Bank of America streamlining short-sale procedures
Decisions on offers may be trimmed to 20 days or less
By Inman News, Tuesday, April 10, 2012.Short sale image via Shutterstock.
Bank of America says it's making changes to its short-sale procedures that will shorten decision times on short sale offers to 20 days, down from 45 days or longer.
The new task flow in Bank of America's short-sale management platform, Equator, will enable short-sale specialists to conduct tasks like document collection, valuations and underwriting simultaneously. When buyers walk, agents will have five days instead of 14 days to submit a backup offer.
Bank of America is requiring a new third-party authorization form for short sales initiated beginning April 14.
When the changes to Equator take effect Saturday, five documents will be required to process short sales initiated with an offer:
- A purchase contract including buyer's acknowledgment and disclosure.
- HUD-1.
- IRS Form 4506-T.
- Bank of America short-sale addendum.
- Bank of America third-party authorization form.
The Equator platform will be offline the night of Friday, April 13, and into early Saturday, April 14, to implement changes.
Offer documents and supporting documents for all short sales submitted with an offer must be uploaded before Friday, April 13, or files may be declined.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Bank of America streamlining short-sale procedures - Walnut Creek Short Sales
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Corners Tavern Opens on Broadway Plaza - Walnut Creek, CA Patch
Corners Tavern Opens on Broadway Plaza
Restaurant takes part of the space of the former Bing Crosby's Restaurant and Piano Lounge.
A new restaurant, Corners Tavern, cornered the tavern market on a prime downtown corner Wednesday evening.
On Broadway Plaza street, as some of the principals and chamber of commerce visitors monkeyed with oversized scissors on the steps out front, waiters were milling around inside with last-minute preparations.
After the last chandeliers had been installed and the glass on the snake cages cleaned (we'll come back to the snake cages), the last few days went smoothly. "We didn't have any major dramas," said Manager Raegan Hall.
OK, the snake cages. Co-owners Doug Washington and Freya Prowe found them for sale from a former reptile store in Berkeley. Corners staff cleaned them up, scrubbed out the glass and artists created dioramas in the many cages. My favorite is a domestic scene of underwear drying on a line.
Corners Tavern is the replacement for Bing Crosby's at a visible corner in downtown Walnut Creek a couple blocks from the new Neiman Marcus. The Bing Crosby's Restaurant and Piano Lounge was a big fixture at 1342 Broadway Plaza (at South Main Street). Its space is split between La Boulange Bakery and the new Corners Tavern, according to Inside Scoop SF. The chef will be Esteban Escobar, who once worked at Postrio.
There are more photos of the Corners Tavern interior on the SF Eater website.
Did you have a bite at Corners Tavern? What's your review? Tell us in the comments below.
Where To Park in Downtown - Walnut Creek, CA
It's not that there aren't parking spaces in downtown Walnut Creek.
There are actually plenty of them.
The problem is there are lots of people who want them.
Therefore, it can be difficult to find a good parking place downtown, especially in the evening hours.
Now, I shouldn't be giving away trade secrets, but Patch is a community-oriented organization, so in that spirit I'll divulge some of the things I've learned over the years.
First, I'm a fan of the parking garages.
The parking meters are fine. The new devices they've installed that accept credit cards certainly makes things easier.
But try finding an empty on-street slot on a Friday or Saturday night downtown. There are a few if you travel far enough north on California, away from downtown. But you will need to walk a number of blocks to reach your destination.
Also, pulling out of those spaces, especially the diagonal ones, can be treacherous. It seems you never see the car that is looming behind you.
The parking garages, for me, are a better bet. But, again, trying to find an empty space in one during downtown's busy times can be challenging.
The garage next to the theaters? I avoid that one like the plague. Not only is it usually full, but the twists and turns are more suitable for an Indy 500 racer.
There's also the crazy European-like intersections where nobody is sure who has the right of way. The Caltrans engineers who designed the 680/24 interchange must have had a hand in these blueprints.
The parking garage on Locust Street near the Lesher Center isn't a bad option. There's usually a few spaces there, but it's a ways from the action. Plus, turning out of the complex onto California isn't always for the faint of heart.
There's the small parking garage above the Lark Creek restaurant. Again, usually full and some tricky maneuvers inside this facility, too.
Another small garage sits on Broadway a few blocks south of the new library. That one can fill up quickly and, once more, it's a few blocks from the center of downtown. And they have those annoying tokens, too.
The garage in the "sweet spot," I think, is the one at Main Street and Duncan. It sits above a Starbucks and the Bank of America.
There's usually at least a few parking spaces available and the interior design is basic and makes some sense.
It does have that stop sign and demanding left turn when you first enter, but after that you're home free.
I usually head straight for the top floor onto the open roof. It just seems like there's more room up there. Plus, it's a nice view, day or night.
When you walk out, you are close to pretty much everything. There are bars and restaurants across the street as well as other establishments on the next two streets over. Even the theaters aren't that far to walk.
When you leave, you do have to be careful as you make that 180 on the bottom floor. Drivers in the loading zone down there aren't always careful where they park.
Upon exiting, your choices are sometime limited, but just make a right out of the garage and then a right on Broadway. Double back if you have to, but that's the simplest way out.
There you have it. Some not-so-secret tips on downtown parking.
Now if I can just find a cheap place to eat.