February California Foreclosure Report : FORECLOSURE STARTS UP NEARLY 20% IN CALIFORNIA

February California Foreclosure Report

FORECLOSURE STARTS UP NEARLY 20% IN CALIFORNIA
Despite foreclosure inventories, foreclosure sales drop

Discovery Bay, CA, March 15, 2010 - ForeclosureRadar (www.foreclosureradar.com), the only website that tracks every California foreclosure and provides daily auction updates, issued its monthly California Foreclosure Report for February 2010. After reaching the lowest level in a year last month, Notice of Defaults, the start of the foreclosure process, increased by 19.7 percent in February. The number of properties scheduled for foreclosure sale remained near record levels, yet foreclosure sales, either Back to Bank or Sold to 3rd Parties, dropped by 11.9 percent total.

A New Chapter for Bankruptcy

An interesting article about the failures of the current bankruptcy system in dealing with the current mortgage crisis

LINK TO THE NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

Here's a link to the national debt clock. It's amazing--take a peak

RENTAL AND REAL ESTATE SCAMS WARNING



POSTED ON THE FBI WEBSITE - RENTAL AND REAL ESTATE SCAMS

03/12/10—Individuals need to be cautious when posting rental properties and real estate on-line. The IC3 continues to receive numerous complaints from individuals who have fallen victim to scams involving rentals of apartments and houses, as well as postings of real estate online.

Rental scams occur when the victim has rental property advertised and is contacted by an interested party. Once the rental price is agreed-upon, the scammer forwards a check for the deposit on the rental property to the victim. The check is to cover housing expenses and is, either written in excess of the amount required, with the scammer asking for the remainder to be remitted back, or the check is written for the correct amount, but the scammer backs out of the rental agreement and asks for a refund. Since the banks do not usually place a hold on the funds, the victim has immediate access to them and believes the check has cleared. In the end, the check is found to be counterfeit and the victim is held responsible by the bank for all losses.

Another type of scam involves real estate that is posted via classified advertisement websites. The scammer duplicates postings from legitimate real estate websites and reposts these ads, after altering them. Often, the scammers use the broker’s real name to create a fake e-mail, which gives the fraud more legitimacy. When the victim sends an e-mail through the classified advertisement website inquiring about the home, they receive a response from someone claiming to be the owner. The “owner” claims he and his wife are currently on missionary work in a foreign country. Therefore, he needs someone to rent their home while they are away. If the victim is interested in renting the home, they are asked to send money to the owner in the foreign country.

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at http://www.IC3.gov/.

MORTGAGE DELINQUENCIES HIT NEW RECORD

More news from the American Bankruptcy Institute

MORTGAGE DELINQUENCIES HIT NEW RECORD

TransUnion reported yesterday that customers at least 60 days past due on their mortgage payments rose to a new record in the fourth quarter, the Associated Press reported today. The credit data provider said that 6.89 percent of mortgage borrowers were at least two months behind on payments during the fourth quarter. It was the 12th straight quarter the delinquency rate rose. The delinquency rate, which is seen as a precursor to foreclosures, was 6.25 percent during the third quarter and 4.58 percent during the final quarter in 2008. In addition, customers at least three months late on making a credit card payment rose to 1.21 percent during the final three months of 2009. However, average credit card debt fell to $5,434 from $5,729 during the same quarter a year earlier. While mortgage and credit card delinquencies continued to worsen, auto delinquencies improved. The 60-day delinquency rate on auto loans fell 6 percent in the fourth quarter to 0.81 percent, compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The delinquency rate was unchanged from the third quarter.

TOTAL BANKRUPTCY FILINGS INCREASE 32 PERCENT IN 2009, APPROACH PRE-BAPCPA LEVELS

News from the American Bankruptcy Institute

TOTAL BANKRUPTCY FILINGS INCREASE 32 PERCENT IN 2009, APPROACH PRE-BAPCPA LEVELS

Total bankruptcy filings in the United States increased 32 percent in 2009 over calendar year 2008, according to data released today from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC). Bankruptcy filings totaled 1,473,675 for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2009, a significant increase over the previous year’s total of 1,117,641. Business bankruptcies increased to 60,837 filings during calendar year 2009, representing a 40 percent increase in filings from the 43,533 filings made during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2008. The 12-month business filing total for 2009 was the highest since the 62,304 filings recorded for the 1993 calendar year. The 1,412,838 consumer filings during the 2009 calendar year represented a 32 percent increase over the 1,074,225 recorded during the same period in 2008. The consumer chapter 7 total of 1,008,870 filings during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2009, represented a 41 percent increase over the 714,389 consumer chapter 7 filings during 2008. The 2009 consumer chapter 7 filings comprised 71 percent of the total consumer filings for the 2008 calendar year, up from 67 percent the previous year. Click here to read the press release.

Owners Who Negotiate Debt Reductions Could Face Tax Hits