Last Thursday, President Obama along with other government officials announced a $26 billion mortgage plan to help underwater homeowners and those struggling to make their mortgage payments get back on their feet. The five largest mortgage lending banks will pay out appropriated amounts to the government. That money will then be distributed to the states that have been impacted the most by the housing market crash.
Florida will receive $8.4 billion, the largest payout of the settlement. The payout is intended to help all homeowners, not just those who are underwater on their mortgages and behind on payments. The terms of how the majority of the money will be distributed has been released. However, there is still some deliberation for the remainder of the payout.
• $7.6 billion will be used to aid homeowners who are currently in financial crisis and who are underwater on their mortgages.
• $170 million of the payout will be turned into cash payments for those Floridians who have lost their homes due to foreclosure malpractice from their lenders the past three years. The average cash payout is expected to be approximately $2,000 for each individual homeowner.
• $308 million will go to programs for homeowners who are current on their loan payments, but have higher interest rates due to the housing crisis.
• $350 million will go directly to the State of Florida for currently undisclosed purposes.
Although this will be a huge relief for homeowners in the State of Florida, there is still much criticism of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, for a lack of assertion that Florida deserves more than the $8.4 billion payout.
To read more on this story visit: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-02-09/business/os-nationwide-mortgage-settlement-20120209_1_underwater-homeowners-settlement-mortgage-payments
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
$26 Billion Deal signed to Aid Homeowners and Eliminate Fraudulent Acts by Lenders
On Thursday, February 9, President Obama along with other government officials announced the $26 billion mortgage plan that is said to be the first major step in the right direction for America’s struggling housing market. All 50 states and the five major banks, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Ally, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup agreed upon the plan. There is anticipation that further deliberation will lead to all nine of the major lenders becoming involved in the plan, which would increase the deal to $30 billion.
The majority of the money, $17 billion will go exclusively to aid homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages. State and federal authorities will receive $5 billion to create programs throughout the country to meet specific needs of Americans. Of the last $4 billion, $3 billion will go to the refinancing for those who are eligible to get a portion of their debt reduced and the last billion will be for the Federal Housing Administration.
The plan is expected to not only benefit the millions of Americans who have lost their homes since 2007, but it also creates a sense of relief for mortgage lenders as well. The last week alone, shares in Bank of America have made a 5 percent gain. The plan will also force banks to take a greater responsibility to ensure their mortgage lending practices are done legally in the future.
To read more on this story visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/business/states-negotiate-25-billion-deal-for-homeowners.html
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
New Initiative Aimed at Restoring Bankruptcy Protection for Student Loan Borrowers
The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) is launching a new initiative aimed at restoring bankruptcy protection for student loan borrowers. 860 members responded to the survey asking about experiences with potential clients who have tried to discharge student loan debt. The message of the survey results was clear: ‘unmanageable student loan debt threatens to reach crisis proportions in the not distant future if Congress does not restore bankruptcy relief.’
Individually, college seniors who graduated with student loans in 2010 owed an average of $25,250, up five percent from the previous year, according to a report from the Project on Student Debt at the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). Collectively, the amount of student borrowing crossed the $100 billion threshold for the first time in 2010 and total outstanding loans exceeded $1 trillion for the first time last year. Americans now owe more on student loans than on credit cards, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the U.S. Department of Education and others. Additionally, because there are fewer people with student loans than there are credit card holders, the debt burden on the individual borrower is considerably higher.
Although educational borrowing is up for every age group over the past three years and young people still carry the biggest student loan debt burden, borrowing has grown far more quickly for those in the 35 to 49 age group, according to an analysis by the credit score tracking site CreditKarma. Bills are pending in the House and Senate to restore bankruptcy protection for private student loans. NACBA supports those bills and is asking Congress to go further and restore bankruptcy relief for government education loans.
To read more on the report prepared by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) visit:
http://nacba.org/Portals/0/Documents/Student%20Loan%20Debt/020712%20NACBA%20student%20loan%20debt%20report.pdf
If you are in a financial crisis and are considering filing bankruptcy, contact an experienced attorney who can advise you of all of your options. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Big Banks Pay Homeowners to Avoid Foreclosure
In an interesting twist, banks are offering delinquent homeowners as much as $35,000 or more in cash to sell their properties for less than they owe. Lenders have routinely delayed or blocked such transactions, known as short sales, in which they accept less from a buyer than the seller’s outstanding loan. With the foreclosure system being bogged down by the number of cases, banks have decided the deals are faster and less costly than foreclosures.
For banks, approving a sale for less than is owed on the home can cut a year or more off the time it takes to sell a property. From listing to sale, the transactions took about 123 days on average at the end of last year, according to the Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance Housing Pulse Tracking Survey.
Some of the banks that are extending this opportunity to struggling homeowners include: Bank of America, which sent letters to 20,000 Florida homeowners as part of a pilot program, offering incentives of as much as $20,000, or 5 percent of the unpaid loan balance; Wells Fargo, which offers relocation assistance of as much as $20,000 for borrowers who complete short sales or agree to transfer title through a deed in lieu of foreclosure “in certain states with extended foreclosure timelines, including Florida; and Citigroup, which offers $3,000 to most borrowers who qualify for its program.
To read more on this story, visit:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/banks-paying-homeowners-a-bonus-to-avoid-foreclosures-mortgages.html
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Florida (Un)Fair Foreclosure Act Up for Vote TODAY
Big banks and mortgage lenders are fighting back with new legislation in an effort to defeat homeowners in the foreclosure process. The Fair Foreclosure Act of 2012 will be voted on today and if passed would essentially prevent homeowners from defending themselves if their home is foreclosed upon. It would also dissolve past lending and misconduct of banks, which created many of our country’s economic problems in the first place.
Some of the most disturbing provisions of the act include:
• Non-judicial foreclosures, where the loan balance exceeds 120% of the property value.
• Fast tracking of foreclosure cases once filed.
• Court must enter a judgment within 45-90 days for uncontested foreclosures.
• Automatic return of Promissory Note to lender upon dismissal of foreclosure.
• Challenges to set aside wrongful foreclosures may only seek money damages and not quiet or disturb the title held by the bank or later buyer.
• Sales of foreclosed property founded upon Lost/Destroyed Promissory Notes cannot be challenged by the true holder of the Promissory Note.
This proposed legislation takes away an individual’s right to due process, by excluding the courts from the foreclosure process. If you oppose this bill, it is important that you voice your concerns by going to www.myfloridahouse.gov.
To read more on the bill, visit: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h0213c1.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=0213&Session=2012
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Increase in Foreclosure Home Sales in Palm Beach County
During the months of July through September 2011, one in four home sales was the result of foreclosures in Palm Beach County. Throughout the State of Florida, average home sales from foreclosures were approximately 19 percent during the third quarter of 2011. In the third quarter of 2010, the statewide average was at about 39 percent. Just before the housing market crash of 2007, the average of foreclosed home sales from preceding years was around five or six percent. The sizeable percentages are commonly credited to the unfair practices from banks during the foreclosure process.
While the percentage of sales of foreclosed homes is increasing in Palm Beach County, the average selling prices on the homes are decreasing. In the third quarter of 2011, the average sale price was $115,082, which is a 15 percent cut from the third quarter of 2010, which was $135,158. This is an extremely low number in comparison to the national average home sale price that was $165,332. RealtyTrac attributes the high percentage of sales as a positive sign for Palm Beach County due to the depreciation of homes that sat idle too long before being sold.
To read more on this story visit: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/foreclosures/1-in-4-third-quarter-home-sales-were-2126425.html
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Obama Announces Formation of New Taskforce Aimed at Holding Banks Accountable and compensating Victims of Foreclosure Malpractice
President Obama addressed many issues dealing with the struggling U.S. economy in his state of the union speech last month. One of these included the formation of a new taskforce to monitor malpractice of banks regarding mortgages. Since the housing crash of 2007, millions have lost their homes, many as a result of the unfair practices by banks in processing foreclosure documents.
New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman has been appointed to chair this new unit on ‘Mortgage Origination and Securitization Abuses.’ Schneiderman is well known for working on the settlement of the proposed deal between the states and the five large banks. The new unit will not only monitor the future actions of banks and hold accountable those who have participated in unfair practices in the past, but it will also compensate past victims of foreclosure malpractice.
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Kodak Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Eastman Kodak Co. and its U.S. subsidiaries recently announced the company was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Kodak will use the protection of Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a time for reorganization and transformation.
Filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy will allow Kodak to keep many of its assets and continue operations such as the distribution of goods and services to consumers, throughout the filing process. Kodak released a statement explaining they intend to “bolster liquidity,” in the United States and abroad. The news release went on to explain that Kodak intends to work with its stakeholders to shift the company’s focus to its most valuable commodities.
As part of the transformation, Kodak has decreased its workforce by 47,000 since 2003. The company has also taken steps such as closing 13 manufacturing plants and 130 processing labs. The company hopes to emerge from the transformation as a more digitally operated company.
To read more on this story visit: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/01/kodak-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/
If you are in a financial crisis and are considering filing bankruptcy, contact an experienced attorney who can advise you of all of your options. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Banks Propose $25 Billion Deal to U.S. State Officials to help Victims of Deceptive Foreclosure Practices
The five major mortgage lending banks, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial have proposed a deal to U.S. state officials that could re-shape the structure of mortgage lending and better protect homeowners from foreclosure malpractice.
Since the housing market crash of 2007, almost eight million American homes have been foreclosed on. A reportedly 11 million homeowners in America owe more than half of what their home is currently worth. Under the proposed deal, those who are eligible will receive a check for approximately $1,800, but it is doubtful they will get their homes back. The purpose of the reserve accounts will be to help those who have been victims of deceptive foreclosure practices.
Under the proposed $25 Billion deal:
• $17 billion would go toward reducing the principal that struggling homeowners owe on their mortgages.
• $5 billion would be placed in a reserve account for various state and federal programs; a portion of that money would cover the $1,800 checks sent to those homeowners affected by the deceptive practices.
• $3 billion would be to help homeowners refinance at 5.25 percent.
To read more on this story visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/25b-nationwide-mortgage-deal-states-15421108#.TyGfg5jl1SU
Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well qualified attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. 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, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
Houston Man Convicted of Internet and Bankruptcy Fraud Sentenced to 15 years in Federal Prison
A 64 year old Houston man, James Maceo Ramey, was recently sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for 25 counts of fraudulent activity. Ramey was charged with bankruptcy fraud after an investigation proved he had filed 15 different bankruptcy cases in less than five years, all in different jurisdictions. Under Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy laws, an individual is prohibited from filing bankruptcy more than one time in an eight-year period, regardless of the jurisdictions.
During the period of Ramey’s bankruptcy scandal, he was conducting an Internet gold scheme as well. Ramey launched a website under a fake business name, “Manhattan Gold, Inc.” The website solicited the selling of numerous gold items, most in the form of coins, all of which, Ramey had no possession of or intent to actually distribute to consumers. During the gold scandal Ramey profited some $400,000, all of which he did not claim in any of the bankruptcy cases he filed.
After five days of deliberation, Ramey was convicted on all 25 counts. Eight of those counts were mail fraud, due to the Internet gold scheme. The other 17 counts were due to false oaths and declarations, concealment of assets, and conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud.
To read more on this story visit: http://7thspace.com/headlines/403574/internet_gold_scam_lands_houston_man_15_years_in_federal_prison.html
If you are in a financial crisis and are considering filing bankruptcy, contact an experienced attorney who can advise you of all of your options. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.