When struggling with debt and trying to stay in one's home, the hope that so-called relief programs will actually provide relief is what can make it easier to get through the day, look toward the future. Unfortunately, it sounds like struggling homeowners facing...
Month: April 2011
Were Target consumers targets of misguided collection actions?
Many of us have struggled and are still struggling with debt. It's a stress that is hard to not wake up thinking about, especially when creditors call and send letters on a regular basis. Imagine how much more frustrating creditors would be if they hounded you and...
Fort Lauderdale buys mortgages, plans to offer loan modifications
There was some interesting news this week for Florida homeowners facing foreclosure. A Fort Lauderdale-based private equity firm called US Debt Ventures announced on Monday that it has bought a pool of about 7,000 non-performing first, second and third mortgages from...
Tax day check: Did you have credit card debt forgiven last year?
Today is tax day, so your federal taxes should be finished and on their way to the IRS, or you should have filed an extension. Even if you're finished with your taxes, however, you can still fix any mistakes you may have made by filing an amended tax return. One area...
Are Chapter 13 bankruptcies obscuring the full foreclosure crisis?
Although Florida remains one of the states most hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis, the third quarter of 2010 showed a large drop in new foreclosure filings in Florida Courts. In Orlando, foreclosure filings were down by 14 percent over 2009 numbers, although we still...
Study: Banks and credit card companies not complying with CARD Act
If you're trying to cut back on credit card debt or other types of consumer debt, the fees banks charge can make a big difference. Unfortunately, it's often very difficult to find out in advance what fees banks could charge you on credit cards, debit cards, car loans,...
Chapter 7 & Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcies down in first quarter
After last year's record number of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcy filings since the new bankruptcy law went into effect in 2005, it was interesting to see that the latest statistics show the number of individual bankruptcies -- perhaps -- beginning to...
Foreclosure judges increasingly tossing cases for bad paperwork
Florida judges are getting more and more fed up with the shoddy paperwork being presented to the courts in foreclosure cases. With the nation's largest mortgage lenders and Florida's largest lender-side foreclosure law firms increasingly caught up in...