Thursday, November 18, 2010

Class action lawsuits appear to be filed against banks for the foreclosure debacle

Well, it appears that the foreclosure mess is still heating up with Yahoo Financial News reporting that class action lawsuits have been filed in Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts. 

Allegedly, the reporting states that Bank of America, Wells Fargo, HSBC PLC, and JPMorgan Chase have been named, and in Florida and Maine, Ally Financial formerly GMAC Mortgage is also involved. 

Bank of America has had additional scrutiny placed against it having been named in a lawsuit through the RICO law, or the civil Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law.

You can read the entire story at http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Foreclosure-class-actions-apf-676420498.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=2&asset=&ccode.

Tie up the boot straps and hang on.  It looks like that roller coaster ride we were on in 2008 and 2009 is coming back.  The market is already worse by .25% in rate this morning, and the rates have increase by almost .50% on the 30 year note since last Wednesday.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Long and Foster REALTORS and Prosperity Mortgage participate in Toys for Tots

This week, we kick off our 20th annual Toys for Tots campaign. That's right -- for 20 years, Long & Foster and Prosperity Mortgage has been collecting thousands of toys to support the local U.S. Marine Corps Reserves in their efforts to bring holiday cheer to deserving families.

Arguably, this year may be our most important year to contribute. According to data released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate in the United States climbed more than 14 percent from 2008 to 2009. The Long & Foster Companies Toys for Tots campaign can help the Marines keep pace with this significant jump as they aim to serve families in the Mid-Atlantic region.

From now until mid-December (the actual cut-off date will depend on your office’s final donation date), Long & Foster and Prosperity Mortgage will run its sponsorship toy collection campaign. Offices across our service area will participate, along with our headquarters building in Chantilly—all serving as donation sites for new, unwrapped toys. If your office is participating, I hope you will once again consider contributing to this important initiative.

Contact your friends, family members and clients to let them know that their local Long & Foster and Prosperity Mortgage office is a convenient drop-off point for Toys for Tots donations. In addition to individual offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic region serving as official drop-off points, the Chantilly headquarters building will accept donations in the lobby through December 14th.

Long & Foster Companies aims to be an integral part of the communities we serve and there’s no better time to get involved than the holidays. Together, I anticipate Long & Foster and Prosperity Mortgage will be the facilitator of the donation of thousands of toys this holiday season.

Thank you for your participation in the 2010 Toys for Tots campaign. Good luck and have fun!