Tag: Foreclosure

Bankruptcy Law, Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

6 Great Credit Cards to Rebuild after Bankruptcy

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Many Americans are struggling to redeem their pre-recession credit scores. Whether you have recently filed for bankruptcy, been foreclosed on by your bank or simply struggled to pay your bills, rebuilding your credit score can be a long process. Below are six great credit cards to help you rebuild your credit score:

1. Navy Federal Credit Union nRewards Card: According to credit card expert Beverly Harzog, this is one of the best credit cards for rebuilding a credit score. You must be in the military or related to someone who is in the military to be eligible for this card. This card has no annual fee and the percentage rate is a variable 8.9%. It has a 25 day purchase grace period and it reports to the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

2. Citi Secured MasterCard: With this card, you will earn a 1.01% annual yield because Citi invests your money in an 18-month certificate deposit of savings account. The annual fee is $29 per year, which is very low. This card is best for those who do not typically carry a balance because the variable APR is very high.

3. Capital One Secured MasterCard: This card also has a very high variable APR at 22.9%, but a low annual fee. A positive feature of this card is that the bank supplies cardholders with a credit-monitoring tool so that if you are struggling with your score, you can monitor it closely with this card.

4. Wells Fargo Secured Card: This card has a very low annual fee of $25, but it has a high APR of 18.99%. If you use this card responsibly, Wells Fargo will consider you for an unsecured credit card.

5. US Bank Secured Visa Card: Similar to Wells Fargo, this secured card can put you on the track to an unsecured credit card. Responsible card users can qualify for an unsecured card from US Bank in as little as 12 months.

6. Platinum Zero Visa Card from Applied Bank: Cardholders should be aware of the $9.95 monthly maintenance fee on this card. However, if you typically carry a balance on your card, this one is ideal for you. This card charges 0% interest on purchases and there is no credit check required.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.msn.com/credit-cards/6-great-cards-for-rebuilding-credit

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. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. 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. at www.miamibankruptcy.com.

Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Mortgage Interest Rates Frozen – Money Tips for 2013

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It’s been reported that the Federal Reserve will likely keep interest rates regulated throughout 2013. In order to spark housing market growth, the Federal Reserve will keep the lending rate between banks in the 0% – 0.25% range until mid-2015.

Below are some savings and credit tips for the 2013 economic climate:

• Freeze your mortgage rate. Mortgage interest rates are at a 40-year low; therefore, you can lock in your mortgage with a fixed-rate. The interest on a 30-year fixed mortgage has been 3.57% throughout January.

• Lower your mortgage term. If you are planning on refinancing your home and might be moving within a few years, you should consider an adjustable-rate mortgage. During January, initial rates on five-year ARMs were 2.68%.

• Open long-term CDs. Place your cash in a long-term CD with low withdrawal penalties. This will give you the opportunity to make thousands of dollars in just a few years time.

• Avoid rising-rate CD lures. If a bank offers you an option for a higher yield on a CD if rates rise, you typically get a low initial rate. It is better to shop around and compare other rates with the fixed equivalent.

• Use local banks. Online banks sometimes have the best rates. However, if you prefer a bank you can physically go to, community banks are a great choice. Most local banks are less affected by the Federal Reserve and offer great rates. Visit www.findbankrates.com for the best rates in your area.

• Transfer a balance. Average interest rates on credit cards are extremely high right now. You can transfer a balance from a card with a higher rate to a card with a lower rate and save money.

• Carry rewards cards. If you are usually able to pay off your credit card balance, you are best suited for a rewards card, rather than an extremely low interest rate card.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/01/news/economy/interest-rates.moneymag/index.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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Home Construction Up 12%

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The housing market has shown signs of improvement this past year with record-low mortgage rates, an increase in home construction and fewer foreclosures. Home construction exceeded economists’ expectations during the month of December with the start of construction on more than 889,000 homes. Construction rates were up more than 12% from November and nearly 37% from December 2011. Construction picked back up in the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy with new home construction up 19% from November. The new home construction surge suggests low inventory and builder confidence, which are two great signs for the economy.

Economists also tracked applications for new building permits to indicate the confidence in the market, however there was little change from November’s rate. December’s mortgage rates also continued at a record-low percentage, which is another positive indicator that the market is on the road to recovery.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/17/real_estate/housing-starts/index.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. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. 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. at www.miamibankruptcy.com.

Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

HSBC Settles Foreclosure Suit for $249 Million

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HSBC settled with the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for $249 million last Friday for alleged foreclosure abuses. The settlement will offer $96 million in direct cash payments and $153 million in other forms of relief such as loan modifications and forgiveness of deficiency judgments. The terms of the settlement are similar to other recent multi-million dollar foreclosure abuse settlements. Initially, $3.6 million in cash relief will be issued to nearly 4.2 million homeowners for as much as $125,000 each.

HSBC and 13 other banks were issued an enforcement action for charging excessive fees, wrongfully foreclosing on borrowers and using improper documents in April 2011. As a result, the banks were forced to hire independent consultants to investigate the foreclosure abuses and provide compensation for victims, a process known as Independent Foreclosure Review. This process was later abandoned when it proved to be slow moving and expensive. The settlement is expected to provide relief to foreclosure abuse victims much faster and avoid future lawsuits.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/18/investing/hsbc-foreclosure/index.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.

Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Florida Leads the Nation in Foreclosures

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Florida led the nation with the highest number of foreclosures throughout 2012. One in 32 Florida homes received a foreclosure filing last year. However, according to RealtyTrac the housing market crash that began six years ago is winding down. The first six years of the housing crisis, Nevada held the number one foreclosure rate in the country. During 2012, Nevada fell to number two with one in 37 homes receiving a foreclosure filing. California and Utah both held top five spots during 2011 and both fell off the ‘top’ list last year, which suggests the Western states might be healing a bit faster than the East.

Foreclosures in Florida stalled during 2011 after the “robo-signing scandal” surfaced. They picked back up during 2012 after the $26 billion deal was signed in February between the five largest mortgage lenders and 49 state attorney generals. Since 2007, more than 91,000 homes have been foreclosed on in Palm Beach and Broward counties alone. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released new rules last week that are intended to protect consumers from risky mortgages and hopefully guard the economy from another housing market crash.

To read more on this story visit: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-realtytrac-foreclosures-year-end-20130116,0,684170.story?track=rss

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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Consumer Groups Criticize New Mortgage Rules

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced its new mortgage rules last week that would protect borrowers from risky mortgages. Some consumer groups are criticizing the rules with the argument that these rules only protect the banks. One of the CFPB’s new rules is that lenders cannot issue mortgages to those who do not have the “ability-to-repay.” This rule states that borrowers must be able to prove they can afford the loans. The new rules will also end the outbreak of multi-million dollar lawsuits against lenders for wrongful foreclosure practices.

Consumer groups argue that the rules provide a legal shield for banks that is detrimental to borrowers. The CFPB has also installed a “qualified mortgage” standard, meaning that when a loan meets the lending criteria, it will become a “qualified mortgage.” This standard protects banks from lawsuits filed by borrowers or buyers of mortgage-backed bonds. According to consumer groups, this standard will make it possible for lenders to issue unaffordable loans that still meet the “ability-to-repay” criteria. Lower-income borrowers will be at risk of losing their home and destroying their credit, but unable to take legal action.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/10/real_estate/mortgage-rules/index.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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Bill Filed to Speed Up Foreclosures in Florida

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Last Thursday, Rep. Kathleen Passidomo filed a new bill proposing “faster foreclosures.” The bill offers many changes to civil procedures governing foreclosures. Florida has the highest foreclosure rate in the country and also one of the slowest. It currently takes more than 600 days for a foreclosure to run its course in Florida. However, many struggling homeowners rallied in Tallahassee last week to protest the faster foreclosure bill.

Paperwork problems have played a major role in the backlog of foreclosures in Florida for the past several years. The new bill would require lenders to certify they have the correct paperwork to legally foreclose. It also gives condo associations the ability to speed up the banks foreclosure proceedings if they are moving too slow. Condo associations have suffered major consequences from unpaid fees and abandoned homes since the housing market crash.

The bill Passidomo proposed also specifies that if a lender is sued for wrongful foreclosure practices, the lender can only be sued for monetary damages. The point of this is to eliminate any chance that the bank re-sells the home to a third-party, and then the family filing the lawsuit demands their home back in a settlement. A similar bill was proposed last year that passed in the Florida House but died in the Senate.

To read more on this story visit: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/01/new-faster-foreclosure-bill-filed-.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.

Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Why Short Sales Can Ruin Your Credit

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There has been a longtime notion that opting for a short sale as opposed to a foreclosure is a way to avoid a major hit to your credit score. Most homeowners find out after the fact that a short sale has the same effect that a foreclosure will have on your FICO score. In a short sale, homeowners basically hand over their keys to the lenders. The home is then sold for less than is owed on the mortgage. Many struggling homeowners are under the impression that their cooperation will be rewarded with a lesser hit to their credit score. However, foreclosures and short sales are considered the same occurrence in the FICO formula for credit scores and can remove between 140 and 160 points from a score.

The FICO research showed 72% of those with a foreclosure later defaulted on another debt, compared with 55.1% of those with a short sale and 50.1% of those who arranged a deed in lieu of foreclosure, which means they voluntarily surrendered their keys to the bank rather than going through formal foreclosure. Following the mass amount of defaults on mortgages from the housing market crash, the rate of short sales has spiked. Rather than fighting foreclosure, homeowners seem to have surrendered to the banks. In most foreclosure cases, economic conditions are the reason homeowners are unable to keep up with their mortgage payments. A hefty percentage of homeowners’ mortgages are now ‘underwater,’ meaning they owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. FICO’s reason for not altering the formula is based on the notion that homeowners who are foreclosed on or participate in a short sale, are more likely to default on another loan in the near future.

To read more on this story visit: http://money.msn.com/credit-rating/why-short-sales-trash-your-credit?page=2

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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

‘Mortgage to Lease’ Provides Alternative to Foreclosure for some Struggling Homeowners

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For homeowners who are struggling to afford their monthly mortgage payments, ‘mortgage to lease’ or ‘deed for lease’ is an option for a select few. Fannie Mae introduced a rent-back program in 2009, and this year, both Bank of America and CitiMortgage announced that they would try a similar approach in a handful of markets. The programs are basically an extension of what’s known as “deed in lieu of foreclosure.” In this process, the lender agrees not to foreclose if the homeowners simply hand over the deed to their property.
The new element is a rental option: after relinquishing the deed, homeowners who meet certain requirements may sign a lease to stay on as renters for one to three years (depending on the lender). This option is a good fit for families seeking to stay in their homes and keep their children in the same school district. Borrowers benefit because a deed-in-lieu looks better than a foreclosure on a credit report, and outstanding mortgage debt is forgiven.
To qualify, applicants must not be more than 11 payments past due on their mortgage, and must be able to pay fair-market rent without spending more than 31 percent of their gross income. Properties with second mortgages are ineligible, as are properties in areas where zoning or homeowners’ associations prohibit rentals. The condition of the property is also a factor.
To read more on this story visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/realestate/mortgages-the-rental-alternative-to-foreclosure.html?ref=foreclosures&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=InChargeInsiderMarch&_r=1&
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.

Credit, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Walking Away from your Underwater Mortgage Becoming More Socially Acceptable?

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Five years after the mortgage crisis and the housing bubble burst, more Americans are deciding that it’s okay to walk away from their underwater mortgage payments. In a recent survey conducted by JZ Analytics for ID Analytics, 32% of more than 1,000 respondents said they “believe homeowners should be able to strategically default on their mortgages without any consequences.”
Today, there’s obviously still a social stigma to walking away from an underwater home, given that the other two-thirds of respondents didn’t find it acceptable. In addition to shame and guilt, people also have to face a sense of loss, since most people are emotionally attached to their homes. There are practical considerations, too: the stress of being hounded by collectors, the knowledge that you are ruining your credit, and the possibility of being sued by the lender.
There is also community pressure to avoid foreclosure. Defaults can hurt nearby property values a 2010 study revealed. Despite all of this, attitudes have clearly changed. The idea that only ‘deadbeats’ default on their mortgage payments is a thing of the past. The ID Analytics survey found that 17% of Americans know someone who has strategically defaulted on a mortgage. What’s more, many people now recognize that companies are often able to declare bankruptcy and either shed or restructure their debts without long-term consequences.
To read more on this story visit: http://business.time.com/2012/10/15/is-the-stigma-of-ditching-your-underwater-mortgage-fading/?utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=InChargeInsiderMarch
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.