News & Public Affairs

A financial insider's view of the mortgage crisis

01/06/09 Robert Lorei

Tags: mortgage crisis, foreclosure, ARM's, bailouts

Good afternoon. I'm Rob Lorei. On the first part of Radioactivity we'll hear from the author of a new book called The Foreclosure of America: The Inside Story of the Rise and Fall of Countrywide Home Loans, the Mortgage Crisis, and the Default of the American Dream by Adam Michaelson. It's an insider account about the mortgage crisis.

Michaelson, a former senior vice president at Countrywide Home Loans, offers a glimpse inside the real estate bubble, answering the question everybody ha...

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Castor holds foreclosure workshop in Tampa

12/08/08 Concetta DeLuco
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Tags: Kathy Castor, mortgage crisis, foreclosure

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, hosted a foreclosure assistance workshop at Hillsborough Community College in Ybor City on Saturday. Housing experts, loan counselors and banking representatives provided panel discussions and one-on-one counseling for Tampa Bay residents.

Hundreds of Tampa Bay residents lined up early outside of the HCC Performing Arts building to wait for the doors to open. With more than 4,000 foreclosure cases filed in Hillsborough County in September and October, Casto...

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Castor to host foreclosure workshop in Tampa listen

12/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Mortgage crisis, foreclosure, Kathy Castor

The Mortgage Bankers Association said today that the percentage of U.S. mortgage holders who were behind in their payments soared to a record 6.99 percent of loans outstanding in the third quarter, and the number of mortgages somewhere in the foreclosure process was also at a new high.

Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced a handshake deal with "many" Florida banks who have agreed to voluntarily delay scheduling foreclosure sales of homesteaded homes for 45 days.

But t...

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Tampa officials outline plan for dealing with foreclosures

11/13/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Hillsborough County, Tampa, mortgage crisis, foreclosure

The city of Tampa will get $13.6 million from a federal grant to purchase and refurbish approximately 100 homes in Sulphur Springs and West Tampa.

The funding comes from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush to deal with the foreclosure crisis.

According to new statistics issued today by RealtyTrac, Florida posted the third-highest foreclosure rate in the nation in October, with one in every 157 housing units receiving a filing. Foreclos...

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Public reacts to spending plan for foreclosed property listen

11/06/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Hillsborough County, foreclosure, mortgage default

The Hillsborough County Commission today took public comments on how to spend more than $19 million to buy and redevelop foreclosed properties.

The funds are from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, part of the massive housing bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this year.

The county thinks it will receive the money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development by next January.

Valerie Turner is from the County’s Affordable Housing Office. She to...

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Tampa receives $13.6 million to prevent mortgage defaults listen

10/16/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Home loan crisis, foreclosure, mortgage default

Last month the Housing and Urban Development Department announced that Florida will get more than $500 million in new federal foreclosure funds to prevent further home loan defaults and deal with the foreclosure crises.

Today, the director of Tampa’s Business and Housing Development Department, Cyndy Miller, said the city will get $13.6 million dollars.

Under the legislation, the money may also be used to create land banks to acquire, manage and sell distressed property. Miller said i...

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The impact of the home foreclosure crisis

10/14/08 Robert Lorei
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Tags: foreclosure, loan sharks

Welcome to WMNF’s Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei.

Coming up today we’ll take a look at home foreclosures here in the Bay area and investigative reporter Greg Palast talks about efforts to suppress the vote over the past several presidential elections. But first one listener comment- it’s an announcement about a hearing this week about the future of a giant Walmart that the company wants to build along the Anclote River in Tarpons Springs.

First up today, home foreclosures. Our guest, Pau...

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Forclosure workshop held in St. Petersburg listen

08/18/08 Jamie Kidder
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Tags: Development, Foreclosure, Rick Baker, St. Petersburg City Council

Last Friday, hundreds of local residents showed up to the second Forclosure Assistance Workshop in St. Petersburg held by Kathy Castor and the St. Petersburg City Council.

As the state with the second highest foreclosure rate in the country, Florida is feeling the pinch of the current economic crisis.

Congresswoman Kathy Castor represents Florida's 11th District. She held a foreclosure workshop last month in Tampa, with over 600 families in attendance. One of the greatest benefits to t...

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Buchanan applauds housing act listen

07/28/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, foreclosure, mortgage crisis

On Saturday, the Senate passed a bill designed to bail out two of the country’s largest mortgage lenders and help reduce the skyrocketing number of home foreclosures. It had passed in the House earlier in the week and President Bush is expected to sign it into law any day.

This morning in Bradenton, Congress member Vern Buchanan met with homeowners and Manatee County housing advocates about the bill he supported.

Buchanan represents the 13th District, which includes parts of five counti...

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Foreclosure workshop held in Tampa listen

07/14/08 Emily Reddy
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Tags: Foreclosure, Foreclosure Assistance, Kathy Castor, Economy

Foreclosures in Florida nearly doubled between June of last year and June of this year. One in every 211 Florida properties received a foreclosure filing last month. On Saturday, 600 Tampa Bay area residents flooded a foreclosure assistance workshop organized by U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Castor. The workshop brought together representatives from nine banks and 10 nonprofits to work directly with attendees on their mortgage issues.

Candi Lee schedules an appointment with Catholic Charities...

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