The omnibus housing bill, otherwise officially know as Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, passed  in a 72-13 vote Saturday (July 26, 2008), the Senate concurred with previous House amendments to HR 3221.
In effect, the passing of this bill, grants the Bush administration’s request to give the Treasury Department the temporary authority to buy an unlimited amount of the […]

July 1st is almost upon us. And in the current edition of the Maryland Register, the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) has published its proposed regulations to implement the recordation and transfer taxes on the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity. Have  the loopholes been closed?

This issue is not one of first impression […]

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (otherwise know as “RESPA”) reform is back, and in a big way. On Friday, March 14, 2008, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) published its proposed regulations to reform RESPA. 
Ironically, HUD partially titles its rule a “Proposed Rule to Simplify and Improve the Process of Obtaining […]

As reported by Matt Carter of Inman News, the Bush administration on Monday, March 31, 2008 — in reaction to the financial and real estate markets collapse — has put forward a sweeping plan for reorganizing the regulation of the financial system that would include national licensing standards for mortgage brokers and the elimination of […]

The Washington Business Journal’s Melissa Castro uncovers a buried treasure, deep within the  2008 Economic Stimulus Act.
Discover a lucrative perk for landlords and commercial tenants that’s there for the taking. In an effort to revive the commercial real estate industry, Congress increased the amount of construction costs that can be written off in the first year for improvements to […]

As stated in our earlier Blog posting of December 28, 2007, Maryland withholding tax requirements for non-resident entities changed, effective October 22, 2007. It’s very important to note that the regulations were revised to alter the definitions of resident and non-resident entities, as well.  Previously, a non-resident entity could qualify or register to do business in Maryland […]

HUD has just released the new loan limits, as mandated by the Economic Stimulus Package of 2008.  This will immediately affect the Jumbo Residential marketplace.

FHA and the GSE’s can temporarily increase loan limits and insure larger mortgages at a more affordable price in high cost areas of the country.  Here’s the link to see for yourself. […]

As reported the Inman News, the Internal Revenue Service has just handed investors and second-home owners a new gift in the form of a safety net that provides a “safe harbor” for taxpayers who wish to swap the property via a Section 1031 tax-free exchange even though they have enjoyed personal use of the property.

Revenue […]

FINALLY!!This morning NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced a deal with Fannie and Freddie and OFHEO to change the way the whole appraisal system works. This is surely going to shake things up ….   There’s absolutely no questions about it …. over-inflated appraisals fuelled unsustainable price appreciation during the housing boom, and those appraisals […]

The new buzzword in legal and banking circles these days is WORKOUT. So what exactly does that mean and how does it translate on a daily basis?
Well, given the trend toward more commercial defaults, here is a possible workout solution to consider. We at MarylandCommercialTitle are always trying to look at novel solutions to solving our […]