Just when things were hopefully starting to try and go in the right direction, it seems that there might be a change in that “positive” direction with our housing market. Reuters is reporting that 49 states in our nation have their attorney generals investigating allegations that there were banks not following the proper foreclosure procedures. Alabama was the only state in our nation to not pursue investigations into the lenders practices. No one is sure why that is at this time.
Some banks are not admitting to doing anything wrong, however Bank of America has currently halted any evictions for the time being. Other banks are not admitting any wrong but they are saying they followed the correct protocol in order to foreclosure on homes. What affect is this sort of controversy having on our economy? Of course when things are going right, or there is an election coming up, there are going to be people pointing fingers at each other. However, the question really is, did our nations mortgage lenders try to cut corners on processing foreclosures? If so, why?

Craigslist has been feeling some heat lately because of it’s “erotic services” section on it’s site. However, according to consumeraffairs.com, “Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has fired back at South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, who has been threatening to prosecute Buckmaster on criminal charges of soliciting prostitution. In an unusual turnabout, Buckmaster has filed suit against McMaster, seeking an injunction that would bar him from filing charges.” It seems other states besides South Carolina are raising suits against the site’s owner, yet Buckmaster feels he and his site is protected under the First Amendment and, more specifically, by the Communications Decency Act, enacted by Congress in 1996 to protect Web sites, telecommunications providers and other interactive media. Does Craigslist and other social networking sites have the right to have these “services” promoted on their sites, or is there a difference between “allowing” it and “promoting” it? We will all see how this case pans out, and it is probably going to set some precedence for future cases involving the internet.

Update: Carigslist has removed it’s “erotic services” section of the site, and replaced it with “adult services”.