For the past two years, the home-building industry has been going through a correction. Builders have watched the market turn from "red-hot speculator driven buying" to one overstocked with finished homes, says Gregg Carlson of Maronda Homes. Couple this excess inventory with a mortgage industry meltdown and it's easy to understand why many home builders find themselves fighting for survival, he says. ...more

June 22, 2008

Mortgage companies are pledging to let troubled borrowers know whether they're approved for help within 45 days of receiving a homeowner's application. ...more

June 17, 2008

A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism Wednesday, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year. ...more

May 8, 2008

TAMPA -- A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism today, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year. Home sales and prices, which have been battered in recent months, should stabilize and then begin to rise in 2009, predicted Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors. ...more

May 7, 2008

Regarding "Wondering 'What If?' " (Letters, Feb. 4): I'm writing to agree with Roger McAllister on his comments regarding Republicans' efforts to change Social Security. He explains how Wall Street ruined the mortgage industry, but doesn't mention that Congress threatened them with penalties and tighter regulation if they didn't get more creative with mortgage requirements. ...more

February 11, 2008

Florida counties that receive state funding for affordable housing must take a closer look at their standards and ensure they are helping builders meet the needs. ...more

February 10, 2008

Brian Griffith lost his job as a middle management real estate executive last September because of the stagnant housing market. ...more

February 3, 2008

Florida's attorney general is investigating Countrywide Financial Corp., a beleaguered California-based mortgage lender, for possible unfair and deceptive business practices related to its home loans. ...more

February 1, 2008

Mortgage brokers who haven't fled the industry or been forced out are in survival mode. ...more

February 1, 2008

The Supreme Court on Tuesday curbed the ability of investors who lost money through corporate fraud to sue businesses that may have helped facilitate the crime. ...more

January 16, 2008