Foreclosures

The Independence Center mall is scheduled for a Feb. 16 foreclosure sale as its owner, Simon Property Group, faces default on its $200 million loan for the property.

Communication between all parties in the chain, from borrower through guarantor, is the best way to minimize mortgage losses after events like last year’s hurricanes and wildfires, according to servicers and federal officials.

A Bridgeport, Conn., local debt collection lawyer, embroiled in a controversy over the city's foreclosure on homeowners owing back sewer bills, is being sued by a local homeowner who claims he was the victim of an illegal foreclosure.

It was a record-setting year in terms of the low number of foreclosure starts, partially helped by the various post-storm moratoria, according to Black Knight.

A group led by the National Fair Housing Alliance is suing Deutsche Bank, Ocwen Financial Corp. and Altisource Portfolio Solutions, alleging real estate owned properties in minority communities do not receive the same level of upkeep and maintenance as REO houses in white neighborhoods.

A bill introduced in the Ohio House would speed up legal action against landlords who own blighted properties that become magnets for crime.

The candidates being discussed lately to run the agency bring experience on consumer protection issues, and potential bipartisan appeal.

Frost Bank announced in October that it would be vacating the high-rise building bearing its name on North Carancahua Street in Corpus Christi.

In the 10-county Columbus area, foreclosure documents were filed on 4,697 properties last year, down from 6,719 the previous year.

Loans late by 90 days or more are increasingly concentrated in parts of Florida, Georgia and southeast Texas as fallout from the storms continues to weigh on the market.