South Florida was hit harder by the 2008 mortgage, housing, banking and economic crises than any other region in the U.S. and continues to lag behind the nation as a whole in the housing market recovery. We continue to hear stories of families who are struggling to piece their financial lives back together after this seven year ordeal. To make matters worse, without the re-authorization of the Mortgage Debt Relief Act, a number of South Florida homeowners will continue to be unjustly burdened.
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act eliminates the income tax on forgiven mortgage debt, eliminating a particularly punitive burden resulting from plummeting home values. In the aftermath of the housing crisis, many homeowners found that their homes were underwater- worth far less than their outstanding mortgage balance.
The most recent foreclosure statistics reveal that Florida’s foreclosure activity remains the nation’s second highest. Five Florida cities were among the 10 highest foreclosure rates for metro areas in the U.S. in the third quarter, including Jacksonville (No. 2), Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach (No. 3) Tampa (No. 4), Miami (No. 5), Lakeland (No. 7) and Ocala (No. 8).
Without the re-authorization of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, any forgiven principal reduction is currently taxable in 2015. This means struggling homeowners, who have already faced job loss and sought loan modifications, will be left owing thousands of dollars in taxes this year on top of the loss of their home and its equity.
Banks and investment firms in the mortgage industry have received numerous breaks throughout the recovery. South Florida homeowners, who have been hit particularly hard by the crisis, have earned the right to this temporary tax break. We urge the Florida congressional delegation to pass the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act.
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Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well-qualified Miami foreclosure defense attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. Miami foreclosure defense attorney Timothy Kingcade has helped many facing foreclosure alleviate their stress by letting them stay in their homes for at least another year, allowing them to re-organize their lives. If you have any questions on the topic of foreclosure please feel free to contact me at (305) 285-9100. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
