Miami-Dade foreclosure auction site baffles bargain hunt

Miami-Dade foreclosure auction site baffles bargain hunters A new online foreclosure auction system started with a mission of quickly moving a chunk of foreclosed properties while opening up the bidding process to regular folks. A little more than a month later, some of the newcomers who bought property online say they were misled by the …

A new look at foreclosures and mediation

A new look at foreclosures and mediation The Florida Supreme Court and Florida’s banking industry agree there’s a logjam of foreclosure cases clogging the state’s circuit courts, but they disagree on what to do about it. The Supreme Court issued an order in December mandating each foreclosure case go through mediation before a judge can …

Refinancing fails to hit potential

Refinancing fails to hit potential The refinancing wave that swept the nation when mortgage rates hit historic lows last year is petering out, leaving behind millions of homeowners who could not qualify for the best rates. Half of the nation’s borrowers have mortgages with rates above 6 percent, even though the average rate on 30-year, …

Second jury finds fault with controversial foreclosure rescue deals

Second jury finds fault with controversial foreclosure rescue deals In 2005, Thomas Cook told 68-year-old Yolanda Rodriguez that the St. Petersburg company he worked for could help save her home from foreclosure. Instead, Garco Inc. got the deed to the house, and Rodriguez, who was evicted, lost as much as $200,000 in equity. But on …

Homeowners rent out rooms to stave off foreclosure

Homeowners rent out rooms to stave off foreclosure Reeling from the recession’s one-two-three-punch of job woes, climbing mortgage payments and evaporating equity, desperate homeowners are dipping into a nearby income stream to avoid foreclosure: That bedroom just down the hall. While renting out a room has been around for years, especially in the California’s Latino …