Official uVu Blog

Foreclosures Down, Housing Sales Up?

Reports on the local housing market show a spike in sales and a dip in foreclosures.  But, some experts say the rosy numbers don’t tell the whole story.

the heART of giving

“TOGETHER WE MUST” CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE Hosted “HEART OF GIVING” MARCH 11 AT MARGULIES ART WAREHOUSE TO BENEFIT LEGAL SERVICES OF GREATER MIAMI, INC.
 
HIGHLIGHTED BY DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS, CHIEF JUSTICE PEGGY A. QUINCE AND MICHAEL PUTNEY, WLPG-TV CHANNEL 10’S SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER

Legal Services of Greater Miami, the largest provider of broad-based civil legal services for the poor in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, celebrated the success of its “Together, We Must” Campaign for Justice, Thursday, March 11, when the works of internationally famed artists, sculptors, and photographers were available for viewing at the Margulies Art Warehouse 591 N.W, 27th Street.

Tagged “The Heart of Giving” to further supplement the organization’s efforts to ensure that low income individuals and families will have advocates to speak for them and protect their rights, the evening provided guests an oppotunity to view such varied works as the acclaimed Miro & Noguchi: Masters of Surrealist Sculpture, 100 Years of Photography from 1909-2009, and George Segal: Depression Bread Line. Further highlighting the event will be a silent auction of works by internationally famed photographers Joyce Tenneson, Maggie Steber, Barbara Bordnick, Jill Enfield, Rick Smolan, Charles Altschul and Enrique Monasterio as well as works from many of the South Florida community’s fine artists. 

PART 1

PART 2

Miami Today Newsmaker Profile - Ed Joyce

After 25 years with Chicago-based Northern Trust Bank, longtime Miamian Edward J. Joyce was chosen to succeed the bank’s longtime Miami-Dade Region President Sheldon T. Anderson.  Mr. Anderson, meanwhile, will stay in Miami and assume leadership of the bank’s Personal Financial Services business in the Southeast US.

As he transitions into his new role, Mr. Joyce said he’ll be drawing on a wealth of experience in different areas of Northern Trust’s business to lead its day-to-day operations in Miami. “For the last four or 4½ years, I’ve been much more exposed to the banking side of our business in a management role than I had been in the past,” Mr. Joyce said. “And I think that experience of the multi-discipline approach gave me a really good background for doing this job.”

The bank continues to see opportunities to attract high-net-worth clients despite a slowdown in population growth in Florida, lagging economic factors and increased competition from new and existing banks targeting the same clients. “There have always been a lot of competitors in that market both nationally and here in Miami and the ones… mentioned will continue to be strong competitors. We welcome the competition,” he said. “We think that our strengths, our safety, our soundness, our customization, our expertise in trust, investment and banking play very, very well to what clients are looking for.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Joyce pointed to the dramatic rebounding of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which recently topped the 10,000 mark for the first time this year, as a leading indicator for the recovery, though there’s still a ways to go. And while that recovery is predicted to move along slowly, Mr. Joyce said the bank will begin to target smaller businesses for lending as a way to bring in individual clients for its personalized wealth-management services. “We’ve seen some opportunities in the foundation and endowment area as well as with some local businesses,” he pointed out. “We think Miami has a lot of small, as Florida does, a lot of small businesses, and we see that as an opportunity for us.”

Mr. Joyce was interviewed in Northern Trust’s Brickell Avenue office by Miami Today Staff Writer Zachary S. Fagenson.

Watch the profile here

Riding Out The Storm

"Riding Out the Storm" is a project of Nightly Business Report on PBS. It's and effort to focus on personal stories and personal finance during this recession.  NBR wants you to use uVu to upload video of yourself talking about your experiences in this financial hurricane. Your story could help others. We also want you to upload your personal finance questions. We'll select as many of them as we can, ask personal finance experts to answer them on camera, and upload those answers here as well.

If you want to upload you story or question, start by becoming a member of uVu.  Then join this "Riding Out the Storm" group. And, finally, when you upload your video, be sure to select "Riding Out the Storm" as your video's category.

Educator speaks about the economy

A college faculty member discusses what it's like living and teaching during a time of economic weakness.

What do you think?

Miami Today Profile - Gregg Fortner

Gregg Fortner has over two decades of experience working at various public housing authorities. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director of Miami-Dade's Public Housing Agency in July of 2009, Mr. Fortner served as Deputy Executive Director/Chief Administrative Officer for the Oakland Housing Authority and Executive Director for the San Francisco Housing Authority.

As Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Public Housing Agency, Mr. Fortner will manage one of the largest housing authorities in the nation. He works closely with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Miami-DadeBoard of County Commissioners, and other County departments and affordable housing entities to provide high quality, affordable housing opportunities to low-and moderate income working families, individuals and elderly in our community.

He takes over an agency that last year, according to Orlando Cabrera, the federal Housing and Urban Development assistant secretary who oversaw the 2007 Federal regulator takeover of the agency ``... might be the public housing authority in the worst financial condition in the country, largely because of the way it was run.''

You can read the entire interview with Gregg Fortner in Miami Today

Watch the videos here

Can You Spare a Story?

Looking for tips for living smart during the recession?  How about sharing ideas, tips or even advice on how to cope with a smile.

Watch some of the video from "Riding Out The Storm" here and tell us how you are handling the current economy.

Riding Out the Storm - Intro from NBR's Web Producer

Nightly Business Report's web producer, Jaime Danielson,offers a quick introduction to the Riding Out the Storm project and explains why NBR is teaming up with uVu to solicit personal stories and personal finance questions during this economic recession.

If you want to upload your financial story or your personal finance question to uVu, please do. Just remember to choose "Riding Out the Storm" as your uVu category.

Watch the video here

Facing The Mortgage Crisis on WDNA 88.9FM

Alex Fernandez, a loan modification specialist and counselor from the Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida was a guest on the Kaufman and Co. program on WDNA 88.9 FM.  Part of the Facing The Mortgage Crisis Initiative, Fernandez discussed the services that NHSSF provide for homeowners, many of them for free, as a HUD approved agency.  The services include loan modification help and homebuyer education.

In this segment, Alex explains how the process of loan modification might work, why it is important to get help in this process and where to find free and trusted resources to get through the process.

The website for Facing the Mortgage Crisis is linked above but you can watch this video here

Housing 101

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce held a workshop on Navigating the Housing Market on July 28, 2009.

Watch the video here

Foreclosures. Shortsales. Loan Modifications.

What is the Impact?
Learn about the recent local, state and federal programs such as the 11th Circuit Homestead Access to Mediation Program (CHMP) and Making Homes Affordable established to assist homeowners in their efforts to resolve the escalating real estate problems as well as what options and programs are available and their future implications.

Speakers included:
Judge Jennifer D. Bailey,
Administrative Judge, Civil Division
11th Judicial Circuit Miami-Dade County Courthouse

Ned pope
Director, Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
The Collins Center for Public Policy

Arden Shank
Executive Director & President
Neighborhood Housing Services

Ed Wilburn
Managing Director
Great Florida Bank

Moderator - Adrian Diaz-Sieckel
Managing Director, Broker, LCam
Sieckel LLC