Tag: Short Sales

Bankruptcy Law, Debt Relief, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

With Foreclosures on the Decline, Loan Modifications Increase

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HOPE NOW, a private alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers and non-profit counselors, has released its July 2016 loan modification data. It stated for the month of July that total non-foreclosure solutions (i.e. – the combination of total loan modifications, short sales, deeds in lieu and workout plans) were approximately 112,000. This compares to approximately 25,000 completed foreclosure sales for the month- a ratio of more than four mortgage solutions for every foreclosure sale.

The report states that approximately 5,700 short sales were completed in July 2016 compared to 6,300 in the month prior. This represents a decrease of approximately 10 percent. Short sales were reported to have approximately 5,700 completed in July 2016 in contrast to 7,700 in July 2015, a decrease of 26 percent.

The report also included an estimated 35,000 permanent loan modifications completed in July 2016, compared to 34,000 in July 2015. This was a reported increase of approximately 3 percent. This total includes modifications completed under both proprietary programs and the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

Of the permanent loan modifications completed in the month of July, the report shows that an estimated 23,000 were through proprietary programs and 12,081 were completed through HAMP. In addition, of the 23,000 proprietary modifications completed in July, 46 percent (or 10,437), reduced the monthly principal and interest payment by 10 percent or more.

Foreclosure starts reduced 5 percent month over month to approximately 51,000 in July from 54,000 in June. Additionally, foreclosure sales were reportedly about 25,000 in July from 29,000 in June. This was a decrease of 12 percent month over month. Likewise, foreclosure sales were approximately 25,000 in July 2016. This is compared to 28,000 in July 2015 which was a decrease of 9 percent.

While delinquencies continue to decline to “pre-crisis” levels and the data trends certainly suggest the market is recovering, there remains a portion of the population who still need assistance. These regions include: Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and California.

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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.

Bankruptcy Law, Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Former Bank of America Mortgage Employee Facing Prison Time for Taking Bribes

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A former Bank of America mortgage employee has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for pocketing $1.2 million in payoffs to approve the sale of distressed properties for far less than their actual value.

Kevin Lauricella, 29, who has been cooperating with investigators, pled guilty to accepting bribes and falsifying bank records. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II in Los Angeles this week and was ordered to repay Bank of America $5.7 million in losses and to forfeit a Thousand Oaks home acquired through payouts from the criminal scheme.

Lauricella worked for a Bank of America division that handled delinquent home loans in 2010 and early 2011. During this time, lenders were overwhelmed by defaults on underwater mortgages, creating opportunities for insiders to exploit flaws in bank systems.

The crimes involved short sales. Lauricella collected bribes from so-called “flippers” who bought homes with the intent of quickly reselling them, Katzenstein admitted. He then issued approvals for short sales that were beyond his authority to approve, with sales prices far below the fair market value.

Lauricella made false entries in Bank of America’s computer system to make it appear that higher-ups had approved the short sales, Katzenstein said. When he pleaded guilty, Lauricella admitted approving fraudulent short sales for at least nine properties.

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.

Related Resources:

http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-mortgage-bribe-sentencing-20140721-story.html

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Foreclosures and Short Sales Decline in South Florida

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Distressed home sales have accounted for a smaller portion of the market across South Florida in 2013. Palm Beach County posted 3,598 transactions involving a short sale or foreclosure last year, representing 23 percent of all single-family home sales, according to data from the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches.

Distressed home sales have been slowly shrinking over the past three years. In the condominium sector, 20 percent of sales involved a troubled mortgage in 2013, compared with 24 percent in 2012. Rising home prices have turned South Florida back into a seller’s market. Short sales and foreclosures are now selling for the list price and above.

With less distress in the market, thousands of underwater homeowners are now beginning to have equity. Federal lawmakers have even allowed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act to expire this year, meaning the amount of debt forgiven in the short sale or primary residence is considered income and taxable.

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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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

South Florida Home Prices Increase Giving Underwater Homeowners a Sense of Hope

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South Florida home prices have increased by more than 20 percent in the past year, giving many underwater homeowners a sense of hope. According to Zillow.com, in the third quarter alone, more than 25,000 homeowners in Broward and Palm Beach counties saw their home values rise above what they owed, freeing them from “underwater” mortgages.

After peaking at $391,100 in November 2005, Broward County’s median home price plunged by more than 50 percent by the time the market finally hit bottom in early 2012. Palm Beach County’s peak median, $421,500, fell by nearly 60 percent for the same period. The steep declines, unleashed a wave of foreclosures. Many underwater homeowners opted for short sales, others were just stuck, continuing to make mortgage payments and unable to sell.

The market began to stabilize when investors and other buyers began looking for bargains. This rush eventually forced housing prices back up. Median prices in Palm Beach and Broward counties have jumped by double digits in every month this year, though the year-to-year increases have slowed since the summer. Analysts expect home values to appreciate closer to the traditional 4 percent a year by 2014.


Click here to read more on this story.

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.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Foreclosure doesn’t have to mean the End of Homeownership

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When the housing bubble burst in 2007, Americans were hit hard. According to RealtyTrac, 4.8 million borrowers lost their homes to foreclosure and 2.2 million gave up their homes in short sales. The recovery has been slow, but finally the housing market is re-emerging and showing signs of strength. Many former homeowners have learned difficult lessons and gained a new perspective on saving and making wise investments.

Following these tips will help set prospective buyers who have previously faced a foreclosure or short sale on the right path to homeownership:

• Work with a reputable lender. Make sure that person has the experience and knowledge to help you make an informed, affordable lending decision. They can also explain the time limits that affect buyers who have previously faced a foreclosure or short sale. There is generally a set amount of time that needs to pass before you are eligible to be considered again for a mortgage loan.

• Make an honest assessment of your credit situation. Having a foreclosure or short sale on your financial record will affect what options you may have for loan approval. Be an informed borrower. Access your credit report from all three credit agencies by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. It’s free!

• Save up for a down payment. Homebuyers re-entering the housing market after a foreclosure or short sale typically need to have a 20% down payment before purchasing a home. Keep in mind the additional expenses you may have to cover, such as closing costs. Properly handling financial responsibilities of homeownership beyond the monthly mortgage payment like taxes, homeowner’s insurance, utilities and other household expenses will be important in earning your loan approval.

• Get preapproved. It’s a good idea to work with a lender who offers a pre-approval program. The preapproval process helps borrowers determine their budget, first before getting into their home search.

Click here to read more on the steps to take to achieve homeownership after facing a foreclosure or short sale.

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.

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Lenders Are Now Opting for Short Sales

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Short selling has become a popular trend in Florida, allowing lenders to sell properties for less than the remaining mortgage balance. In January 2012, short sales averaged 23.9 percent, a larger percentage than foreclosure sales nationwide, which averaged about 19.7 percent. In 2010, President Obama backed short sales by offering incentives to banks. The program offered banks a credit of $1,000 to proceed with a short sale. The program also offered another $1,000 credit to cut deals with financially troubled homeowners. In addition, $1,500 was offered to defaulted homeowners as a “relocation credit” if they agreed to a short sale.
A rise in mortgage defaults is causing more lenders in South Florida to choose short sales. The benefits for the lender include limiting legal fees and the carrying costs of owning the home. However, there is a downside; Lenders must absorb the cost of the shortfall. They can also be deterred by the significant amount of documentation required and the related processing costs. In a short sale, lenders lose an average of about 19 percent of the loan amount, compared with an average of 40 percent through a foreclosure, and a lender’s cost to own a foreclosed house often is about 1 percent of the property value, excluding depreciation.
To read more on this topic visit:
http://therealdeal.com/miami/blog/2012/04/17/for-first-time-short-sales-are-more-popular-than-foreclosure-sales-in-the-u-s/
http://therealdeal.com/miami/blog/2008/05/07/short-sales-one-but-not-always-best-answer/
http://therealdeal.com/miami/blog/2010/03/08/president-obama-turns-attention-to-short-sales-in-effort-to-prevent-foreclosures/
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.