again due to their past. [...]

Foreclosures drop in September;   Down over 30 percent from year ago

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for October 2011 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 230,678 properties in the U.S. during the month, a seven percent increase from the previous month but a decrease of nearly 31 percent from the year before. During the month, 1 out of every 563 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Mortgage delinquency rate increases for first time since 2009

This morning, Trans Union released a report showing the national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) increased to 5.88 percent (from 5.82 percent in the 2nd quarter) during the third quarter of 2011, after falling in the previous quarter by the largest rate in two years. This is the first time mortgage delinquency rates have increased since the end of 2009. [...]

Victims of bad foreclosure practices can now apply for review and possible compensation

In late September I wrote about a plan presented by acting Comptroller of the Currency, John Walsh, to address the “robo-signing” issue as well as other improper practices in the foreclosure process that have surfaced. Mr. Walsh’s plan includes an independent review of the files of borrowers that feel they were a victim of a wrongful foreclosure practice as well as the potential for compensation or other relief for borrowers that were found to have been subject to improper foreclosure practices. Just this week it was announced that eligible borrowers may not apply for a review of their file and, if irregularities are found, file a claim for compensation. [...]

US Foreclosure rate inches up in 3rd quarter but down significantly from a year ago

This morning, RealtyTrac released their U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for 3rd quarter 2011 which shows that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) we’re reported on 610,337 properties in the U.S. during the quarter, a very slight (less than 1 percent0 increase from the previous quarter but a decrease of over 34 percent from the year before. During the quarter, 1 out of every 213 homes in the U.S. had a foreclosure filing. [...]

Shadow Inventory Continues to Decline; Good news for the housing market

A report released this morning by CoreLogic shows that the current residential “shadow” inventory as of July 2011 declined slightly from 1.7 million units in April to 1.6 million units, and was down from 1.9 million units a year ago. This current shadow inventory represents a 5 month supply. CoreLogic includes in it’s shadow [...]

Foreclosure Lawsuits Hit Record Level

MortgageDaily.com’s Mortgage Litigation Index came in at 190 total cases during the 2nd quarter of 2011, making it the all-time high since the index’s introduction in 2007. This is a 26 percent increase from the prioir quarter and is more than double a year ago. Lawsuits challenging the foreclosure process were on the rise (such [...]