Crise financeira

Bank Deal Ends Flawed Reviews of Foreclosures in the US

Published in Friday January 11th, 2013 In In the media

Federal banking regulators are trumpeting an $8.5 billion settlement this week with 10 banks as quick justice for aggrieved homeowners, but the deal is actually a way to quietly paper over a deeply flawed review of foreclosed loans across America, according to current and former regulators and consultants.
To avoid criticism as the review stalled and consultants collected more than $1 billion in fees, the regulators, led by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, abandoned the effort after examining a sliver of nearly four million loans in foreclosure, the regulators and consultants said.

Tags ,

New rights for the homeless come into force in Scotland

Published in Friday January 4th, 2013 In In the media

Legislation which aims to effectively end homelessness in Scotland has come into force. The change entitles anyone finding themselves homeless through no fault of their own to settled accommodation. Previously, only those classed as being in priority need – often families with children – had that right. It meets Scotland’s historic 2012 homelessness commitment, first set 10 years ago by the Labour/Lib Dem government.

Tags

Jobless homeowners can apply for mortgage relief in California, US

Published in Wednesday January 2nd, 2013 In In the media

Jobless benefits could end for almost 30,000 San Diegans at the start of the New Year if President Obama and Congress don’t act. But some of those residents, if they move quickly, could qualify for mortgage aid from the state. Keep Your Home California is a $2 billion program that helps keep struggling homeowners in their properties. It catches them up on mortgage payments, helps them relocate after completing short sales and cuts their principal balances.
State officials have urged certain out-of-work borrowers to apply for a slice of the program that offers up to $3,000 a month in mortgage aid for a maximum of nine months. Since unemployment benefits could end in the New Year, borrowers must apply before this month ends, said Di Richardson, the program’s director.

Tags ,

‘Squatters are not home stealers’

Published in Friday December 14th, 2012 In Opinion

On 26 September, Alex Haigh became the first person to be jailed under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. His crime was one of which countless thousands of people could now be guilty: squatting. A 21-year-old from Plymouth, Haigh was arrested for living in a house in Pimlico that had been empty for over a year. He had come to London seeking work as a bricklayer; now he has a criminal record.
When section 144, which makes it an offence to squat in a residential building in England and Wales, came into effect at the beginning of September, many people agreed with it, including 52% of Guardian readers in an online poll. But is squatting really a menace or a burden to society? Might it even be beneficial? And when we talk about squatting, what do we really mean anyway?

Tags

When Low-Income Tenants Face Eviction

Published in Wednesday December 12th, 2012 In Opinion

In “Tipping the Scales in Housing Court” (Op-Ed, Nov. 30), Matthew Desmond makes a compelling case for assisting low-income tenants facing eviction by providing them with lawyers. It’s sound social policy and a strong showing of decent morality. The issue of evictions is embedded within the context of a broader goal: ensuring and increasing housing stability.

Tags ,

Pain in Spain grows as evictions spark new wave of protests

Published in Friday December 7th, 2012 In In the media

The fact that several of the banks repossessing homes are receiving state funds has fuelled Spaniards’ anger. On December 2nd, Tarragona city hall in northeastern Spain revealed it was planning to cut off ties with any bank that evicted local people who could not pay their mortgage. In doing so, it was following a handful of other towns and cities across Spain which have responded in a dramatic way to a deepening evictions crisis.

Tags ,

Almodóvar: The Disaster of Evictions

Published in Friday December 7th, 2012 In Opinion

In the past two weeks, two Spaniards who were facing eviction from their houses committed suicide. More than 350,000 people in Spain have lost their homes since the onset of the economic crisis in 2008. These tragic deaths have attracted public attention and a group called “Stop Evictions” has organized protests to block families from being evicted.

Tags , , ,

The Affordable Housing Crisis in the US

Published in Thursday December 6th, 2012 In In the media

December 04, 2012 New York Times Editorial The precious few federal programs that provide rental assistance to the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable families are already underfinanced. These programs provide decent housing for about only a quarter of the low-income families who qualify for them. And with nearly nine million households teetering on the verge of […]

Tags , ,

London councils face questions for housing families outside the capital

Published in Wednesday December 5th, 2012 In In the media

The government has called in London councils over concerns that homelessness numbers are soaring, after research revealed the scale of plans being drawn up to send families to live in temporary housing outside the capital.
As cuts shrink the number of properties affordable to people on benefits, more than 20 London local councils have rented properties as far as Corby, Cornwall, Blackpool, Southampton and Newcastle to house families that could end up on the streets in London.

Tags

CoreLogic: 58,000 Homes Lost to Foreclosure in October in the US

Published in Tuesday December 4th, 2012 In In the media

December 3rd, 2012 There were 58,000 foreclosures completed in the United States during the month of October, CoreLogic reported Monday with the release of its latest National Foreclosure Report. October’s tally was down 17 percent from last year when 70,000 foreclosures were completed during the month.   On a month-over-month basis, completed foreclosures fell 25 percent. CoreLogic […]

Tags ,