REAL PROPERTY UPDATE:
Tax Deed Sale/Due Process: after certified letter notifying property owner of tax deed sale returned unopened and unclaimed, due process required clerk of court take reasonable steps to notify...more
6/24/2015
/ Breach of Duty ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Escrow Accounts ,
FDIC ,
Fidelity National Title Insurance Company ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Institutions ,
First American Title Insurance Co. ,
Foreclosure ,
Good Faith ,
Insurance Industry ,
Land Titles ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Old Republic Title ,
Real Estate Market ,
Reinsurance ,
Short Sales ,
Standing ,
Title Insurance ,
Wachovia
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently reaffirmed that enforcement of a security interest alone is not debt collection regulated by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
In Dunavant v. Sirote & Permutt,...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Lien Priority: claimant’s judgment lien related back to recording of lis pendens and therefore took priority over competing judgment lien obtained after lis pendens but before entry of claimant’s...more
6/16/2015
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Contractors ,
Eminent Domain ,
Equitable Easements ,
Equitable Lien ,
First American Title Insurance Co. ,
FL Supreme Court ,
Foreclosure ,
HSBC ,
Liens ,
Loan Servicer ,
Real Estate Market ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Title Insurance ,
Trespass
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Duty to Disclose/Vacant Property: plaintiff failed to present competent, substantial evidence of existence of fact materially affecting value of property and did not prove defendants had actual...more
6/3/2015
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Leases ,
Duty to Defend ,
Duty to Disclose ,
Foreclosure ,
Genuine Issue of Material Fact ,
Negligence ,
Notice Requirements ,
Property Valuation ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Title Insurance ,
Underwriting
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
State-Created Entity/First-Party Bad Faith: immunity of Citizens, as provided in Section 627.351(6)(s), Florida Statutes, shields it from statutory first-party bad faith claims under Section...more
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS -
Title Insurance Task Force To Survey Affiliated Business Arrangements: The Title Insurance Task Force (“Task Force”) recently conducted a conference call and among the...more
Foreclosure: trial court abused its discretion in dismissing foreclosure action with prejudice, cancelling substantial debt, and denying lender ability to refile a foreclosure action without making finding of facts as...more
5/13/2015
/ Bank of America ,
Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Business Records ,
Countrywide ,
Deficiency Judgments ,
Equitable Lien ,
Foreclosure ,
GMAC ,
HSBC ,
Lis Pendens ,
Mortgages ,
Promissory Fraud ,
Promissory Notes ,
Remand ,
Res Judicata ,
Residential Property Owners ,
Standing ,
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
Statute of Limitations/Liens: one year statute of limitations to enforce equitable lien under Fla. Stat. sec. 95.11(5)(b) runs from last furnishing of labor, services, or material for improvement of real property; Fla. Stat....more
4/29/2015
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Leases ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Contractors ,
Discovery ,
Equitable Lien ,
FCCPA ,
Foreclosure ,
Liens ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Title Insurance
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Foreclosure/Mediation: trial court erred in compelling borrowers to produce financial information at mediation not relevant pre-foreclosure judgment – Morejon v. F&M Real, Inc., No. 2D14-2531...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Judgment: amount awarded in judgment of foreclosure must be supported by competent evidence and lender not entitled to award of interest or fees when only statement in evidence reflected...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Marketable Record Title Act: right-of-way held by Florida Department of Transportation qualifies for right of way exception under MRTA and remainder of property held in fee by Florida Department...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Probate/Quit Claim Deeds: trial court correctly ordered personal representative to issue deeds conveying properties to son and mother, subject to life estate held by son – Ciungu v. Bulea, Case...more
Real Property Update:
Deed Restriction: genuine issue of material facts remains concerning whether original parties to deed with restrictions contemplated future unilateral amendments to restrictions that would bind...more
Foreclosure/Statute of Limitations: filing date of amended complaint for purposes of statute of limitations relates back to filing date of original complaint – HSBC Bank USA, National Association as Trustee for Nomura Asset...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Sinkhole/Appraisal: reversing non-final order compelling appraisal of sinkhole claim because one is not appropriate under section 631.54(3)(c), Florida Statutes – Fla. Ins. Guar. Ass’n, Inc. v....more
Foreclosure: trial court violated purchaser’s procedural due process rights in setting aside judicial sale of property without giving notice to purchaser. Further, trial court abused its discretion in setting aside judicial...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Service of Process: return of service is not required to expressly list the factors defining the “manner of service” contained in Section 48.031(1)(a), Florida Statutes, not included in the...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Restrictive Covenants: restrictive covenant providing that an ostentatious site feature, which “may be offensive to adjacent neighbors is unacceptable” was improperly interpreted by architectural...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Commercial Lease/Cotenancy Provisions: whether cotenancy provision in lease for retail space in shopping center, which requires other particular store(s) in shopping center to remain occupied by...more
1/28/2015
/ Commercial Leases ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Cotenancy Provisions ,
Due Process ,
Escrow Accounts ,
Foreclosure ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Loss of Use ,
Motion to Vacate ,
Property Insurance ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Standing ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Subrogation ,
Tenants ,
Title Insurance
In This Issue:
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT
..Crisis Management: Five Steps to Take Before Providing That Comment
- LIFE INSURANCE
..Third Circuit Limits ERISA Fiduciary Liability to those with Ultimate...more
1/16/2015
/ Automotive Loans ,
CFTC ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Complaint System ,
Data Breach ,
Divorce ,
Driverless Cars ,
FCC ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
Life Insurance ,
Money Market Funds ,
Mortgages ,
NAIC ,
Private Equity Funds ,
STOLI ,
Unsolicited Faxes
Mortgage servicers beware. Mortgagors in Florida are defending residential mortgage foreclosures based on the allegation that the servicer failed to give them notice of assignment of the right to bill and collect on the debt...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
- Quiet Title: investor who pooled money with two other entities to purchase property could not quiet title after the two entities recorded second version of deed that omitted investor’s name...more
1/6/2015
/ Action to Quiet Title ,
Appraisal ,
Bad Faith ,
Banks ,
Deeds ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Duty to Defend ,
Foreclosure ,
Negligence ,
Prejudgment Interest ,
Property Insurance ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Market ,
Recording Requirements ,
Right of Access ,
Standing ,
Title Insurance
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
Contract Interpretation: trial court erred by interpreting declaration in way that rendered provisions meaningless – Bethany Trace Owners’ Association, Inc. v Whispering Lakes I, LLC, et al., No....more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
- Harris Act/Inverse Condemnation: dismissal was (1) improper as to landowners’ Harris Act claim because amendments to County’s land use plan were applied specifically to landowners’ property by...more
11/25/2014
/ Duty to Defend ,
Foreclosure ,
Homestead Exemption ,
Inverse Condemnation ,
IRS ,
Liens ,
Petition for Partition ,
Priority Debt ,
Property Owners ,
Real Estate Transfers ,
Spoliation ,
Title Insurance
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE -
- Commercial Landlord Duty: commercial landlord has no common law duty to provide automatic external defibrillator in its stores for use in medical emergency – Verdugo v. Target Corp., No....more
11/14/2014
/ Accelerated Payments ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Business Records ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Foreclosure ,
HOEPA ,
Medical Devices ,
Retailers ,
Right To Cure ,
Specific Performance ,
Standing ,
Target ,
Title Insurance