Southaven Residents: Struggling Homebuilders leave Overgrown Grass
Many people in DeSoto County are fed up with the way their subdivisions look. They say financially strapped builders are letting the grass grow out of control on their vacant lots... Wallace said residential building has slowed in the once booming city of Southaven. He said builders are left with lots no one is looking to buy. He said builders are more focused on staying in business than mowing the lawns on their properties.

New Poll: Americans Say "No Thanks" To Binding Arbitration
By five to three, Americans said they disapprove rather than approve of consumer contracts with binding arbitration provisions. When consumers who are initially supportive learn that arbitration means that they give up their right to take the case to court and that the company picks the arbitrator, two in three of the initially supportive consumers also disapprove. When the data is combined, a whopping 81percent of Americans express disapproval of mandatory binding arbitration.

ATTENTION! Arbitration Stories
HOBB is in need of Binding Arbitration Stories.  A report on Arbitration is currently being prepared and we need to hear about your experience.  Even if you decided not to go to arbitration for any reason or have sent your arbitration experience before please send it again, with any updates and additional comments.

SpotLight - Live Talk Internet: With Denise Richardson & Jim Malmberg
Denise Richardson & Jim Malmberg have launched a Blog Talk Program every Thursday 1:00 P.M. EDT. Participate: Listen Live and and call in at 718-664-6583 and join in the conversation.  Step into the SpotLight each Thursday or hear a replay of the show at your connivance. Guests will include experts, consumers, attorneys, advocates and you! We want to increase public and corporate awareness by shining a SpotLight on issues that matter to you... Credit Reporting issues, Identity Theft, Privacy Rights, Consumer Protection Laws, Predatory Lending, Mortgage Servicing Fraud, Phishing Scams, Computer Security, Data Theft, Consumer Legislation, Consumer Action. SpotLight LiveTalk Internet

TRCC Sunset Review!  Let the Sun Set on the Texas Residential Construction Commission! 
The Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) is currently being reviewed by the Texas Sunset Commission to determine whether the agency will continue to operate. TRCC is run exclusively by the homebuilding industry to regulate homeowners. It is by far the most criticized state agencies ever created. Please send your comments to the Sunset Commission and a copy to me at HOBB

Moldy house costs builder $3 million
A tarp covers a hole where the builders tore off part of this Reynoldsburg home's stucco exterior but never repaired it. The judge awarded the Cosners $2.2 million in compensatory damages -- triple the original jury award -- because jurors found that Maronda Homes had violated Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act by acting in an "unfair, deceptive or unconscionable" manner. Jurors tacked on an additional $1 million in punitive damages.On Friday, visiting Judge Dale A. Crawford ordered that Maronda pay almost $700,000 more in attorney fees if the judgment stands.

Economic woes provide fertile field for scam artists
Mortgage fraud is on the rise and consumers need to be wary of the many scams that often surface in the wake of this crime. Those are among the findings included in a new report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI's report also showed the numbers of Suspicious Activity Reports (SAS) regarding mortgage fraud have skyrocketed in the past year. The top 10 mortgage fraud states for 2007 were: Florida, Georgia, Michigan, California, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, New York, Colorado, and Minnesota. Other states affected by mortgage fraud included Arizona, Maryland, Utah, Nevada, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut;

Report Claims Pulte Contractors Abusive
The 17-page report was compiled by religious leaders from Chicago- based Interfaith Worker Justice who discovered a "disturbing pattern of injustice and abuse" among contractors used to build homes for Pulte. They visited Pulte developments and talked to workers about a number of problems, including unsafe working conditions, nonpayment of overtime, lack of affordable health care and benefits, and wages so low they had to work 60 to 70 hours a week to make ends meet. "When I worked for Hutchins Drywall, I had a boss who was corrupt and did not have any feelings or respect for the workers," Rangel said. "When I went to get my check at the end of the week, I had to give a kickback of $150 to the foreman. When I went to the office to complain, they started threatening that I would lose my job."

Residents to sue homebuilders
A group of homeowners in Bakersfield is suing one of the country's largest homebuilders over problems in their north-west homes.They released a statement saying: These homeowners have numerous problems with their homes including but not limited to cracking of stucco, cracking of concrete, window defects, roof defects, moisture intrusion into their homes and general poor construction qualify... Milstein, Adelman & Kreger is investigating these problems as well as problems of other homes constructed by Lennar Homes within the Westlake development. See Video Report: Write or video record your comments on this article

Dust in the Wind - Courting Favor
The lesson in the tale of Bob and Jane Cull"€”the North Texas homeowners who recently lost their politically charged case before the Texas Supreme Court"€”is don't buy a home from the biggest campaign donor in the state. The Culls bought a $233,000 home in 1996. The house had severe structural and foundation problems, and the Culls have spent the past 11 years trying to recoup their losses from builder Perry Homes... The Culls initially filed suit against Perry Homes in state court. Just before trial, they changed their minds and opted for binding arbitration instead. The building industry usually prefers arbitration because builders usually win. In fact, the builder-dominated Texas Residential Construction Commission"€”the state regulatory agency that Perry helped create and on which Perry's corporate attorney serves"€”implemented a set of rules designed to funnel housing disputes into arbitration. Arbitration hearings have become the place homeowner complaints go to die.  Read more...

Formal complaint against new home builder issued
The Department of Consumer Protection issued an administrative complaint today against Lloyd Bowden and Bowden Development TLI LLC, of Essex, Connecticut, for violations of state laws regarding the New Home Construction Contractors Act and the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr, announced... "Building materials and some of the modular unit themselves were not protected from the elements and sustained significant damage," Farrell said. "It is hard to believe, but the modular homes assembled by Bowden were not secured to their foundations, nor were they bolted together per the manufacturer's installation instructions. As a result, many homeowners were left in the cold, having to secure alternative housing. Some of the necessary repairs remain incomplete and we hope to obtain restitution for these consumers." ...Upon meeting certain conditions, victims are eligible for up to $30,000 in compensation per contract from the Guaranty Fund.

Meet Big Business' Favorite Granny
US Chamber of Commerce Granny: Her winnings? A whopping $281, plus the arbitrator's fee. Kruse concludes that without arbitration, "The normal person just wouldn't be able to do that. Consumer Avocate's Texas grandmother Jordan Fogal testified before the House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law about the new house she and her husband purchased in 2002 for $360,000...home needed $150,000 worth of repairs...The arbitrator came from the American Arbitration Association, a private group preselected by the builder. As a private justice system, AAA charged Fogal for every last piece of paper, meeting, and subpoena generated in arbitration, not to mention the arbitrator's time, which ran as much as $475 an hour... In 2006, the arbitrator awarded the Fogals a mere $40,000, even after finding that the builder had engaged in fraud. Adding insult to injury, she then ordered the Fogals to pay the builder $14,000 for some of its legal fees for the trouble they caused the builder.

Editorial: Texas courts' credibility problem
Nothing underscores this point better than the May 2 Texas Supreme Court decision favoring Perry Homes over homeowners Jane and Robert Cull. The court's decision, overturning two lower courts' rulings to compensate the Culls for a defective home, probably will be debated for years. But what isn't debatable is that the founder of Perry Homes, Bob Perry, is a major donor to the campaigns of the Supreme Court's justices. He, his family and their political action committees have donated more than $250,000 to the nine justices – all Republicans – including those who dissented in the Cull case.

Half-built homes becoming eyesores
In one Collin County neighborhood the weeds are growing and residents are growing impatient. It's been 3 months since Buescher Homes, the large builder, went bankrupt. The fallout: half-built homes and now code compliance issues. But Frisco is reacting. They will mow 70 unsightly yards Monday after putting a lien on each property to get it done.