Foreclosure mess: A litigator's dream?

Sales at some of the Gulf Coast's busiest courthouses have slowed considerably while attorneys general from all 50 states crawl through the offices of major banks and foreclosure law firms.

Questions about whether documents have been properly reviewed in thousands of foreclosure cases recently prompted large banks to temporarily halt sales of these properties. The problem is particularly acute in Lee and Pinellas counties, two areas that have seen huge volumes of foreclosures in the recession.

“This has all the trappings of litigators,” says Lee County Clerk of Court Charlie Green, whose “rocket docket” model has expeditiously cleared thousands of cases.