Cautious Moves on Foreclosures Haunting Obama
By Binyamin Appelbaum, The New York Times, August 19, 2012

WASHINGTON — After inheriting the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, President Obama poured vast amounts of money into efforts to stabilize the financial system, rescue the auto industry and revive the economy.

The Unsettled Foreclosure Settlement
By Joel Cone, Staff Writer, August 17, 2012

It’s been six months since the federal government and attorneys general from 49 states came to terms with the five largest lenders in the nation, settling on a $25 billion penalty for illegal foreclosure practices including the so-called “robo-signing” of foreclosure documentation starting back in 2008.

Foreclosures and the Presidential Race
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, August 15, 2012

With less than three months remaining until the presidential election, neither candidate has talked much about the troubled U.S. housing market, especially in foreclosure-riddled states like Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Michigan — all key swing states.

Nevada a test ground for campaign economic themes
By Thomas Beaumont, Huffington Post, August 8, 2012

LAS VEGAS — Look no further than the epicenter of the nation's housing worries – where "for sale" signs dot neighborhoods just off the glittering Las Vegas Strip – to see how Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are pitching themselves to voters beleaguered by the economy.

Can Eminent Domain Solve The Foreclosure Crisis?
By Peter G. Miller, Guest Columnist, August 7, 2012

A new idea is floating around, the thought that underwater borrowers can be salvaged by refinancing their homes at current interest rates. How? By having local government seize mortgages under the concept of eminent domain, a plan which has been proposed in San Bernardino, Calif. Dig a little further and we have to ask the question of who, exactly, will buy the existing loans — especially if the current lenders do not want to sell or cannot sell.

Why Lenders Don’t List REOs: The Conspiracy Theories
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, August 8, 2012

Two items in the most recent quarterly 10-Q SEC filing from Fannie Mae opens the possibility that lenders may be intentionally holding back REO inventory from being listed.

Mitt's Mansions, the Foreclosure Crisis, and the Election
By Peter Dreier, Huffington Post, August 5, 2012

It is time for reporters following Mitt to start asking him some questions about housing, a serious problem today.

RealtyTrac Exclusive Q&A with Spike TV’s Flip Men: Garages The New Kitchens and Other Foreclosure Flipping Secrets
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, August 2, 2012

RealtyTrac recently caught up with the stars of Spike TV’s Flip Men, Doug Clark and Mike Baird, fresh from finishing up Season 2 of their show, which premieres this Sunday, Aug. 5 at 10 p.m.

Regulator Torpedoes Obama’s Mortgage Reduction Plan
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, August 2, 2012

The federal regulator overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said onTuesday that he would not allow the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to reduce loan balances of delinquent and underwater borrowers, claiming in a 15-page report that there was no clear cut financial benefits, and such a move could trigger  some borrowers to intentionally default on their mortgage loans in the hopes of a taxpayer bailout.

Foreclosure Filings Increase in 60% of Large U.S. Cities
By Dan Levy, BloombergBusinessweek, July 26, 2012

Foreclosure filings rose in almost 60 percent of large U.S. cities in the first half of 2012, indicating many areas will have more distressed homes on the market later this year, RealtyTrac Inc. reported.

RealtyTrac CEO on CNBC: The $1.2 Trillion Housing Problem
By Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac Vice President, July 25, 2012

RealtyTrac CEO Brandon Moore appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo today, providing insight on why properties already in foreclosure only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential housing market risk. Moore shared that loans in the foreclosure process represented $45 billion in negative equity, which effectively equates to losses the banks backing those loans will have to absorb when they complete foreclosure or approve a short sale — except for in the rare cases where the banks are willing and able to go after the distressed homeowner for any losses not covered by the sale of the foreclosed home or the short sale.

Hard Up For Good News in the Real Estate Sector
By Joel Cone, Staff Writer, July 25, 2012

Ask any economist and they will tell you that a typical real estate cycle lasts for seven years. The last one we had lasted for more than twice as long.

Few Ohio homeowners opting for foreclosure help
The Associated Press, July 22, 2012

DAYTON, Ohio — Few eligible Ohio homeowners are having their foreclosure cases reviewed for free even though they might receive up to $125,000 if lenders wrongfully caused them financial harm.

The Graying of the Foreclosure Crisis
By Joel Cone, Staff Writer, July 20, 2012

It’s a sad state of affairs. In these days of economic strife, the average aging American — from the Baby Boomer Generation and older — can no longer depend on being able to survive financially in what was supposed to be their “Golden Years.” The Great Recession has done them in.

California County Considers Seizing Mortgages
By Octavio Nuiry, Staff Writer, July 19, 2012

Desperate for a way out of a housing collapse that has crippled the region’s economy, officials in San Bernardino County, Calif., are exploring a controversial plan to revive the struggling economy — using eminent domain.