Welcome Party for BWRD Law Firm

G&A is throwing a Grand Opening/Welcome Party for our friends at the new firm of Barnett, Wolfe, Rice & Dabule on January 14, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at their new offices located at 4901 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.

Former prosecutors Erin Barnett, Erin Wolfe, Julia Rice and Lauren Dabule recently formed Barnett, Wolfe, Rice & Dabule. The firm's practice will focus on criminal defense, family law and civil litigation.
Please join us as we "welcome" the firm to the Bay area legal community.

To RSVP Contact Ginny at 727-344-5297 or email ginny@attorneyoffices.org.

Foreclosure Mediation Program

Recently, the Florida Supreme Court issued an administrative order which requires mediation in all foreclosure cases. This comes in response to the mass of foreclosure filings. It is estimated that over there are over 450,000 foreclosure cases statewide and over 50,000 cases in the bay area.

The new mediation rules will only apply to homestead residential properties and the program is not retroactive to existing foreclosure cases.

Under order mediation managers must schedule sessions no earlier than 60 days and no later than 120 days after a foreclosure suit is filed. After attending mandatory foreclosure counseling, homeowners should bring tax forms, pay stubs, bank statements and credit reports to mediation.

Lenders must pay the $750 fee, but can recover the money if mediation results in an impasse and the foreclosure suit continues.

The court order comes from a recommendation by the Supreme Court's Task Force on Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases.

Prior to this statewide foreclosure mediation program, the Sixth Judicial Circuit implemented a similar mediation program for foreclosure cases. As foreclosure filings continue to pile up in Pinellas and Pasco counties, the courts have implemented a new mediation program.

Citigroup to Halt Foreclosures

Shortly after Chase announced a 90 day moratorium on foreclosures Citigroup announced that it was going to halt foreclosures and evictions in connection with mortgages it holds. While this might appear to be a measure of corporate good will, the devil is in the details.

The suspension of foreclosures and evictions only lasts for 30 days, after that all foreclosures and evictions will resume. Next, the suspension does not affect mortgages Citigroup services. So the suspension does not apply to you if your mortgage gets paid to Citigroup but is owned by someone else. Only 4,000 people are going to be affected by this nationwide suspension.

The move by Citigroup is likely in response to the Obama administration's criticism of lenders complying with the "Home Affordable Modification Program." As a result, the administration announced several steps intended to increase modifications including: (1) In house daily monitoring of mortgage companies & servicers by Treasury Department "SWAT" Teams to ensure companies are processing modifications; (2) Withholding inducement payments to lenders and servicers until modification becomes permanent; and (3) Public "shaming" of servicers and lenders that are not actively modifying loans by the release of a list of servicers/lenders who are not modifying loans.

As of October 650,000 borrowers (or 20% of those eligible) applied for modifications, but only 1700 resulted in permanent modifications

Obama's Modification Enforcement Plan

G&A Appointments

Tampa Bay area personnel appointments, promotions and announcements
By Dolly Brosan, Times Staff Writer

Published Friday, November 13, 2009


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Accounting

Brian Giglia has been named an audit senior in the audit department at Lewis Birch & Ricardo LLC, Clearwater. Giglia was an audit supervisor at Horn LLP, Nashville.

Julie Trimpe-Steed has been named CAM division manager at Fredrick James Accounting, Tax and Consulting, Clearwater. Trimpe-Steed will oversee the firm's new homeowners and condo association management services division. Trimpe-Steed is founder and president of CAM (Condo Association Management) Academy & Consulting.

Funeral services

Marlene "Marley" Rusch has been named family services director at Anderson-McQueen Family Tribute Centers, St. Petersburg. Rusch was a mortgage adviser at Pinellas Mortgage Services, Dunedin.

Legal

Michele Leo Hintson has been named to the Stetson Lawyers Advisory Council. Hintson is an associate in the litigation practice group at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, Tampa.

Eric D. Nowak has been named an associate at de la Parte & Gilbert PA, Tampa. Nowak is a recent graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

David R. Phillips has been named an associate at Macfarlane, Ferguson & McMullen, Tampa. Phillips, who recently earned his juris doctorate from Florida State University, will concentrate in the areas of medical malpractice defense and health care law.

Matthew J. Zipay has been named an associate in the wealth preservation, trusts and estates practice group at Fowler White Boggs, Tampa. Zipay was an associate at Quarles & Brady, Naples.

Gallagher & Associates Law Firm PA, St. Petersburg, announces that Alison A. Parker has joined the firm as an associate; and Jason A. Cox has been named paralegal/firm administrator. Parker was a law clerk with the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission. Cox was paralegal and firm administrator at the law firm of B. Edwin Johnson PA.

Wilkes & McHugh PA, Tampa, announces that Lydia Wardell and Carl R. Wilander have been named associates. Wardell was a prosecutor in the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office for 15 years; and Wilander was an assistant state attorney at the State Attorney's Office in Tampa.

Nonprofit

Keral Kronseder has been named executive director of the Alpha House of Tamp Inc. Kronseder was executive director of the Lee County Coalition for Drug-Free Southwest Florida.

Identity Theft

Studies Show that the Holiday Season is a time of higher identity theft.

1 in 4 U.S. households has been a victim of identity theft in the past five years.

10 million people a year are victimized identity theft.

The cost to victims was $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses.

Average out-of-pocket loss for victims: $500

Hours spent per victim resolving the problem as shown by identity theft statistics: 30

Hours spent resolving problem: 297 million (Source: FTC identity theft survey report)

1/3 of identity theft victims report that the thieves committed check fraud

66% of victims' personal information is used to open a new credit account in their name

28% of victims' personal information is used to purchase cell phone service

12% of victims end up having warrants issued in their name for financial crimes committed by the identity thief


Tips for Preventing Identity Theft:

*Shred Personal Financial Documents

*Use your credit card and not your Debit Card or Checks

*Leave Purse/Wallet in the Trunk When Shopping

*Carefully Review your Statements

*Only Shop on Secure Websites

*Pull Your Credit Report Once a Year

*Don’t Put Your DOB, SSN and Drivers License on Your Checks

*Don’t Give Your Credit/Debit Card Info Over the Phone

*Obscure Your Entry of PIN Number When Making Purchases

*Utilize a Credit Monitoring Service, i.e. LifeLock

*Do not Make Purchases Over Free Public Wi-Fi Connections

What Do I Do if I am a Victim of Identity Theft?

*Contact law enforcement to make a report of the identity theft.

*Contact all credit card companies and banks to report the theft.

*Contact credit reporting companies to alert them of the theft Equifax, Experian and Trans Union

Florida Law Live Appearance

Charles Gallagher with be a guest on Attorney Susan Charles'"Florida Law Live," a call-in radio program during which attorneys discuss legal issues and answer legal questions live on the air. "Florida Law Live" is broadcast throughout Florida on Sunday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on WWBA News Talk 820 AM. "Florida Law Live" can also be heard around the world by visiting www.wwba820.com and then clicking "Listen Live" on the WWBA homepage.