Lawyer Haywood Ball announces he has formed Haywood M. Ball, P.A., as of Aug. 1 at 341 W. Forsyth St. Ball practices in real estate, wills, trusts, estate planning and probate law. He formerly was with the Donahoo, Ball & McMenamy, P.A., firm. Thomas Donahoo said the firm becomes Donahoo & McMenamy, P.A.
• Foreclosure rates in Jacksonville increased in May from May 2010, reports the CoreLogic research group. The rate of foreclosures in the Jacksonville area among outstanding mortgage loans was 8.55 percent in May, up 1.82 percentage points from May 2010, when the rate was 6.73 percent. Activity is higher in Jacksonville than the national rate, which was 3.45 percent in May.
• CoreLogic also reports that the mortgage delinquency rate in Jacksonville rose in May. It said 13.4 percent of mortgage loans were 90 days or more delinquent, compared to 13.06 percent the year before.
• Jacksonville-based Pilot Pen Corp. of America launched a redesigned Web store, announced Miami-based Gproxy Design Inc. The Web store is at www.pilotpen.us. Pilot Pen, whose parent company is Pilot Corp. in Tokyo, was established in the United States in 1972. It moved its headquarters from Connecticut to Jacksonville several years ago.
• Gary Chartrand has been re-elected to a one-year term as a national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Chartrand, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is executive chair of Jacksonville-based Acosta Sales & Marketing. As a vice president, he provides volunteer assistance and expertise to support the association’s research and services programs. This year, MDA and Acosta celebrate 26 years of its in-store sales event, Aisles of Smiles.
• The Jacksonville Young Republicans will host the second annual “Cocktails for Cancer” fundraiser at 6 p.m. today at The University Club to support St. Vincent’s Cancer Center. This year’s fundraiser will honor Olympic gold medalist and Jacksonville resident Shannon Miller, who recently was treated for ovarian cancer. The club raised more than $1,000 at last year’s fundraiser, which won “Charitable Event of the Year” at the Florida Federation of Young Republicans annual convention. For information, email [email protected]
• The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital announces that the first Florida Forum event is a little more than two months from now. The 20th Anniversary Series of the Florida Forum starts Oct. 4 with journalist Ted Koppel. He’s followed Feb. 27 by Steve Forbes, chair and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on April 4. The events are at the Times-Union Center Downtown. For information, visit www.thefloridaforum.com.
• Outreach Financial Services LLC signed a seven-year, 41,421-square-foot lease at Flagler Center. “Jacksonville is an ideal location for our customer service and call center operation,” said Stephen Stack, managing director of the company, which provides distressed mortgage servicing to Fannie Mae and other master servicers. Outreach Financial Services will operate at 12735 Gran Bay Parkway at Flagler Center, Building 200. Flagler’s Senior Director of Leasing, Ross Carrier, represented Flagler in the transaction. Mark Montgomery of CNL Commercial Real Estate represented Outreach Financial Services. A Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows Outreach is based in Wellington.
• “Amnesty Day” is planned from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at the Main Library Downtown. Invited are people who do not face detention but have been identified as having arrest warrants issued for minor offenses in Duval County. The event is a volunteer effort by the Fourth Judicial Circuit, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Public Library, the Public Defender’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office. “This is a volunteer effort designed to clear up numerous minor cases on the books that otherwise would drain public funds should they go through the court system and the conventional process,” said Public Defender Matt Shirk.