Report: Seriously delinquent mortgages persist across South Florida By Paul Owers

South Florida's seriously delinquent mortgage rate has declined over the past four years but still remains the highest of the nation's 100 largest metro areas, a new report shows. As of the third quarter of 2013, 15.8 percent of all first mortgages in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties were at least 90 days past due or already in the foreclosure process, according to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C. The three-county region has posted the highest seriously delinquent mortgage rate since the third quarter of 2009, when it was 23.7 percent. The group began tracking mortgages on a quarterly basis in early 2009. RealtyTrac Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based company, releases monthly figures on homes in some stage of foreclosure. The Urban Institute data go beyond that to include loans that are nearing the foreclosure process. While the housing market is improving, "it's far too early to say the crisis has passed," said Rob Pitingolo, author of the report.

Western Gold bars have disappeared. Why Germany wants its gold back

Peter Krauth

After spending more than 50 years in foreign hands, Germany's gold is finally going home.
In a recent watershed decision the Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, has decided at least half of its gold should be held in its own vaults.
Since the Bundesbank is the second-largest gold holder in the world, that's going to mean moving 54,000 bars of the shiny metal.

So why does Germany want its gold back, and why now?

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Built-to-Rent New Homes on the Rise by Daily Real Estate News

Thousands of single-family homes are being built to rent rather than sell, The New York Times reports. More home builders and investors see it as an income-generating investment at a time when the pool of first-time home buyers is shrinking.
The percentage of homes built specifically as rentals was 6.2 percent in 2012 — a record high, according to Census Bureau figures.
For example, in the Atlanta area, a five-bedroom, three-bathroom new home that may have sold for less than $200,000 can fetch $1,300 a month in rent.
“New homes still command a premium with renters,” the Times reports.

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