Free of Charge and Worth Every Cent.

No. 830 The New York Times reports that 50 hours of pro bono publico work will be required, starting next year, before admission to the New York State Bar.The article goes on to talk about the great need for free or low cost legal services and how such a program may address that need. But […]

Quote of the Week: Miralanda Wilson on Finding the Mega-Millions Ticket.

No. 829 And you thought you were disorganized:

The 1940 Census is On Line.

No. 828 If you go to the Carnegie Library, you can look up information from every US Census report since 1800 through 1930. However, as of this week, you can view the 1940 Census report on line. This information was just made public. But you must search by address, not name. Here is the link. […]

Fifth Third Bank and RESPA

The Post Gazette ran a story today (Saturday, April 7) on a new suit in the U. S. District Court that alleges violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). In essence, the plaintiffs allege that a subsidiary Fifth Third had a reinsurance contract with the company that provided mortgage insurance in two residential loans. The plaintiffs allege that, without disclosure, Fifth Third gave something of value (the reinsurance contract) to the mortgage insurer in exchange for the selection of the mortgage insurer in that transaction.

Forgiven Mortgage Debt is Excludable from Income, at least through 2012.

No. 826 If you or your client has received a 1099 from a former mortgage lender following a short sale or other form of mediation, be aware that Federal law enables qualified taxpayers to exclude the income imputed in the 1099. Under the Mortgage Foregiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, acquisition debt that is forgiven […]

House Hunting for the Sedentary.

No. 825 Have you ever watched the shows on the cable channels that feature couples (or occasional single working girls) searching for a new home? They have several of them on HGTV, Wealth TV, Travel Channel, etc. The house-hunters range from the very young to the moderately old. The venues range from the Philly suburbs, […]

Default Judgment — The Postman Cometh But Once.

No. 824 Many mortgage foreclosure defendants fall into this trap. The Complaint is filed and no response is filed. After twenty days have elapsed, a ten-day notice is served, but the borrowers are seeking a modification, so nothing happens. Time goes by, perhaps a year. Then one day, without further notice, default judgment is taken, […]

Time Management Ninja Post Worth Reading: “21 Things You Should Do to Get Ahead.”

No. 823 Take a few minutes for an outstanding Time Management Ninja post. CLT

The Art of settlement.

No. 822 Check out the post in Riding the Third Wave regarding the virtues of settlement. Every lawyer knows that we ought to settle more cases. Its just the case we are preparing for trial at the moment that shouldn’t be settled. Part of the problem is the need for urgency. Even if you get […]

Stirling Cooper Draper Pryce becomes an Equal Opportunity Employer.

No. 821 In case you’ve been in Brazil, or in a coma, you know that Madmen is back. The two-hour premiere of Season 5 had stirling ratings. And the times in 1964, they were a-changing. At the beginning of the episode, a civil rights march is in progress on the sidewalk in front of the […]

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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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