A bill that would have allowed lenders to publish foreclosure notices online has failed after being voted down in the Florida House of Representatives Civil Justice Subcommittee. Current law requires such institutions to post a notice of action in newspapers when they are unable to reach a homeowner who has gone delinquent on his or her mortgage payments. Likewise, a successful foreclosure must be followed by a notice of sale.

A Democratic representative from Miami Beach argued that requiring foreclosure notices to appear in newspapers is a public benefit. Another representative claimed the bill could potentially discriminate against Hispanic homeowners, 36 percent of whom do not have personal Internet access. He argued that the bill could lead to more foreclosures and would potentially infringe upon homeowners' legal rights.

The bill's Republican sponsor argued that current law is antiquated. He contended that more access is available via the Internet, instead of having to buy little newspapers. He also said that allowing foreclosure notices to be posted online would save money, with supporters of the bill estimating that it could reduce costs by two-thirds.

The Keep the Public Notice Coalition, which includes the AARP, NAACP, Florida Press Association and several other organizations, lobbied against the bill, arguing that lenders should continue to post notices in newspapers as well as publishing them online for free. Conversely, the Florida Bar supports the bill, arguing that 70 percent of the public gets information from the Internet, while only about 20 percent read newspapers.

For those looking to fight their foreclosure notices, there are options available, such as negotiating a mortgage modification with a lender.

Source: Sunshine State News, "Online Foreclosure Notices Fail in House Committee," Jim Turner, Feb. 1, 2012