Redo Redux

Posted by Cliff Tuttle So, is 44 the first President of the United States to retake the oath of office? For the Answer, look in the comments, below.

Assessment Appeals — Its time Again!

If you purchased a piece of property last year for an amount less than the fair market value listed in the assessment, you ought to be thinking about filing an assessment appeal. Or if you believe that the fair market value of the property you already own is less than the assessment, consider it also.

One Person . . . One of a Kind . . . a Force.

April Charney specializes in the rare legal field of mortgage foreclosure defense. Mortgage foreclosure has long been considered an area of the law where there is no defense. The law in this field has been summarized to millions of new borrowers by millions of mortgage loan closers in four words: “You pay, you stay!” But never underestimate an ingenious lawyer and Ms. Charney is one.

She has been a driving force in the development of various defenses that have, at least for the present, been giving fits to lawyers for the mortgage securitization industry. Lawyers, judges, regulators and finally legislators are starting to see old issues in a new light. Through seminars, consumer organizations and the internet, Ms Charney has shared these emerging ideas with other lawyers around the country.

Mortgage Foreclosure: New Cover Sheet in Allegheny County

Posted by Cliff Tuttle Under the new Pilot Project of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, mortgage foreclosure complaints are required to use a new cover sheet that contains additional information. Click here to see a copy. The sheet contains check boxes which enable the Court personnel to identify an owner-occupied one to […]

LandAmerica 1031 Pingbacks v. the Zombie Bots.

Posted by Cliff Tuttle As PLBT readers know, I don’t fancy robotic comments. But I will consider “pingbacks” from websites relevent to the themes of this blog. A pingback occurs when a website reposts your work and sends an electronic calling card to let you know, containing its url. A number of these pingbacks have […]

Real Estate: FNF Takes Some Heat on the Commonwealth-Lawyers Acquisition

So, if public relations was the objective of this exercise, the outcome was at best mixed. At least, the calls were not screened. The Lawyers and Commonwealth agents, employees and customers who asked questions seemed to be edgy and poorly informed. This performance showed that FNF has a great deal of work to do. It also provided plenty of marketing ideas — for Stewart Title, First American Title and the rest of the non-FNF half of the title insurance world, that is.

So, you think you are having a bad day . . .

Posted by Cliff Tuttle Click here.

A Quick Primer on Pre-emption

The judge wrote that, when the ordinance was enacted, the City lawmakers were unaware that federal statutes regulated the subject and that the statutes contained clear language expressing the intention that federal law pre-empt the field.

Real Estate: A Few Thoughts about HUD’s New Settlement Sheets

It is not hard to figure out what will happen in practice. There will be a cushion added to certain GFE estimated charges, with the final total coming in less than the estimate — gratifying everyone.

Real Estate: The New HUD1 and HUD1A

HUD’s big idea was to force whoever prepares the settlement sheet to spell out the charges set forth in the Good Faith Estimate and make a side by side comparison with actual charges. The primary effect of this change is to create more work for whoever must prepare the settlement sheet. The claim that it will save $700 in settlement costs is so much baloney.

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Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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