Justices debate mandatory mediation to ease crisis
November 5, 2009
Daily Business Review
Authored by : Vanessa Blum
The Florida Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to adopt statewide mandatory mediation for residential foreclosures to help judges manage the flood of filings clogging courthouses.
The high court heard arguments on a task force report recommending mandatory mediation as part of a streamlined and uniform approach to the foreclosure crisis.
While questioning some specifics of the plan, justices seemed eager to help circuit courts deal with an onslaught of foreclosure cases — many involving unrepresented homeowners with a limited understanding of the legal process.
Homeowner beware ! Make sure your mortgage modifier is licensed
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
More than 16,100 mortgage modification complaints filed in past six months
Mortgage modifiers must be licensed under new Florida law
State regulators cracking down, with 83 active investigations
Originally published By Diane C. Lade
South Florida Sun Sentinel
6:38 PM EDT, August 26, 2009
Hundreds of people calling themselves “foreclosure rescue specialists,” promising to quickly cut through red tape and reduce mortgage payments, have taken millions of dollars from South Florida homeowners over the past year for their services.
But unlike mortgage brokers or real-estate agents, mortgage modifiers are not required to have any special training or even a license — something many consumers don’t know.