A recent report by a bankruptcy study group shows a sharp rise in demand for bankruptcy attorneys, particularly in Florida. Both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy rates have both soared in Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada as a result of the real estate market...
Month: September 2010
Credit Card Debt Collection After Death: Is Calling Family Fair?
In part 1 of this series, we discussed the increasingly common practice among debt collectors of calling surviving relatives of deceased debtors in an attempt to persuade them to pay. In the vast majority of cases the relatives have no legal obligation to pay the...
Calling Kin to Collect Deceased’s Credit Card Debt Growing Common
In today's economy, debt collection companies are getting creative when it comes to collecting delinquent debts -- some say too creative. In cases where a credit card holder has died, the debt has always been legally addressed through the probate process. These days,...
South Florida Foreclosures Decrease by Half
Since the beginning of the recession, Florida has continually been one of the hardest hit states, filing record numbers of foreclosures over the past two years. However, new numbers indicate that Florida's fate could be changing. According to recent reports, home...
Never Pay Up-Front Loan Modification Fees in Florida
Many so-called loan modification companies have been in the news recently for charging up-front fees but never providing real services to customers. Two more Florida companies are now in the spotlight under similar accusations. Hope Financial Services and Global...
Credit Card Debt Can Increase Vulnerability to Scams
The current troubles with the economy have made consumers more vulnerable to credit score repair scams. Across the nation and in Florida credit card debt, car payments, mortgages and overdue bills weigh on consumer's minds. Falling for a scam not only costs money, but...
HUD to Send $208 Million to Florida for Abandoned Homes
The Federal Government has allocated $208 million dollars to Florida in the latest round in the fight to reverse the foreclosure blight. Central Florida will receive $48 million dollars of that money. The amount of federal funds flowing into our state is greater than...
Consumers Cut Back, Choose Cash Over Credit
Consumers in Florida and around the country are tightening their belts, according to the Federal Reserve Board. Bargain hunting and penny pinching have paid off for many but may be throwing a monkey-wrench into the economic recovery. The Fed released two reports this...
Foreclosure Courts – Death Panels for Troubled Homeowners?
When Florida's legislators voted to fund foreclosures-only courts, did they know they would be dubbed "rocket dockets?" Or that homeowners defending foreclosure actions would be pleading their cases to retired judges who were more focused on clearing the backlog...
Florida’s Car Payment Delinquency Rate Falls, Other Rates Rise
According to a new survey by California-based TransUnion, a major credit reporting company, Florida remained in line with the national trend in the second quarter of 2010, seeing the number of past-due car payments fall significantly. However, his good news is coupled...
