Florida RealEstateRama

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- In late October, 2009, the Treasury, the Federal Housing Finance Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced a new program under which housing bond issuers will have the opportunity to sell multifamily bonds to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “GSEs”) that will in turn be securitized and sold to the Treasury. The new program is known as the HFA Initiative/ New Issue Bond Purchase (“NIBP”) program and has been created based on authority granted under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA).

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today commended Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum for his proactive efforts to combat mortgage foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams in Florida. Yesterday, the FTC unveiled “Operation Stolen Hope,” a national sweep targeting these types of scams, and announced the filing of just over 100 state and federal legal actions throughout the country. These filings are in addition to the continuing efforts by Attorney General McCollum's office, which has filed 17 civil actions in the past year with more expected in the coming months.

ORLANDO, FL - November 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing home sales rose in October, marking 14 months that sales activity has increased in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. October’s statewide sales also increased over sales activity in September in both the existing home and existing condominium markets.Existing home sales rose 45 percent last month with a total of 15,160 homes sold statewide compared to 10,444 homes sold in October 2008, according to Florida Realtors. Statewide existing home sales last month increased 5.1 percent over statewide sales activity in September.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued a consumer advisory alerting homeowners whose homes contain allegedly defective Chinese drywall manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. to an opportunity to ensure their claims against the company are preserved. Knauf is one of several Chinese drywall manufacturers accused in a private class action lawsuit pending in federal court in Louisiana, of importing defective drywall into the United States during the recent housing boom. The company has agreed to accept service of a single lawsuit that will be filed on December 9, 2009 in the Louisiana federal court However, under the court’s order, homeowners with homes containing the allegedly defective Knauf drywall who wish to be included in the lawsuit must submit claims to the lead counsel in the lawsuit on or before December 2, 2009

FERNDALE, FL - November 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Parks & Trails Division announced this month that it is opening to the public the 192-acre Ferndale Preserve, which is located off County Road 455 in South Lake County, after several years of making improvements to the purchased property.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- In late October, 2009, the Treasury, the Federal Housing Finance Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced a new program under which housing bond issuers will have the opportunity to sell multifamily bonds to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “GSEs”) that will in turn be securitized and sold to the Treasury. The new program is known as the HFA Initiative/ New Issue Bond Purchase (“NIBP”) program and has been created based on authority granted under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA).

Non-profits applaud state’s affordable housing agency for expanding affordable housing opportunities for Florida’s most vulnerable citizens. TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) was recently awarded “State Agency of the Year” by the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition (FLSHC) and the Florida Coalition for the Homeless (FCH) during their Third Annual Statewide Housing and Homeless Conference last month in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

TAMPA, FL - November 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today announced that President and CEO Julie Rochman, along with representatives from Travelers and Ceres, will present “Mean and Green: The Need for Disaster Resistant Green Building,” Thursday, Nov. 12 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET at the Greenbuild 2009 Conference in Phoenix.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Housing will hold a Telephonic Board Meeting on November 13, 2009 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will address the consideration of necessary actions related to approval of credit underwriting reports and market studies.

ORLANDO, FL - November 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 33 percent in third quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 44,345 existing homes sold statewide in 3Q 2009; during the same period the year before, a total of 33,311 existing homes sold. It marks the fifth consecutive quarter that Florida has seen higher existing year-to-year home sales, according to the state association.Statewide sales of existing condominiums in the third quarter rose 56 percent compared to the same time the previous year. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter for increased statewide sales in both the existing home and condo markets compared to year-ago levels

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against two Central Florida companies and their owner over allegations they charged up-front fees for foreclosure rescue-related services. National Payment Modification Company and The Bostonian Group, LLC, which conducts business under the name People’s First, allegedly charge up to $2,500 in up-front fees to homeowners trying to rescue their homes from foreclosure.

ORLANDO, FL - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Potential homebuyers have even more incentive to purchase a Florida home, according to Florida Realtors, thanks to the extension and expansion of the federal $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.

SUNRISE, FL - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a Broward County community forum to discuss the housing crisis. The event, designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues, provided community education and assistance to over 100 attendees. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities.

JACKSONVILLE, FL—United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr., today sentenced Juan Carlos Gonzalez (age 51, of Jacksonville) to seven years in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud. The court also entered a money judgment against Gonzalez for $6,296,303.65, the amount that Gonzalez obtained from the fraud. Gonzalez had pleaded guilty on November 25, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC - November 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Congressman Kendrick B. Meek today voted in favor of H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to extend critical unemployment benefits for unemployed workers, expand and improve the homebuyer tax credit, and provide tax relief for military families and businesses. The legislation passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 402-12.

Washington, DC - November 5, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) today joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues to support legislation that will strengthen South Florida’s economy. The bill, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 (H.R. 3548) has two critical provisions for our community. First, it extends tax credits for first-time homebuyers in order to continue to provide a crucial jolt to the real estate market and the South Florida economy. In addition, the bill supports local businesses by allowing a five-year carry-back on net operating losses.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today commended the contributions of her Division of Insurance Fraud in the “Mortgage Fraud Surge”, a nine-month joint effort with the U.S. Attorney Brian Albritton, the FBI and numerous other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to secure as many mortgage-fraud related indictments and arrests as possible.

TAVARES, FL - November 2, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is hosting three public workshops on Nov. 2, 5 & 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to give stakeholders — residents, property owners, business owners, municipalities and other local and regional entities — an opportunity to voice concerns, questions and suggestions about the proposed Lake County Comprehensive Plan, titled Planning Horizon 2030.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 2, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Housing was recently awarded $1,805,370 to support foreclosure prevention counseling efforts in the State of Florida. The much-needed boost will bolster efforts to provide additional foreclosure counseling to area homeowners in danger of foreclosure.“Needless to say, we are very pleased to have been awarded these funds from NeighborWorks® America to expand and build upon the efforts to help those facing foreclosure in our state,” said Steve Auger, Florida Housing’s executive director. “Through the continued partnership with our sub-grantees, we will work diligently to assist as many homeowners as possible.”

TALLAHASSEE, FL - October 27, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property continued its record-setting pace this weekend by netting over $1.24 million at the annual Unclaimed Property Auction held Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale. This is the most ever garnered by Florida’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property at the annual auction. CFO Sink’s push in the week leading up to the Unclaimed Property Auction also helped return to people a staggering $7.23M through over 20,000 accounts in just seven days.

FT. MYERS, FL - October 26, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a Ft. Myers community forum to discuss the housing crisis. The event, designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues, provided community education and assistance to over 100 attendees. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities

Washington, DC - October 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- As thousands of Floridians continue losing their homes to foreclosure, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is calling on the Treasury Department to provide detailed information about the number of trial loan modifications offered to at-risk homeowners. Castor joined with Chairwoman Maxine Waters demanding that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner provide the requested information about the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) by next week. Waters, of Los Angeles, is chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity

TAVARES, FL - October 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is hosting three public workshops on Nov. 2, 5 & 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to give stakeholders — residents, property owners, business owners, municipalities and other local and regional entities — an opportunity to voice concerns, questions and suggestions about the proposed Lake County Comprehensive Plan, titled Planning Horizon 2030.

TAVARES, FL - October 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is hosting three public workshops on Nov. 2, 5 & 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to give stakeholders — residents, property owners, business owners, municipalities and other local and regional entities — an opportunity to voice concerns, questions and suggestions about the proposed Lake County Comprehensive Plan, titled Planning Horizon 2030.

TAVARES, FL - October 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is hosting three public workshops on Nov. 2, 5 & 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to give stakeholders — residents, property owners, business owners, municipalities and other local and regional entities — an opportunity to voice concerns, questions and suggestions about the proposed Lake County Comprehensive Plan, titled Planning Horizon 2030.

TALLAHASSEE, LF - October 20, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today highlighted two initiatives she started to bring real, tangible help to Florida homeowners facing foreclosure, and heard from community groups and homeowners who are on the frontlines of tackling the state’s housing crisis.

Orlando, FOL - October 14, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Alan Grayson, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Mayor Buddy Dyer toured a neighborhood and highlighted two successful programs helping resolve the problems of foreclosure and slumping property values today in Orlando.

TALLAHASSEE, FL- October 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Housing's upcoming Board of Directors' Meeting will be held on Friday, October 23 in Tallahassee. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. For Board Package information,

Washington, DC - October 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 13, Congressmen Robert Wexler (FL-19), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), and Ron Klein (FL-22) and State Senator Ted Deutch will be joined by President Barack Obama’s Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, for a tour of a Boynton Beach home afflicted by contaminated drywall. Reps. Wexler and Diaz-Balart, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Contaminated Drywall, will emphasize to Secretary Donovan the devastating impact the tainted drywall has had on the lives of the Roberts family, who own a home in the community of Cobblestone Creek. Dr. Steve Roberts and his wife Jennifer Roberts have struggled with their 16 month-old daughter’s frequent respiratory infections, and the fact that their home has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in value as a result of this toxic product

TALLAHASSEE, FL - October 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Reports recently received by Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) show a significant increase in the number Floridians finding affordable rental housing using www.FloridaHousingSearch.org, which is the Corporation’s FREE online rental housing locator. According to the data in the report, provided by Socialserve.com®, 39 percent of the rented units on the state’s Search.org affordable rental housing locator were located by consumers using www.Floridahousingsearch.org or the Locator's call-center.