Why The New Wave Of Foreclosures Is Good News For Homeowners
By Morgan Brennan, Forbes, June 14, 2012

Today RealtyTrac released its May foreclosure report and the numbers aren’t great. Foreclosure filings — defined as default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions –  ticked up 9% from April. It’s the first nationwide increase in foreclosures in 28 months, after more than two years of consecutive declines. Currently one out of every 639 homes in the U.S. is now distressed.

Disposing of Distress Differently
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, June 14, 2012

We noticed some interesting numbers that clearly demonstrate how lenders are changing the way they dispose of distressed properties — moving away from bank repossession and toward short sales. From January 2007 through March 2012, lenders have started the foreclosure process on more than 8.5 million U.S. properties. Of those 8.5 million foreclosure starts, 5.9 million (68 percent) have been disposed of either via pre-foreclosure sale — typically a short sale or a sale at the public foreclosure auction —or by bank repossession (REO). Those REOs eventually are re-sold by lenders to try to recover any losses on the loan.

April Settlement Brings May Foreclosures
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, June 14, 2012

The most notable statistic in the RealtyTrac May 2012 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released today was the year-over-year increase in foreclosure starts following 27 months of annual declines.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley promises to fight foreclosures
By Jim Kinney, MassLive.com, June 12, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — The state’s housing market, and its economy in general, won’t fully recover until Massachusetts puts the mortgage foreclosure crisis in the rear view mirror, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield.

UC Irvine law students to help enforce foreclosure settlement
By E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2012

UC Irvine law students will travel California this summer to help determine if five giant banks are fulfilling the pledges they made in a $25-billion settlement of foreclosure-abuse investigations.

'Occupy' turns to housing
By Jessica Lewis, Alex Bennett and Saba Nazeer, the Baltimore Sun, June 12, 2012

Those who rely on mainstream media to tell them what's happening can be forgiven for coming to the same opinion as ex-Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who wrote in his recent column "Capitalism on trial" that the Occupy movement has disintegrated.

For distressed homeowners, short sales on the rise
By Jim Gallasher, stltoday.com, June 10, 2012

When J. D. Tucker and his domestic partner split up, the distress went beyond heartache.

Short Sale Bill Has Unintended Consequences: Part II
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, June 8, 2012

This is second post about Senate Bill 458, which became law last summer, but loopholes in the law are creating unintended consequences for some distressed borrowers, according to real estate experts.

REO Inventory Ballooning as Banks Hold Back Housing
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, June 11, 2012

In the May 2012 issue of the Foreclosure News Report, real estate attorney, investor, author and trainer William Bronchick argues that banks are “hoarding foreclosure inventory” and overvaluing their real estate owned (REO) properties in an attempt to squeeze more money out of their distressed portfolios.

Short Sales of U.S. Homes on Track to Exceed Foreclosure Deals
By John Gittelsohn, BloombergBusinessweek, May 31, 2012

Short sales of U.S. homes rose to a three-year high in the first quarter as banks agreed to let more borrowers unload property at a loss, putting the transactions on pace to surpass deals for foreclosures, RealtyTrac Inc. said.

No Foreclosure, But Still a Good Deal: Diary of a Rookie Real Estate Investor
By Joel Cone, Staff Writer, May 30, 2012

Last time we were already in escrow on the condo and counting down the days to Brian’s college graduation.

Foreclosures Push Home Price Index to Post-Crisis Low
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, May 30, 2012

The latest S&P/Case-Shiller (CSI) home price index for March and RealtyTrac’s foreclosure data show a clear correlation between rising foreclosure activity and home price declines.

Federal Reserve uses YouTube to promote free foreclosure reviews
By E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2012

It sounded like the biggest no-brainer in the history of bank screw-ups -- a free, government-sponsored review of foreclosure proceedings, with compensation for homeowners who suffered financial harm.

Should We Combine Auctions & Short Sales
By Peter G. Miller, May 25, 2012

Short sales are a big deal and to see why just look at the numbers: The National Association of Realtors reports that in March short sales represented 11 percent of all existing home sales and typically sold with a 16-percent discount.

REOs Short Circuited by Short Sales
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, May 24, 2012

In New York last week, I got the chance to sit down with Fred Katayama of Reuters to discuss the foreclosure numbers, which show that bank repossessions (REOs) dropped to a 49-month low in April.