Mortgage Servicers Role in Real Estate Nightmare

October 18, 2010

As the foreclosure process comes under nationwide scrutiny, judges are questioning how servicers calculate amounts owed on loans. Some borrowers claim they lost their houses because of bungled payment processing and accounting. And there are growing worries about whether important mortgage documents were recorded properly, especially on loans packaged into securities.  Even before the mortgage […]

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Small Business Owners May Have to Settle for a Lot Less

October 15, 2010

Small-business owners expecting a big payoff when they sell their establishments may have to settle for a lot less than expected.  A combination of tight credit, skittish buyers and business owners unwilling to sell at rock-bottom prices, factors also affecting home sellers, has left the small-business marketplace at a standstill. Wall Street Journal 10/14/10

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Full Disclosure Critical for Effective Estate Planning

October 14, 2010

It is logical that an estate plan should offer a clear map of what a person owns, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes that person doesn’t have an accurate balance sheet to start with, and chooses not to update it or to share every detail. Bad communication between attorneys and advisers may also create […]

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Foreclosure Fragility – Merrill Lynch

October 14, 2010

  The housing market has taken another leg down as potential homebuyers remain on the sidelines and inventory swells. This widening imbalance should push prices lower in the near term. Clearly the market is vulnerable, which means we should pay attention to the brewing foreclosure problems.   As we have been arguing for some time, the […]

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Investigation into Mortgage Companies Foreclosure Proceedings

October 14, 2010

On Wednesday, officials in all 50 states unveiled a joint investigation into mortgage companies’ conduct during foreclosure proceedings. Some big banks like Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. have placed moratoriums on foreclosures.   A drag on the foreclosure process “could delay any recovery in the housing market that might be on the […]

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