| Miami blog postings spark $25 million lawsuit
Developer Tibor Hollo has filed a $25 million defamation lawsuit against a Miami real estate agent who blogged that the octogenarian went bankrupt in the 1980s and is headed for a fall with the upheaval in the condo market. Hollo last week sued agent Lucas Lechuga and the Coral Gables brokerage Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell alleging they have engaged in a smear campaign against him and his Opera Tower condo development on Lechuga's Miami Condo Investments blog. On Monday, the postings cost Lechuga his job. ''We just don't condone making statements, especially negative statements, about anyone, so we have terminated our relationship with our associate,'' said EWM President Ron Shuffield. Its agents are independent contractors, not employees. Lechuga, 29, predicted on the blog that at least half of the buyers in the 635-unit Opera Tower at 1750 Bayshore Dr.
State ranks first in nation in cash loans, construction categories
Clark said housing will take the biggest hit in the 2007 rankings due to a dramatic drop in the number of mortgage brokers and real estate agents. The restaurant industry will feel a sting too, he said, because the slumping economy is causing people to eat out less. Clark said the upcoming year will be a trying time for homeowners as well. "It's people worrying about credit card debt who are also upside-down on their mortgages that will suffer the most," Clark said. "We're in for kind of a rough road." .
BoatshedUSA.com launches new Florida operation
BoatshedUSA.com, the North American subsidiary of yacht brokerage organisation Boatshed.com, will open 15 new Boatshed sales offices throughout the state of Florida under the banner BoatshedFlorida.com.Located in Sarasota, Florida, BoatshedFlorida.com will oversee a 'fast and aggressive' roll-out plan with offices on both the west and east coast of the state already confirmed in Sarasota and Miami.Headed by Scott McNally and Erik Maltby, owners of a real estate company with 120 agents across Florida and Georgia, the boat brokerage will have offices from the Florida Keys to Destin, at locations including Tampa, Daytona, Melbourne and Ft Myers."With the rollout of the Florida offices and Boatshed's current network across the USA, Europe and Canada, Boatshed will be heading for 60 global locations" said Roger Bailey, from Boatshed.com.
Dynastrosi Labs hires recent WKU graduate
Ian Rice, a December Western Kentucky University graduate, was recently hired as a design engineer at Dynastrosi Laboratories in Bowling Green.Rice graduated with a degree in physics and will be responsible for developing conceptual designs and proposals for clients. He will be heavily engaged in additional research and design work for the company.Dynastrosi Laboratories is a research and development company providing engineering and design services for the wind energy, motorsports and aerospace industries.Nottmeier becomes principal broker Alex Nottmeier has been promoted to principal broker of Neal Turner Realty.Nottmeier has been a commercial real estate agent with Neal Turner Realty for more than 11 years, serving sellers, buyers, tenants and landlords with their commercial and industrial real estate needs throughout southcentral Kentucky.Nottmeier is one of only seven individuals in Kentucky to earn both his Certified Commercial Investment Member and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors designations and the only one in Kentucky with both designations outside Lexington or Louisville markets.Neal Turner Realty, founded more than 20 years ago, is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm in Bowling Green.Embry becomes KOEMA presidentDr.
New pictures issued in Karen Aim murder case
Police in New Zealand have issued grainy security camera pictures they believe could hold the key to solving the murder of Scottish backpacker Karen Aim. Family mourns murdered backpackerThe two images were taken early on January 17, just minutes before Miss Aim, 26, was brutally beaten over the head by her attacker and left to die on a street in the lakeside resort of Taupo. .
Sun Bancorp to record $4M loan-loss provision in 4Q
Sun Bancorp completes 5% stock buyback, announces another [Philadelphia] Geisel leaves Key to head N.J. bank [Albany] Sun Bancorp announces buyback [Philadelphia] PWC investment advisers leave to join myCIO Wealth Partners [Philadelphia] Lender Pinnacle Financial opens its first branch in southeast Pa. [Philadelphia] .
Teacher of the week: Kay Shelton
Kay Shelton teaches P.E. at DeSoto Central Elementary for grades K-5. She is also the soccer coordinator for the intramural soccer program for grades K-6. She lives in Southaven with her husband, Billy, and their two sons, Josh and Jesse. When did you know you wanted to become a teacher? When I was younger, I worked a lot with children either in church or day care, and I loved it. One day, our preacher's wife told me that she thought I would make a good teacher. I guess she started the thought process. What do you still hope to accomplish as an educator that you haven't done yet? As a P.E. teacher, I would love to get all children involved in some sort of extracurricular activity. They all need to have some sort of activity that gets them up and moving instead of watching TV or playing video games.
Md. mortgage fee lawsuit reinstated
A ruling yesterday from the state's highest court over prepayment mortgage charges could make it more expensive for some to obtain home equity loans, the banking industry's trade association warned.
The Maryland Court of Appeals found that state-chartered Provident Bank assessed a "prepayment charge" that's not allowed under state law. The bank had waived $680 in closing costs on a $17,000 loan to Andrew Bednar in 2003 but collected the money after the loan was paid off early when he refinanced with another lender two years later.
The ruling overturns a decision by Baltimore Circuit Court to dismiss the lawsuit against Provident.
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