Miami Foreclosure Defense Law Firm Archives

Foreclosure Rates in U.S. Dip to a 20-Year Low

Posted on October 25, 2019by Admin

The national foreclosure rate has fallen to the lowest levels seen in two decades following housing reports from July 2019. Financial experts believe this drop is due to a stronger job market and a lower unemployment rate.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low of 3.5 percent as of September 2019 with 136,000 jobs being added to the market. In addition, the hourly earning for all employees has gone up 2.9 percent from the prior year. As Americans have more money to spend, the chances of them falling short of meeting their monthly expenses also goes down.

Mortgage Delinquency Rates Decline Nationally, But Florida Shows Increase Due to Irma

Posted on August 7, 2018by Admin

Mortgage delinquency rates have declined on a national level, as reported by the monthly Loan Performance Insights Report published by CoreLogic. However, despite the national decrease, Florida residents have seen an increase, which is attributed mostly to Hurricane Irma and the 2017 hurricane season.

According to CoreLogic’s report, as of April 2018, 4.2 percent of mortgages nationwide are in some stage of delinquency. A delinquency means that the mortgage is 30 days or more past due and includes those mortgages that are already in foreclosure. This number shows a 0.6 percentage point decrease in the overall delinquency rate as compared in April 2017. At that time, the percentage was at 4.8 percent.

The report also provided information on the foreclosure inventory rate, which measures the share of mortgages that are in some stage of the process of foreclosure. The rate as of April 2018 was at 0.6 percent, which is down 0.1 percentage points from where it was in April 2017. The foreclosure inventory rate has been steady at the rate of 0.6 percent, which is the lowest rate that has been reported since June 2007, when the rate was last reported at 0.6 percent. The April 2018 rate is the lowest that it has been in the past 11 years.

The purpose of measuring delinquency rates during the early stage of the process helps in analyzing the health of the mortgage market. CoreLogic’s report looks at all stages of mortgage delinquency and transition rates, including the percentage of mortgages that are reported as moving from one stage of delinquency to the next step in the process.

Early stage delinquency occurs when a mortgage payment is 30 days to 59 days past due. This early-stage delinquency was reported at being at 2.2 percent in April 2017 and was reported at 1.8 percent in April 2018. The figures in the early-stage delinquency category can be volatile, so it is for this reason that CoreLogic looks at the transition rates, meaning the number of mortgages that transition to the next stage. The transition rates for mortgages reported in the early-stage to later stage went down from 1.2 percent in April 2017 to 0.8 percent in April 2018. To provide some perspective, at the start of the financial crisis the early-stage delinquency transition rate was at 1.2 percent in January 2007 and 2 percent in November 2008.

The percentage of mortgages at the 60 to 89 days past due remained the same during this time. The mortgages that were reported in the serious delinquency stage at more than 90 days past due were down from 2.0 percent in April 2017 to 1.9 percent in April 2018. It should be noted that this is the lowest the serious delinquency rate has been since 2007 when it was reported at 1.6 percent.

However, despite these decreasing numbers, two states were reported as showing significant gains in the serious delinquency stage. These two states, Florida and Texas, were showing serious negative effects from the 2017 hurricane season. Of the two states, Florida has the most densely populated areas and the longest coastal area. This long coast leads to more exposure to storm surge flooding, putting almost 2.7 million homes at risk during hurricane season. After Florida, Louisiana is second to Florida with 817,000 homes in the “at-risk” area. Texas is right behind in third with 543,000 at-risk homes. Of these three states, Florida and Texas are the ones currently still struggling following Hurricanes Irma and Harvey which hit in 2017. Both states are finding themselves with higher mortgage default rates due to the natural disasters that have hit those states. The percent of mortgages that are in the serious delinquency category with loans that are 90 days past due are doubled than what they were reported in the previous year. In Puerto Rico, another area hit by hurricanes in 2017, the foreclosure rate or 90-day delinquency rate has quadrupled.

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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 McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.

Debt Relief, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Seniors Filing More Reverse Mortgage Complaints with CFPB

Posted on June 7, 2017by Admin

Consumers 62 years of age and older face a unique set of financial difficulties- one of their main concerns is servicing issues with reverse mortgages, according to the Monthly Complaint Report released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

“Servicing problems with reverse mortgages,” topped the list of complaints among consumers at least 62 years of age, according to the report. These problems oftentimes lead to unexpected foreclosure.

The most-cited concerns were “difficulty with changing the loan terms” and “problems communicating with loan servicers.” In addition to mortgage complaints, seniors also reporter difficulty recovering funds after being financially scammed, fees charged for unauthorized add-on products and services, and confusion surrounding deferred-interest and zero-interest credit cards.

CFPB complaints from older consumers were most common in Florida, California, Texas. The three states accounted for nearly 25 percent of all complaints since 2011.

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Bankruptcy Law, Debt Relief, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Foreclosure Prevention Unknown After HAMP Expires

Posted on February 1, 2017by Admin

At the end of last month HAMP (The Home Affordable Modification Program) expired and Republican-led Washington has no intention of replacing it. So now it will be up to the private sector to address the lingering issues brought on by the financial crisis.

Banks and mortgage lenders say they are ready to step in with their own foreclosure-prevention programs, modeled on what they learned from the Obama administration’s effort. However, housing advocates are skeptical, as HAMP had its shortcomings. The program fell far short of the administration’s goals.

Specifically, banks and servicers routinely ignored the rules, consistently rejected eligible homeowners, processed applications at a snail’s pace and foreclosed on homeowners even when they made their modified payments on time, according to a series of audit reports for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Approximately 70 percent of those who applied for the loan modifications were turned down. Nearly 14 million homes went into foreclosure, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, which tracks foreclosure filings.

Even though the housing market has stabilized, the rate of delinquencies is at its lowest point since 2007, and home prices have risen in many places, there will always be homeowners and families in trouble because of job loss, illness and other unforeseen setbacks.

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Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Trump’s Treasury Pick Accused of Foreclosure Heartbreak Stories

Posted on January 27, 2017by Admin

After President Trump announced his Treasury Secretary nominee, Steven Mnuchin, a wave of California homeowners came forward with allegations that OneWest Bank actively steered them away from making timely mortgage payments to qualify for federal loan assistance that never came. Borrowers claim the fraudulent activity occurred under the leadership of Mnuchin.

The accusations center around the government program called the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which was launched at during the 2009 financial crisis. Under the program, eligible borrowers could receive new, lower payments and the banks that took part would also receive government incentive payments.

“They (OneWest) hired people who didn’t know what they were doing and some bad information was being given out,” a source who was familiar with OneWest’s foreclosure procedures at the time told CNN.

CNN spoke to seven OneWest borrowers who all had similar stories about being advised to purposely miss payments in order to qualify for the HAMP program.

Mnuchin testified at his confirmation hearing where he defended his time as a bank executive and his work in the private sector. However, the Democrats were not buying it, dubbing him the “Foreclosure King.”

Related Resources:

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/315143-mnuchin-emerges-from-confirmation-hearing-intact

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/19/news/mnuchin-onewest-foreclosure/

Credit, Debt Relief, Foreclosures

New Reverse Mortgage Updates Benefit Borrowers and Lenders, according to HUD

Posted on May 13, 2016by Admin

According to a new report issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the latest reverse mortgage updates on the rules and laws have benefited both borrowers and lenders. New changes to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program are intended to: assure that foreclosures and defaults are limited; they are also designed to prevent lender abuse; they help assure that borrowers can actually afford to upkeep the home (i.e. – home insurance and property taxes on these loans that are not secured on the basis of income or credit).

The changes mandate that borrowers demonstrate they have the financial ability to maintain the home and pay the property taxes and home insurance. If the borrower is not able to provide proof of this, lenders are not allowed to approve the loans.

The draw from the loans by borrowers has decreased since the new rules took effect. This lesser draw means a decrease in risk to both lenders and borrowers, and assures (that in most cases) there is something to be passed on to heirs from the estate in the future.

Reverse mortgages are a special type of home loan that is offered to homeowners age 62 and older. They require that you have substantial equity in your home and that you are able to pay annual property taxes, home insurance and general upkeep. There are no income or credit requirements outside of these rules. Other requirements include that the home remains your primary residence and that you seek third-party credit counseling before you take out the loan.

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Debt Relief, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

State Passes on Hardest Hit Funds- Florida Homeowners out $250 Million

Posted on April 21, 2016by Admin

Floridians fighting to save their homes from foreclosure are losing out on $250 million in mortgage assistance because state officials opted not to apply for additional money from the federal Hardest Hit Fund. The fund was created six years ago to help those states hardest hit by the housing market crash and foreclosure crisis. All of the board members who voted to turn down the assistance were appointed by Governor Rick Scott, a Republican who has opposed federal bailout programs and whose office once pressured the housing agency to limit the time homeowner’s could receive the Hardest Hit help.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson calls the decision “tragic” and has repeatedly blasted state officials for their slowness in spending the $1 billion that Florida originally received. As of January 1, 2016, the state had spent less than two-thirds of that amount and helped only 25,000 homeowners while rejecting 120,000.

In addition, the federal official who oversees the Treasury’s management of the Hardest Hit Fund has criticized Florida, issuing a report that found the state had “consistently under-performed” other states in the use of the relief money.

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Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Former NFL Player, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Losing Home to Foreclosure

Posted on March 16, 2016by Admin

Chad Johnson, six-time Pro Bowl NFL receiver turned reality TV star is faced with losing his 6,000-square-foot mansion in Davie, FL to foreclosure. The residence at 2899 Juniper Lane was foreclosed on earlier this month and will be put up for public auction in April.

“Chad Ochocinco,” as he is commonly referred to grew up in Miami and spent the prime of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he caught more than 1,000 receiving yards in seven of his first nine seasons. He legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ochocinco, in honor of his jersey number, 85 in 2008. He later changed his name back to “Johnson” in an effort to “find himself.” He also starred in a reality-TV dating series called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch , which ran for a single season on VH1 in 2010.

After playing for the New England Patriots in 2011 he signed with the Miami Dolphins, but before the season began, he was arrested for domestic battery and was cut from the team. In February 2015, the Long Lake Ranches West Homeowners Association placed a lien on Johnson’s home, claiming he owed more than $3,500. After not paying, the association sued and on March 1, a Broward County judge officially granted a final motion of foreclosure on Johnson’s home. The home is currently worth approximately $1.1 million, according to property records. The home will be posted for sale at broward.realforeclose.com on April 15.

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Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Florida Ranks #1 in Completed Foreclosures for January

Posted on March 15, 2016by Admin

Foreclosure inventory decreased nationwide by 21.7 percent and completed foreclosures dropped 16.2 percent in January compared to the previous year, according to CoreLogic. The number of U.S. homes in some stage of foreclosure totals approximately 456,000, compared with 583,000 in January 2015.

The five states with the highest number of completed foreclosures in January were Florida (74,000), Michigan (49,000), Texas (29,000), California (25,000) and Ohio (24,000). These five states accounted for almost half of all completed foreclosures nationally. Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall topped all other U.S. metro areas for completed foreclosures in January, with 6,919.

Foreclosure inventory represents the number of homes in some stage of foreclosure, and completed foreclosures represent the total number of homes lost to foreclosure. There have been 6.1 million completed foreclosures across the country since the financial crisis began in September 2008. Since that time there have been 8.2 million homes lost to foreclosure.

Related Resources:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2016/03/florida-tops-innation-for-completed-foreclosures.html

http://247wallst.com/housing/2016/03/08/january-foreclosures-highest-in-florida-michigan/

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Foreclosures and Delinquent Mortgages Decline in South Florida

Posted on February 5, 2016by Admin

A report released by CoreLogic revealed that the housing market is improving in South Florida. Both property foreclosures and delinquent mortgages are down from previous years.

The foreclosure rate in Broward County decreased 2.01 percent in November 2015 compared to November 2014. Approximately 2.55 percent of mortgages in Broward County were in foreclosure this year, down from 4.56 percent the previous year.

Palm Beach County had the lowest foreclosure rate at 1.95 percent. This is down from 3.49 percent the previous year. Miami-Dade County’s foreclosure rate dropped from 4.8 percent to 3.12 percent.

South Florida’s rate of improvement was higher than the average rate in the country. However, the actual number of foreclosures remained substantially higher in the area. The national foreclosure rate fell from 1.49 percent to 1.17 percent.

The number of mortgage loans that were at least 90 days delinquent also improved in South Florida and across the country. Broward County’s delinquency rate was 6.29 percent, down from 9.50 percent; Palm Beach County’s rate was 4.75 percent, down from 7.54 percent and Miami-Dade County’s rate dropped from 10.67 percent to 7.25 percent. The average rate across the country dropped from 4.14 percent to 3.25 percent.

The improvements in the market are good news for today’s buyers. Lenders are using a stricter underwriting process to avoid lending to risky borrowers, which experts attribute to the decrease in foreclosures. Property values are on the rise, restoring equity and confidence among homeowners and buyers.

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