The number of bankruptcy filings across the U.S. are on the rise. Common reasons that people file for bankruptcy include loss of income, medical bills, a mortgage payment that is too high, spending beyond their means, or lending money to loved ones.
Many times, it is not just one simple cause, but rather a combination of factors that contribute to why someone has filed for bankruptcy. Here are some common reasons people file bankruptcy.
Foreclosure rates in the State of Florida are on the rise by over 71 percent since 2021, according to new foreclosure data released by real estate company, ATTOM. As a result, Florida now ranks number two for the top five states with the highest level of foreclosure starts.
Rates have been steadily increasing throughout the year as pandemic relief programs have ended. ATTOM reports that 9,284 foreclosure filings were made in the past quarter with 6,671 of these being foreclosure starts. Fortunately, foreclosure starts are still behind where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, even though numbers are starting to rise.
The number of homes abandoned by their owners just before foreclosure has continued to increase for a second consecutive quarter in 2022, as the number of foreclosure cases continue to rise. These types of vacancies are commonly referred to as “zombie homes” or “zombie properties.”
According to real estate data provider, Attom, a total of 7,707 residential properties facing foreclosures have been vacated by their owners in the third quarter of 2022, increasing by 1.8 percent from 7,569 from the prior quarter. These numbers are up 2.2 percent from 7,538 vacated in the prior year. This increase represents the second consecutive quarterly increase in the number of zombie properties.
Mortgage delinquencies slightly increased from April to May 2022, but Florida’ mortgage delinquency rates have increased more than the national average. Nationwide, one in every 4,549 housing units had a foreclosure filing in May 2022, according to a recent report issued by Knight Data & Analytics. Florida led all 50 states with a high rate of one in every 2,788 housing units.
The national delinquency rate decreased in May 2022 to a low of 2.75 percent. However, Florida’s delinquency rate stayed at a consistent 2.0 percent. Lenders initiated foreclosure proceedings on 22,099 properties in May 2022. While this number may be down one percent from the previous month, it is up 274 percent from one year ago.
Many times, consumers facing a foreclosure fear what the proceeding will do to their credit scores. Will a foreclosure prevent them from receiving financing in the future? Will it hurt their chances of purchasing a home again in the future? While the effects of foreclosure can be far-reaching, it does not mean that all hope is lost for that person ever owning a home, again.
The good news is that even though a foreclosure will almost certainly have a negative effect on a person’s credit score, rebuilding your credit score can start immediately after.
Foreclosure filings reported in January 2022 were up by nearly 30 percent from a month prior and up by over 139 percent from a year ago, according to figures from the U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. A total of 23,204 U.S. properties were reported as having foreclosure filings.
The fact that foreclosure filings were on the rise does not come as a surprise for financial experts who have been keeping an eye on the housing market. Normally, foreclosure filings slow down around the holidays, picking up again after the first of the year. However, this year, the filings were a little more than in previous years, showing more of a spike in filings than a slow increase.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of homeowners have benefited from the mortgage relief programs offered by the federal government, and some private lenders. Now that a year has passed, approximately 2.5 million homeowners are still enrolled in some sort of mortgage relief program, whether it be payment suspension or mortgage forbearance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
It is for this reason that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) wants to extend these provisions and programs further into the future to ensure that these homeowners are not forced into foreclosure.
Many Americans have been able to utilize the federal and state mortgage foreclosure moratoriums during the COVID-19 crisis to stay in their homes. But a record number of homeowners have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. According to statistics from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the number of Americans who have fallen three or more months behind on their mortgage payments increased by 250 percent in 2020, reaching a record of over two million households nationwide. These figures have not been seen since the Great Recession.
It is estimated that the total amount owed is nearly $90 billion in deferred principal, interest, insurance, and tax payments. Financial analysts predict that the nation will soon see a wave of foreclosure lawsuits hitting the court system. However, it is possible for a consumer to stop the process from getting out of control and allow the individual to stay in his or her home.
The first step should always be for the homeowner to reach out to his or her mortgage lender. Pursuing a foreclosure costs the lender money. In fact, they end up losing more money through that process than they would gain if they worked on a deal with the homeowner to stay in the home, which is why so many of them are more than willing to negotiate.
Many mortgage lenders are offering loan deferral programs or are either lowering or deferring interest payments for a temporary period. They may also be willing to waive late fees and penalties. The key is the homeowner needs to ask, first. The lender is not going to proactively reach out to the homeowner to see if he or she needs assistance. Ultimately, it is up to the homeowner to request this.
If the consumer has already reached out to the lender and is not able to realistically catch up on payments and late fees, it may be best to sell the property to pay back what is owed. For this plan to truly succeed, the borrower needs to price the property to sell. The longer the home stays on the market, the longer the homeowner will be behind on his or her payments, making the home even more difficult to sell.
While the home is in default or foreclosure, the homeowner will likely be receiving mail from the court or lender regarding important dates and opportunities to make a deal on his or her payments. It is extremely important that all mail related to the home be opened immediately, be read, and if a response is required, be responded to quickly. The last thing the homeowner wants to do is miss an important court date or fail to take advantage of an opportunity if the lender is offering lower payments or a deal that could allow the person to remain in his or her home.
Lastly, to keep the home, it is important to continue making mortgage payments, if possible. Many people will take the idea of a moratorium and assume it means he or she does not have to pay on the mortgage debt during that period. The problem is, during a moratorium, mortgage bills continue to incur, and if payments are not made, the homeowner will fall behind even more than he or she was at the start of the moratorium. The mortgage bill is arguably one of the most important payments the homeowner makes, even above other bills or debts, such as credit cards or medical debt.
Filing for bankruptcy can help. It may seem counter-intuitive, but when someone is facing foreclosure and is in the middle of a major financial crisis, bankruptcy can be a viable option to help save that person’s home. Ultimately, it depends on your specific financial situation and the type of bankruptcy you file – but bankruptcy can be used as a tool to help keep your home.
The Power of the Automatic Stay
If your home is already set for a foreclosure sale, you may be asking, “how can I make it stop?” Filing for bankruptcy can put a stop to the process or at the very least postpone it. As soon as a petition for bankruptcy is filed, the court issues an order called an “automatic stay,” which puts an immediate halt to all collection activities that were happening to the homeowner before the petition was filed. This automatic stay also applies to foreclosure cases. Creditors (including your mortgage lender) must immediately cease collection attempts. Even if the mortgage lender has the home scheduled for a foreclosure sale, the sale will be postponed during a pending bankruptcy.
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Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between keeping your home or losing it in foreclosure. 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 McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com
The Miami-based bankruptcy and foreclosure defense law firm of Kingcade Garcia McMaken is pleased to announce the promotion of Kristina Gonzalez to the position of Partner with the firm.
“We are delighted to have Kristina become a Partner with the firm. Kristina is an exceptional bankruptcy lawyer and is the perfect fit to support our firm’s growth and positioning as the leading consumer bankruptcy law firm in Miami,” said Timothy S. Kingcade, the firm’s Managing Partner.
Ms. Gonzalez focuses her practice on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies, foreclosure defense, and debt settlement. Kristina represents debtors throughout the bankruptcy process – initiating petitions, guiding debtors through meetings, depositions, and litigation with the trustee and advocating for debtors before the bankruptcy court.
The statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has been extended via an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, critics are questioning the language within the order itself as to just what it means for Florida residents facing evictions or foreclosures.
The executive order was signed and announced on July 29. However, the amended language in this new executive order does not prevent all evictions and foreclosures like the previous one did.
