The United States has sent a clear message to loan modification scammers and perpetrators of mortgage fraud: we're coming to get you.

In July, Florida recorded more foreclosure activity than any other state in the nation, according to the real estate data firm RealtyTrac. Nine of the top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest rate of foreclosures were Florida cities. Florida has ranked number one in foreclosure-related activities for three consecutive months.

While many areas of the country have experienced a drop-off in foreclosures—initial filings, foreclosure auctions and bank owned properties, the state continues to sift through the backlog of foreclosure cases.  

Most people know that mortgage lenders and local government can create liens that require foreclosure action, but many people don't know that condominium and homeowner's associations (HOAs) also can create liens that require them to avail themselves of foreclosure laws in Florida. HOAs have specific legal rights and powers over properties in the community.

This authority includes initiating the Florida foreclosure process for issues related to delinquent monthly fees, dues and special assessments.

Every day there seems to be another headline about foreclosures.

Foreclosures rising, foreclosures as a good investment-even foreclosure bus tours. But sometimes homeowners need a little advice from a trustworthy source.

From the Federal Reserve Board, here are five tips for avoiding foreclosure scams:

Since 2007, over 4 million Americans have lost their homes due to foreclosure. By early next year, that number is expected to reach 6 million. Historically, the legal procedure of foreclosure, in which a homeowner is required to relinquish his or her home to a lender upon mortgage default, generally favored banks and lenders who were well-versed in the practice.

However, recently this trend has reversed as many of today's homeowners who receive their notice of default are choosing to engage in an effective foreclosure defense process to stall, and often cease, the foreclosure proceedings filed against them. These recent successes can be attributed to the greater encouragement of mortgage modification and the piling evidence that, as a whole, the real estate industry has been largely perpetrators of fraudulent and predatory lending practices. The discovery of which has impacted judicial attitude and largely shifted court sympathies towards homeowners perceived as victims.

Disclaimer: These results should not be taken as a guarantee, as each case is unique. We have helped over 5,000 homeowners, here is one of their stories.

Many homeowners would feel completely discouraged if they had problems affording their mortgage payment and were denied a loan modification by their lenders. Some homeowners would even throw in the towel and give up. A select few other homeowners would decide to dust themselves off and find a way to do it better, and that's just what this homeowner did on her way to getting a great loan modification.

We began working with this homeowner in Spring 2012. She was a single mother who held a mortgage with Ocwen financial. She could not afford to pay her $1400 mortgage payment and hadn't paid it for about two years. This homeowner turned to us for a better chance at a loan modification after being denied for a loan modification for being insufficiently prepared.

Florida has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the country. The state has a foreclosure process that is judicial. The lender must file with the court to take possession of the property. If you're in foreclosure or in fear of foreclosure, there are several steps you can take to either prolong the process or stop foreclosure in Florida.

Amerihope Alliance Legal Services and attorney Greg Nordt warn consumers:

Do not pay fees to debt relief companies that promise that they can negotiate a pay off and stop the payday loan companies from calling you. They can't. They charge a consumer for an attorney to send their payday loan company a cease and desist letter and a letter of negotiation. Neither of these letters with help you in any way more than you can help yourself.  These type of scam companies are preying on payday loan consumer's fears.

Has HB 87 Solved Florida's Foreclosure Problems?

Florida experienced the most intense and widespread ravages of the mortgage crisis in 2008, and new foreclosures are still occuring at an alarming rate a half decade later. Even worse, Florida is a judicial foreclosure state. This means that all foreclosures have to proceed through a set process in the court of law, which can take years for each individual case. In addition to the new cases that are entering the courts daily, there are over 100,000 cases still waiting to be re-tried after the "robo-signing" scandal shut down all Florida foreclosure proceedings in late 2010. These factors combined to create a perfect storm of epic proportions in Florida's courts: so large, in fact, that there are currently over 328,000 foreclosures languishing within Florida's judicial system. 

Been Through the Short Sale, Bankruptcy, or Foreclosure Process? FHA Will Help You Get a New Home Loan.

It's a lot easier for formerly troubled homeowners to get an Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan. That's because  FHA has formally announced that potential borrowers will qualify for an FHA-backed  mortgage only a year after bankruptcy, foreclosure, or the short sale process was complete. In years past, potential homeowners would have to wait two years after bankruptcy and three years after foreclosure or short sale to qualify for a new FHA mortgage; that was simply just regarded as an extended part of the foreclosure process. This program is called "Back to Work", and will be getting to work for soon-to-be homeowners immediately.

Florida may be in the Southernmost part of the United States, but it was and still is the center of the foreclosure crisis. Even today, thousands of Floridians are served with foreclosure papers every month. Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning that foreclosures have to proceed through through the court system in order to be completed. This combination of judicial foreclosure and the severity of the foreclosure crisis has created what is consistently the nation's largest backlog of foreclosure cases; a problem which Florida's government had not addressed until recently.