Ryland Facing ‘Junk’ Rating
Moody's Investors Service may cut its credit rating on Ryland Group Inc. into junk territory, citing concerns about the home builders' ability to cut inventory and generate positive cash flow, the rating agency said Monday. The Calabasas homebuilder and rival D.R. Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder, have struggled recently to generate cash flow, “in part because of their limited success to date in reducing inventory, in part because of continuing high cancellation rates, and in part because of the fiercely competitive environment the two companies face in most of their markets,” according to a Moody's statement.

Ryland employee sues homeowners 
A Ryland Homes saleswoman has sued two homeowners in the troubled Bridlewood Park subdivision, accusing them of harassing her and causing her to lose at least $26,000 in sales commissions. Several homeowners in the new neighborhood in Live Oak had been protesting for months near the model homes where she works and also have been airing complaints on Web sites about unaddressed problems with their homes...  "Things were going well until this," Kochan said. "We haven't protested in Bridlewood in five weeks or so. Where is this coming from? It's outlandish." "We were actually starting to feel like we were getting back to our lives. Then we got hit with this," Ferguson said.

Residents told to solve developer dispute
Other protesters said they are not terrorists and have, in fact, been the victims of terror-like attacks, including having their protest signs removed from their houses late at night. Protesting homeowner Nancy Ferguson and other protesters said without their making noise and generating publicity, their happy homeowner neighbors would not have gotten their housing problems solved as fast by Ryland Homes. "They should be thanking us," Ferguson said. Also stunned by the vitriolic tone of the debate, Robert Brassfield of the happy homeowners group said he planned to apologize to the protesters after the meeting for the use of the word terrorist. He was seen talking to the protesting homeowners moments later.

Cibolo residents upset over homebuilders' projects
 The sound of hard rainfall and the clap of thunder reverberated outside City Hall here July 24 as a dozen residents complained to City Council about rainwater damage to their new homes and what they called poor drainage and construction methods by homebuilders. "We are back again with the same problems and issue," Ahmad told the Cibolo council. "We are finding (house damage) problems are more prevalent than we first thought. These residents are not looking for a lawsuit, they are just looking for some help because something went wrong with these developments and the common problem is they have no drainage easements. Drainage was an after thought with these builders," she said.

Residents Blame Health Issues on Mold
Two of the families that live on Saddleback Ridge Road in Canyon Country have filed a lawsuit against the builder of their houses, Ryland Homes, because of what they consider to be persistent mold problems. The two houses, both built eight years ago, were rebuilt in 2005 to fix the mold problems..."Albert McDougal is currently suffering the effects of mold exposure from his home," Dr. Mark Horng said in a letter provided to The Signal by McDougal's attorney. "I have advised Mr. McDougal it is my medical opinion that he should immediately evacuate the home with his family so that we can medically treat the effects from his exposure to that mold."

Suit claims home builder violated mortgage law
One of the nation's largest home builders is being accused of wrongly forcing buyers to finance their homes with mortgages it provided. A lawsuit filed June 20 in federal court in Atlanta against Ryland Homes charges the home builder required buyers to either use Ryland Mortgage Co. for financing or pay an additional several thousand dollars to purchase homes. Spicer bought her Ryland home in 2006, and on May 24, 2006, signed an agreement that if she used Ryland Mortgage Co., Ryland would pay approved settlement costs up to $10,500. If she chose another lender, Ryland would not pay a settlement credit and "the cost of the promotion will be added to your purchase price prior to closing."

A Retaining Wall That's Ruining Homes?
People who live in the Bridlewood Park subdivision in Live Oak say a retaining wall that's supposed to protect their homes from excessive runoff and erosion is instead ruining them. When it rains, the runoff is supposed to drain into a pipe that comes out at the bottom of the wall. Instead, when it rains hard, the runoff cascades through and over the top of the wall.  See photos and videos

Suit claims home builder violated mortgage law
One of the nation's largest home builders is being accused of wrongly forcing buyers to finance their homes with mortgages it provided. A lawsuit filed June 20 in federal court in Atlanta against Ryland Homes charges the home builder required buyers to either use Ryland Mortgage Co. for financing or pay an additional several thousand dollars to purchase homes.

Blitz on builders
Buyers of new homes in the San Antonio area who have unaddressed problems in their homes have hit upon a new tactic to grab their builder's attention: going public... They're speaking at City Council meetings, picketing outside model homes, writing letters to state officials, speaking at the state Legislature and starting Web sites to air their complaints. "This negative publicity is not helping you; it's not helping the citizens; and it's not helping the city," Live Oak Mayor Henry O. Edwards....See photos and videos

Ryland: No buybacks of Bridlewood Park homes Bridlewood Park-Ryland Homes, round two
Live Oak Mayor Henry Edwards made good on his vow to put the volatile Bridlewood Park subdivision-Ryland Homes issue at the top of the city’s June 26 City Council meeting. “What I want is the truth to come out,” Edwards said. “Since June 12, I’ve been working with the city manager about an agenda to inform citizens as well as council on the situation between Ryland Homes and the residents of Bridlewood Park. This kind of negative publicity doesn’t do any good for Live Oak or Ryland Homes. Hopefully, some middle ground can be reached and we can put this issue to bed.”  View: photos.