AltWeeklies Wire
Tales from the Housing Bustnew

When people walk away from an underwater mortgage, they don't always walk away.
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
05-09-2012 |
Features
Occupy Atlanta Saves a Home From the Auction Blocknew

The group says the selling of occupied foreclosed homes in Georgia is nasty business.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Tim Franzen and Shabnam Bashiri |
12-21-2011 |
#OCCUPY
Occupy Atlanta Takes a Simplistic View of Foreclosure Salesnew

Auctions of vacant homes help the public, not hurt
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Elizabeth Warren |
12-14-2011 |
#OCCUPY
Toxic Assets
The next time someone tells you that capitalism is efficient, remember the mold houses.
Homeowner Defense Groups to Target Wells Fargo Shareholdersnew

While deep-pocketed lobbyists have been making it hard to pass laws that would offer at-risk homeowners more protections, homeowner defender groups have decided to target, and now protest against, the group they believe stand directly in the way of equitable reforms: the banks.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Sarah Phelan |
05-04-2011 |
Housing & Development
The Foreclosure Fiasconew

Bank of America is playing a lot of financial tricks in Hawaii and local families are needlessly losing their homes.
Honolulu Weekly |
Lucy Jokiel |
04-26-2011 |
Housing & Development
Gunning For Goliathnew

Cleveland takes on Wall Street over the foreclosure-cleanup tab.
Cleveland Scene |
Michael Gill |
11-29-2010 |
Housing & Development
Banks: Too Pig To Fail?

It is time to stop foreclosures.
Not for a few weeks. Not temporarily.
Forever.
Tags: Housing, Foreclosures
Two years after a foreclosure disaster, one Colorado county is still stuck with a messnew

The phenomenon of squatters staying in bank-owned homes has been widely reported. In Colorado Springs, it's rare. But here, some have even twisted the model, living reclusively in what should be a government-owned home.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
11-30-2009 |
Housing & Development
Upside Down in Pontiac: How Investors Walk Away from Disasternew
Many Pontiac houses sit and continue to decline in value, blight the community, attract nuisances, cost lenders and the city money in maintenance, and pull down the values of nearby properties. Some have resold for a fraction of their taxable values, further driving down home prices around them. Others will sit vacant for years.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
09-15-2009 |
Economy
Michigan Communities Use HUD Dollars for Demolition, Rehab and Ownershipnew

In Michigan, the HUD Neighborhood Stabilization Program is funding projects aimed at offsetting some of the harmful effects that foreclosed and vacant properties have on neighborhoods, as well as increasing home ownership and redevelopment.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
06-09-2009 |
Economy
Foreclosure Wave Speeds San Francisco's Black Exodusnew
San Francisco political leaders have focused on a plan to subsidize construction of thousands of new condos in the southeast section of the city — the heart of the San Francisco's remaining African American community.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Sarah Phelan |
05-20-2009 |
Housing & Development
It's Easy for a Homeowner's Payments to Fall Through the Cracksnew

Nancy Perez discovered that the worst thing to happen to her home was not a fire, but mismanagement among the mortgage servicers -- the companies charged with collecting monthly payments -- on her $76,000 loan.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
04-08-2009 |
Economy
Real Estate's Wild Ride Is Far from Overnew

Should we be reassured because foreclosure rates actually dipped significantly between September and January? It's not necessarily a sign of renewed vigor and health in the housing market, some analysts say.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joanna Beresford |
03-30-2009 |
Housing & Development
On the Hunt for Empty Housesnew

Some real estate speculators see foreclosed houses as golden opportunities, even as many of their colleagues lose everything.
The Inlander |
Daniel Walters |
03-12-2009 |
Economy
Tags: real estate, foreclosures