Free Republic

Michele McBeth was not behind on her house payments and never had been. But money was tight for the Norfolk elementary school teacher in 2009. She hadn't seen a raise in years, and her son would soon be starting college. McBeth was looking for any way to relieve some of the strain on her budget, so she contacted her mortgage company to see whether it could lower her payments. The company offered help through the U.S. Treasury Department's Making Home Affordable program, and McBeth signed on to a trial loan modification. Now, almost a year later, McBeth is facing foreclosure.

<p>ODESSA, Fla. - It's hard to believe that A.J. Vizzi spent nearly $200,000 defending his right to park his own pickup truck in his own driveway.</p> <p>When he first moved in back in 1997, Vizzi was told that parking his large truck in the driveway wasn't against the subdivision's rules. But years later, the Eagles Masters Association, which governs the entire community, said it did violate their rules and therefore, the truck had to go.</p>

A new report released yesterday (.pdf) by Neil Barofsky, special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) warns that Obama administration efforts to bailout homeowners through the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) are ineffective and will not stem the sweeping tide of foreclosures. The $75 billion HAMP program was created with a promise to bailout 3 to 4 million homeowners in foreclosure, paying lenders to modify troubled mortgages. Foreclosures reached 2.8 million in 2009 and are on track to exceed that total with over 932,000 foreclosures filed in the first three months of 2010, the report found.

OCOEE, Fla. -- When two gunmen tried to break into an Ocoee house early Tuesday morning, the homeowner pulled out his gun and shot one of the men dead. Another robber ran off after the home invasion on Pomegranate Court. WFTV gathered new information Tuesday afternoon about the shooter and the robber.

Rep. Barney Frank: ‘I shouldn’t be a homeowner’By Christina Wlkie - 03/08/10 07:57 PM ET The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee wields a gavel with jurisdiction over the nation’s housing industry. But he’s not a homeowner. And he likes it that way. In a speech Friday to three real estate groups, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that despite having owned condominiums before, he prefers to rent his living space. Or spaces, as it were. Frank classified himself as a double renter — he has an apartment in Washington and one in Newton, Mass. “Given my personality and my...

<p>Toledo police Sunday identified the victim of Saturday night's fatal shooting on Galena Street in North Toledo as Christopher Childress, 21, of North Toledo.</p> <p>Sgt. William Wauford said Mr. Childress was shot once in the chest when he was confronted by the homeowner, whom police declined to immediately identify over "concerns about his safety."</p>

Thanksgiving night ended bizarrely for a Redwood City family after a man who thought he was protecting his children against would-be burglars is now facing a chance of misdemeanor charges himself for brandishing a weapon. Edmond and Melissa Zencirci, their three children and Edmond’s mother, were settling down for bed after a long Thanksgiving day, when the family heard a loud bang in the alley on the side of their house. The father of three, dressed only in his underwear, immediately reached for his gun out of the bedroom nightstand and a clip that was stored separately to protect his...

WASHINGTON — The federal government is engaged in a massive mortgage modification program that's on track to send billions in tax dollars to many of the very companies that judges or regulators have cited in recent years for abusive mortgage practices. The firms, called mortgage servicers, have been cited for badgering, manipulating or lying to their customers; sticking them with bogus fees, or improperly foreclosing on them. Mortgage servicers are the middlemen between homeowners and the investors that hold their mortgages, collecting homeowners' checks and disbursing payments for the mortgages, property tax and insurance. They're a necessary player for any...

LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A couple fought back against two bold intruders in their Lee County Home. The homeowner and his fiancee, a retired coast guard officer and a former maximum security prison guard, said they woke up in their home early Monday morning to find a gun pointed in their faces. The couple took action and fought back against the two intruders. The homeowner even managed to get the crook's gun. "At that point I was going to take his life and he begged for his life, ''I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please don't...

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man was shot and killed outside a home near Altamonte Springs early Friday morning. Deputies say he was trying to break into a home on S. Magnolia Avenue when someone inside shot him. Investigators say at approximately 4:00am on Friday, a woman was awakened by a loud, pounding sound coming from the front door of her home. She woke up her husband to let him know what she heard and asked him to go check on what was happening. "Yes someone's just tried to break down my front door," said the caller to the 911...

Responsible Homeowner Revolt Of 2009 The Tea Party of 2009 Press Release / call to action: Responsible Homeowner Revolt of 2009 Please email to other Responsible Homeowners Starting on April 1, 2009, in a nationwide protest, millions of Responsible Homeowners (HOME OWNERS THAT ACTUALLY PAY THEIR BILLS AND ARE NOT IN FORECLOSURE) are going to withhold their mortgage payments for the month of April to protest government bailouts of irresponsible homeowners. An estimated 93% of the American Homeowners are current with their mortgage payments. The US Government and the home finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac want these Responsible...

CNBC's Rick Santelli this morning at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange With tongue only partially in cheek, a CNBC analyst on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this morning responded to President Obama's proposed $275 billion deficit-financed homeowner bailout plan and other massive spending measures with a call for a new "tea party." Rick Santelli, in a nearly three-minute rant that drew approving hoots and comments from nearby traders, said the Obama administration's promotion of bad behavior must be causing the founding fathers to roll over in their graves. "We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July," Santelli...

The 6'3", 285 pound homeowner hit Jenkins in the face. Jenkins fell to the floor and layed there, bleeding from the mouth, until deputies arrived.

Yesterday, a Springfield, Ohio man noticed his garage door was open when it shouldn't have been. When he armed himself and went to investigate, he was attacked by the burglar. As the burglar landed a blow, the resident fired a shot and struck his assailant who escaped. Fortunately, the homeowner was able to protect himself from a violent criminal attack. We can only speculate what might have happened had he not been armed. Would the burglar simply have knocked him down? Or would he have decided to eliminate a witness? Fortunately, we don't have to find out. This is exactly...

Investigators say they believe 64-year-old Paulette Locklear was beaten to death outside her home Tuesday afternoon after confronting a man who was trying to break in. Julio Cesar Ramos, 45, is charged with first-degree murder in Locklear’s death. Ramos, who is from Honduras, has been deported from the U.S. several times and is in the country illegally, said Debbie Tanna, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. Ramos told investigators he is homeless and unemployed., Tanna said. Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies responded to Locklear’s home on the 1200 block of Wilmington Road after she called 911 Tuesday afternoon to report...

The McCain-Palin website now has a page soliciting "thoughts" on his "Homeowner Resurgence Plan." Here is the link: http://www.johnmccain.com/involving/petition3.aspx?guid=84a6fec2-583a-47c8-b332-4d2a9c4bd407

Most everybody here rails against the Farm Bill, Corporate welfare etc.. However the one industry that has always enjoyed a tax break is the housing and mortgage industry. Why should home owners (of which I am one) get relief for their mortgage payment, but renters get no relief? Is that not the same as a marriage tax, inheritance tax, basically behavior driven tax relief. I understand that home ownership is a major driver for the economy, and in many people's minds, it brings some ingrained satisfaction that you are accomplishing the American Dream. However, there are many people that should...

Fears about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac retreated somewhat Tuesday after their federal regulator, OFHEO Director James Lockhart, said new accounting rule changes should make "no difference in the risks of the two firms."On Monday, Freddie and Fannie shares plummeted after a Lehman Brothers analyst said a new FASB rule could require the two firms to write-down as much as $75 billion.Rather than the accounting rules, what's really got investors spooked is a growing realization the government will have to nationalize Fannie and Freddie, says Kevin Depew, executive editor of Minyanville.com.The two mortgage lenders are simply too big to fail...

LUBBOCK, Texas - Republican John McCain defended his latest plan to help some homeowners pay their mortgages, saying Friday it was not a reversal of his earlier opposition to aggressive intervention by the government. The likely Republican presidential nominee on Thursday proposed to help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners trade burdensome mortgages for manageable loans, a plan that would cost $3 billion to $10 billion. Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama argued that McCain was flip-flopping. Last month, he said he preferred only limited intervention and letting market forces play out, drawing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans...

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The owner of a home vandalized with a spray-painted racial slur was cited for assault Wednesday after police said he pushed a city worker who was removing the graffiti. A 43-year-old graffiti abatement worker was trying to get rid of the bright red paint on the home's white garage doors when Broderick Gamble interfered. An officer stationed nearby saw Gamble assault the woman, said Lt. Blake Miller, a spokesman for Arlington police. Gamble was accused of assault by bodily contact, police said. He faces a $500 fine. Gamble disputed the account, telling Dallas-Fort Worth television station...