Congratulations to John C. Primeau for recently being recertified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in real estate law. Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills, and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. It is a voluntary program for lawyers, approved by The Florida Supreme Court and administered by The Florida Bar. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of … [Read more...]
Florida joins in $25 billion foreclosure settlement
It’s official. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi signed off on the record $25 billion joint federal-state settlement agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers over foreclosure abuses and unacceptable nationwide mortgage servicing practices. Forty-nine of the fifty states have approved it, with Oklahoma being the lone hold out. According to the Florida Attorney General’s official press release, the settlement generally releases civil claims related to robo-signing, … [Read more...]
Broward Courts Considering Changes to Residential Foreclosure Mediation Program
I was honored to co-moderate last night’s Foreclosure Crisis Committee which was held by the Broward County Bar Association’s Real Property Section. I previously blogged here about the Florida Supreme Court’s termination of the statewide mandatory mediation program for residential foreclosures. The new Administrative Order provides that circuit chief judges of each circuit may “adopt or employ any measures permitted by statute or court rule to manage pending and new residential … [Read more...]
Palm Beach County Courts Redact Personal Information from Cases Available to Public
Yesterday's Palm Beach Post ran an informative article about the Palm Beach County Clerk's Office redacting personal information from cases available to public. The article explained that certain imaged documents from the court file can now be viewed at terminals at the South County and North County Courthouses. The most interesting part of the article was at the end: Bock also points out that lawmakers have kept in place a restriction keeping court records from public view online. Images of … [Read more...]
Florida Ends Statewide Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Managed Mediation (RMFM) Program
Florida’s residential mortgage foreclosure managed mediation (RMFM) program is dead. Administrative Order No. AOSC11-44, signed yesterday by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady, terminates the statewide mediation program. The Court has reviewed the reports on the program and determined it cannot justify continuation of the program. Accordingly, upon issuance of this administrative order, the statewide managed mediation program is terminated. Cases already referred to and … [Read more...]
Your Chance to Vote on New TILA / GFE / HUD-1 Forms
Our federal government is once again going to make real estate transactions "easier" for consumers to understand. For almost two years, real estate practitioners have been struggling with the new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and HUD-1 Settlement Statements on all RESPA transactions. The intent behind these revised forms was to make things "easier" for the consumer. The result was, of course, the exact opposite. The new forms are creating a host of compliance issues for lenders and … [Read more...]
Report Issued by Statewide Managed Mediation Program Assessment Workgroup
In an earlier blog, I wrote about the Florida Supreme Court’s appointment of a “Statewide Managed Mediation Program Assessment Workgroup” to examine the statewide residential foreclosure managed mediation program data. The Workgroup recently submitted its report to the Supreme Court. You can obtain a copy of the report here. The report is worth reading in its entirety, but I will touch on a few key points. After consideration of the available program data, public comments, chief … [Read more...]
Do Mandatory Mediations Work in Florida Foreclosure Cases?
Do mandatory mediations work in Florida foreclosure cases? That’s the question being asked by the Florida Supreme Court. The Court is seeking your input, but you only have until October 3rd to send in your comments. Earlier this week, the Florida Supreme Court released Administrative Order SC11-33. In its Administrative Order, the Florida Supreme Court noted that more than one year of data has been collected on the statewide managed mediation program for residential foreclosures, and … [Read more...]
B&P Clients Can Now Pay with Credit or Debit Cards
Butler & Primeau LLP is dedicated to providing the highest level of service to our clients. We recently partnered with LawPay so our clients can now pay their invoices conveniently and safely online using a credit card or debit card. Paying online will help eliminate the need for writing a check and is an excellent time saver as well. If you would like to pay your invoice online using your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card, simply use the link below or in the sidebar of any of our web … [Read more...]


