News United States
October 2010
News
October 2010
Pressure intensifies on mortgage lenders, Oct 11, 2010
More than two-thirds of U.S. state attorneys general plan this week to launch
a joint probe into charges some banks used
fraudulent paperwork to kick struggling borrowers
out of their homes, a source familiar with the
effort told Reuters on Sunday.
Bank of
America, the nation's largest mortgage servicer, an
industry term for a firm that collects mortgage
payments, said on Friday it would temporarily halt
foreclosures nationwide as it looks into reports of
shoddy paperwork.
Bank of
America is the first bank to halt foreclosures in
all 50 states. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co
and Ally Financial Inc's GMAC Mortgage had earlier
announced plans to suspend foreclosures in 23 states
pending a review of foreclosure procedures.The mortgage unit of Ally Financial, which is 56.3 percent owned by the U.S. government after a $17 billion bailout, has said employees preparing foreclosures had submitted affidavits to judges containing information they did not personally verify.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is facing a tough re-election November 2 in Nevada, where foreclosure rates are the highest in the nation, called for a national moratorium on foreclosures after Bank of America's announcement.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deadline for attorneys general to sign on to the investigation effort led by Iowa's Tom Miller was at the end of the day Monday, so a formal announcement could be made on Tuesday.
At least half a dozen attorneys general have already announced individual investigations into the foreclosure mess.
The total number of attorneys general calling for an investigation is not precisely known but it is expected to be at least three dozen and possibly more.
At this stage, the joint effort is not expected to include a call for a moratorium, the source said, though some attorneys general have already done so in their individual states.
Many, including Miller, are running for re-election or election to other offices.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week the Justice Department is looking into the widespread reports of bogus paperwork. It is not clear if the matter is under the jurisdiction of the states or the federal government but federal officials are looking into it, the source said.
President Barack Obama, however, opposes a national foreclosure moratorium, though he wants a quick resolution to any foreclosures that might have questionable paperwork, top White House adviser David Axelrod signaled on Sunday.
"I'm not sure about a national moratorium," Axelrod told CBS television. "Our hope is that this moves rapidly and that this gets unwound very, very quickly."
Federal Housing Administration Commissioner David Stevens told Reuters the administration does not believe a nationwide moratorium is the right action at this time.
"Any kind of broad moratorium will simply stall home sales," he said.
Banks are expected to take over a record 1.2 million homes this year, up from about 1 million last year and just 100,000 as recently as 2005, real estate data company RealtyTrac Inc. said last month.
Caribbean storm dumps rain, eyes Florida, Sep 29, 2010
A tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea brought heavy rains early Wednesday to southern Florida after soaking Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.The system had top sustained winds near 35 mph and was expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Nicole later on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
"The depression is very near becoming a tropical storm," the center said in a 5 a.m. ET advisory.
Tropical cyclones become named storms when their sustained winds reach 39 mph (63 km per hour).
The system was centered about 190 miles south of Miami and was moving north-northeast at 14 mph/22 kph, the Miami-based hurricane center said. It was expected to move over the Florida Straits later in the morning.
The storm was projected to stay well clear of the Gulf of Mexico, where U.S. oil and gas operations are concentrated. The heaviest rains were on the east side of the system, which would reduce the threat to the central Florida orange groves.
The system was not expected to strengthen beyond a minimal tropical storm and forecasters predicted it would dissipate into a wide blob of thunderstorms by the weekend.
The main threat was from flash flooding and mudslides. The depression was expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain in its path, including over the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Cuba.
A tropical storm warning was in effect along the Florida eastern coast, the Cayman Islands and parts of Cuba and the Bahamas. A warning means tropical storm conditions were expected between 12 to 24 hours.