Yearly Archives: 2010

BOSTON, MA - July 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court against Helen M. McCarthy, of Boxford, and her son James F. McCarthy, of Laconia, New Hampshire, alleging that they illegally altered and filled protected wetlands and dumped solid waste throughout a large parcel of land in Saugus.The McCarthys have for at least a decade maintained an illegal dumping ground and permitted ongoing wetlands violations at Pennsylvania Avenue, a property that borders Saugus, Wakefield and Lynnfield, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, seeks a permanent injunction requiring the McCarthys to restore and remediate the site. The lawsuit is also asking the court to impose penalties on the defendants for violating state laws designed to protect the environment.

BOSTON, MA - July 14, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The owner of coastal property and an island in Fairhaven will restore wetlands on both the mainland and island parcels that were damaged by clear-cutting and wall construction projects conducted in violation of state laws designed to protect natural resources, Attorney General Martha Coakley and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced today.Carlos A. Pereira will restore the wetlands and pay a $38,000 civil penalty, $18,000 of which will be waived if he complies with the terms of the consent judgment entered yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court. Under the terms of the settlement, Pereira will also make a $2,000 contribution to the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the Buzzards Bay watershed.

BROCKTON, MA - July 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Marshfield woman has been arraigned in connection with allegedly trying to delay or avoid foreclosure of a home mortgage by falsely reporting the death of a child to her mortgage company, and thereafter knowingly falsifying information in an affidavit filed in Brockton Superior Court, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced.Donna Larson, age 52, was arraigned today in Brockton Superior Court on charges of Attempted Larceny and Perjury. Larson pled not guilty before Judge Joseph M. Walker III and was released on personal recognizance.

Bedford, MA - July 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- An independent, full-service real estate brokerage specializing in the suburbs north of Boston, MA, Clayton Realty Group was started with a vision that buying and selling real estate should be a wonderful experience, accessible to everyone and without any smoke and mirrors

WASHINGTON, DC - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement resolving its lawsuit against the Fitchburg, Mass., Housing Authority and its executive director, Robert W. Hill. The lawsuit alleged that the Fitchburg Housing Authority and Hill violated the Fair Housing Act by adopting and implementing policies that denied tenants with disabilities other than mobility impairments the opportunity to transfer between apartments within Fitchburg’s public housing neighborhoods.

WALTHAM, MA - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that the number of single-family homes put under agreement in June were down 16.0 percent over the same time last year, while condominiums were down 21.0 percent. This is the second month in a row that the number of both single-family homes and condominiums put under agreement has decreased compared to the year before.

BROCKTON, MA - July 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Marshfield woman has been indicted in connection with allegedly trying to delay or avoid foreclosure of a home mortgage by falsely reporting the death of a child to her mortgage company, and thereafter knowingly falsifying information in an affidavit filed in Brockton Superior Court, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced.A Plymouth County Grand Jury returned indictments against Donna Larson, age 52, on charges of Attempted Larceny and Perjury

WALTHAM, MA - June 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Up to 3,930* Massachusetts home buyers will lose their tax credit through no fault of their own if Congress fails to pass an extension to the home buyer tax credit closing deadline of June 30. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) also estimates that up to 180,000 home buyers across the country would lose out on the tax credit

BOSTON, MA - June 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Investment giant Morgan Stanley (Morgan) will pay $102 million to affected Massachusetts homeowners and the Commonwealth following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office into Morgan’s role in the securitization and financing of Massachusetts subprime loans, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today.

MEDFORD, MA - June 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Malden) announced Monday that over $6 million in combined federal and state funding will soon be released for the preservation of 272 rental housing units, 251 of which will be set aside as affordable housing, for the City of Malden. The maintenance and restoration of these rental units will boost the availability of affordable housing in Malden, while creating jobs and fostering economic growth

BOSTON, MA - June 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's ongoing commitment to boost affordable housing production, create jobs and foster economic growth, Governor Deval Patrick today pledged more than $189.9 million in resources leveraged from various affordable housing programs and private investment to support the construction of 32 rental developments in 19 communities across the state which will yield an estimated 2,400 construction jobs."By investing this targeted blend of public and private resources to spur housing development, we are creating jobs, boosting local businesses, strengthening communities and building a better, stronger Commonwealth," said Governor Patrick.

June 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A consortium of mortgage lenders, community group leaders, and state and federal government officials are moving forward on initiatives that would make the mortgage modification process easier for homeowners, and likely allow more families to stay in their homes as they solve their potential foreclosure problems.Since February, a group that includes community groups like the Brockton Interfaith Community (BIC), the Patrick-Murray Administration's Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the U.S. Treasury, and 10 banks, has been regularly meeting - including summit meetings on Feb. 19 and April 12 - discussing ways to make the loan modification process work better for homeowners. The group is focusing on three areas

NEW BEDFORD, MA - June 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A vacant industrial site along the Acushnet River contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) and solvents will be cleaned up and prepared for redevelopment under an agreement Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) reached with AVX Corporation (“AVX”).

BOSTON, MA - June 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Saugus based Eastern Property Management Group, Inc. (“Eastern Property”) is being sued by Attorney General Martha Coakley for allegedly posting discriminatory rental advertisements on the popular classified advertising website Craigslist.org (“Craigslist”). This latest filing stems from the Attorney General’s ongoing statewide investigation into reports of widespread discriminatory Internet advertising in housing. The Attorney General’s Office is seeking an order prohibiting Eastern Property from engaging in housing discrimination, requiring fair housing training for its employees, compensatory and punitive damages, civil penalties, and attorney’s fees and costs.

WALTHAM, MA - June 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that the number of single-family homes put under agreement in May were down 3.0 percent over the same time last year, while condominiums were down 6.0 percent. May is the first month since July 2009 that the number of both single-family homes and condominiums put under agreement has decreased compared to the year before.