Tampabay.com
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AUGUST 29, 2008

Bankers bonked on head: Smith Family Homes stiffs lenders $50-million

There are plenty of tears in lender-ville according to a the 62-page bankruptcy schedule recently released by Tampa's Smith Family Homes.

Smith, active mostly in the Pasco County suburbs, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation last month, a victim of the housing downturn.

The company lists $58.7-million in liabilities, mostly mortgage debt to lenders. It's quite a butcher bill:

  • SunTrust: Owed $20.1-million
  • Lincolnshire Associates II: Owed $11.7-million
  • Bank of America: Owed $6.9-million
  • Regions Bank: Owed $6.4-million
  • Wachovia: Owed $4.8-million

If you want to wade through it, here's the court document: Download smithfamily.pdf

Equally illuminating is Smith's public debt. It owes Pasco County $1.5-million in back property taxes. Hillsborough County's out $570,000.

What could be bad news for some homeowners, Smith apparently is delinquent in paying back $853,000 in Community Development District bonds used to finance construction of Hillsborough's Panther Trace neighborhood. It's also behind $2.5-million in paying back CDD bonds for Pasco's Seven Oaks neighborhood.

Homeowners living there pay back the bonds as part of their yearly tax bill. As a lot owner in those developments, Smith is responsible for a proportionate share of the CDD debt.

It's worth checking what happens if such a large party defaults on its bond debt. In some cases, existing homeowners have been on the hook for increased fees.

All in all, a pretty fine mess. 

   

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Housing market news is the focus of the (Un)Real Estate blog. It offers an inside look at the Florida housing market and real estate news, with a focus on Tampa Bay. Its goal? Simple: To help you keep a roof over your head without losing your shirt.

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