Foreclosure Roundup

There were a number of submissions to the Foreclosure Central roundup. I can only assume that most people were tied up with taxes, as very few of the submissions had anything at all to do with foreclosure.

The most insightful blog author regarding foreclosure was Andrea Dickson at Wise Bread. In her article "How to Avoid Foreclosure" she gives homeowners who might be facing foreclosure some real tools and steps to follow.

I also like that Andrea touches on the community impact of foreclosures, stating "At least 4 properties (all rentals, all owned by the same person) on my street alone are being auctioned off within the next month, and that kind of activity is going to affect my property values..." Scary stuff.

Each state's foreclosure process is somewhat different. To see an overview of each state's foreclosure process, go to Foreclosure Basics - By State.

Meanwhile, as more investors shift from residential to the more stable commercial side, Craig S. Higdon at Investment Property Insider explains some basics with Commercial Real Estate Credit, and urges potential investors to "Weigh your risks carefully"

Subprime mortgages and foreclosure statistics continue to dominate real estate-related news stories.

Nationwide, CNN Money shows that foreclosures are up 7% from March to February of 2007, a whopping 47% increase from last year at this time.

For the third straight month, Nevada leads the nation in foreclosures. Las Vegas has the second-highest foreclosure rate among cities monitored by RealtyTrac. The article reports that "Nevada reported 4,738 foreclosure filings, more than triple the number in March 2006. Its foreclosure rate showed 1 filing for every 183 households, more than four times the national rate of 1 per 775 households"

More bad news for Florida. RealtyTrac says that Florida ranks second in the nation for foreclosures with an increase of 33% from February to March of 2007.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Foreclosures, default notices hit 10-year high. "The number of California homeowners who defaulted on their mortgage payments jumped to its highest level in almost 10 years, exacerbated by slowing home sales and adjustable-mortgage resets."

But Washington State's real estate market remains strong. The Seattle Times shows Foreclosures in state fall, bucking national trend, while the Atlanta Business Chronicle points to a bounce in that state's foreclosure rates as well.

Financial Services Chariman Barney Frank is calling for a quick pass of legislation that would set national protections for all mortgage borrowers and clearer disclosure statements.

Thankfully, not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon for a legislative bailout. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Go slow on foreclosures, Congress told. "Federal regulators and mortgage lenders this morning warned congressional lawmakers against moving too aggressively to regulate the mortgage industry in response to a soaring number of home foreclosures."

Senator Chris Dodd was one of the earliest and most vocal proponents of legislating the nation out of the subprime debacle. Today it seems he has made a quick about-face. He is quoted as saying "I'm not overly anxious to legislate," he said. "We think there may be enough laws on the books."

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are developing new types of loans to help distressed borrowers with high-risk mortgages, including a possible 40-year mortgage.

FBI Issues Mortgage Fraud Warning

Last week, the FBI issued a strong statement regarding mortgage fraud. The announcement confirmed that the agency is working with the Mortgage Bankers Association to prevent and prosecute mortgage fraud.

The action is reminiscent of the early whistleblower channels that were established in order to more effectively prosecute corporate misdeeds. It also sounds like the warning shot to offenders that mortgage fraud will be the high-priority, high-profile topic for 2007.

And with 2008 being an election year, I expect this will become at least a minor topic on the campaign circuit. A Congressional action similar to Sarbanes-Oxley cannot be too far behind.


FBI ISSUES MORTGAGE FRAUD NOTICE IN CONJUNCTION WITH MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION

Washington, D.C. – Today the FBI and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) entered into an agreement to combat Mortgage Fraud. The FBI and the MBA will make available a Mortgage Fraud Warning Notice as a proactive means of educating consumers and mortgage-lending professionals of the penalties and consequences of this criminal activity.

“Mortgage Fraud is clearly becoming a problem that requires the unified efforts of law enforcement, regulators, and industry,” said Karen Spangenberg, Section Chief of the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division, who signed on behalf of the FBI. “The FBI is pleased to have worked with the Mortgage Bankers Association in the development and distribution of this advisory as we continue to strengthen our relationship with such key organizations to combat Mortgage Fraud.”

Mortgage Fraud Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) referred to law enforcement by financial institutions increased from 17,127 SARs in Fiscal Year 2004 to 35,617 SARs in Fiscal Year 2006, reflecting estimated losses of $946 million. FBI Mortgage Fraud investigations have focused on large-scale frauds perpetrated by organized crime and industry insiders, including attorneys, brokers, appraisers, and realtors. Since September 2002, the number and types of investigations have increased from 436 to 1,036. Of these current cases, 51% involve expected losses in excess of $1 million, and 57% involve our federally insured financial institutions as victims.

Combatting significant fraud in this area is a priority, because mortgage lending and the housing market have a significant overall effect on the nation’s economy. The FBI works closely with national associations such as the MBA, as well as with individual lenders, in a continual effort to define and combat the growing Mortgage Fraud problem. The newly developed Mortgage Fraud Warning Notice enhances the FBI’s endeavors to do so by putting potential perpetrators on notice in an effort to stop potential crime before it is committed.

“We wish to thank the FBI for working with us to provide mortgage lenders another item in the toolbox to help combat fraud against lenders,” said John M. Robbins, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association. “Fraud against lenders costs the mortgage industry billions of dollars each year, affecting everyone in the mortgage process, including consumers and the communities we are trying to help build.”

Call For Carnival Submissions"Foreclosure Central"

Unfortunately, we've had a significant amount of request for foreclosure information. With that in mind, we are opening the floor to submissions from homeowners, investors, and real estate/mortgage professionals to share what they know on this topic.

This will be an ongoing carnival, with submission deadlines at midnight (Eastern) on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Sumbit your Foreclosure article here.

Thank you in advance for your participation. We look forward to seeing your foreclosure information submissions!