January Foreclosure Update for California

Posted on January 18, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

By Sean Coffey, Program Manager at ForeclosureHelpSCC

1) Debt Forgiveness at the state level. The Federal Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act was recently extended for another year. While debt forgiveness in now extended for another year at the federal level, this same forgiveness has not been extended at the state level in California. According to a press release from the California Association of Realtors, Senate Bill 30, which was recently introduced by Senator Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), would exempt the taxation of forgiven mortgage debt at the state level. The bill was referred to the Committee on Government and Finance on January 10, 2013.

2) Homeowner Bill of Rights went into effect on January 1, 2013. ForeclosureHelpSCC has translated the information about the Homeowner Bill of Rights into Spanish (“La Declaración de Derechos de los Propietarios de Vivienda en California”) and Vietnamese (Luật Dân Quyền cho Chủ Nhà ở trong Tiểu Bang California”). We encourage homeowners to remind their banks and servicers about this new law in California, especially the ban on dual tracking, the required single point of contact, and the new protections for tenants in foreclosed home in California, which is now 90 days.

3) Litton Loan Servicing and Saxon Mortgage companies both agreed to settlements similar to the Independent Foreclosure Review process that was dramatically changed in January. The settlement will include $232 million in direct payments to homeowners and $325 million in “other assistance.” You can see a press release about their settlements here: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reached agreements in principle with the Federal Reserve Board to pay $557 million in cash payments and other assistance to help mortgage borrowers.

4) Scam letters continue to target homeowners: Homeowners visiting our office for a housing counseling appointment continue to bring in official-looking letters from companies that are offering modifications, debt forgiveness, and other assistance with mortgages.

As a reminder, it is ILLEGAL to charge an upfront fee for a loan modification in California. Also, when a homeowner stops paying their mortgage, a Notice of Default can be filed by the bank or servicer with the County Recorder’s office (after you miss the second mortgage payment). This is public record, and people use this information to send out official looking notices/advertisements to homeowners.

It is really important to carefully read any mail you receive. Also, be very cautious about companies that contact you who promise or guarantee they can modify your loan. At the end of the day, it is your bank or servicer (and possibly the investor who holds your mortgage) who will decide whether or not the loan is modified.

5) Foreclosure Crisis continues in California: While the numbers of Notices of Default have reduced, a recent Realty Trac report indicates that California is still in the top ten in terms of foreclosure rates, and one out of 430 homes has a foreclosure filing in California.

If you are a homeowner living in San Jose or Sunnyvale and are struggling with your mortgage, please contact ForeclosureHelpSCC, a program funded by the City of San Jose and the City of Sunnyvale at (408)-293-6000 or visit our website: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org. Our HUD-approved counselors can help you evaluate your options, learn more about federal and state programs that may help you with your mortgage issues, and will help you create a plan forward.

Please note: All content included in the ForeclosureHelpSCC blog is provided for information only and should NOT be considered legal or tax advice. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on our hotline: (408)-293-6000, or visit our website: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org or send us an email: help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Si usted es dueño de una casa en San José o en Sunnyvale y están luchando con su hipoteca, por favor póngase en contacto con ForeclosureHelpSCC, un programa financiado por la ciudad de San José y la ciudad de Sunnyvale, al (408) -293- 6000, o visite nuestro sitio: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org. Nuestros consejeros aprobados por HUD puede ayudarle a evaluar sus opciones, aprender más acerca de los programas federales y estatales que pueden ayudarle con sus problemas de hipoteca, y le ayudará a crear un plan para seguir.

Por favor, tenga en cuenta: Todos los contenidos incluidos en el blog ForeclosureHelpSCC se proporciona únicamente a título informativo y no debe ser considerada como consejo legal o fiscal. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor no dude en contactarnos a nuestra línea directa: (408) -293-6000, o visite nuestro sitio:www.foreclosurehelpscc.org o envíenos un correo electrónico: help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Nếu bạn là một sinh hoạt chủ sở hữu nhà ở San Jose hoặc Sunnyvale và đang đấu tranh với nợ nhà, xin vui lòng liên ForeclosureHelpSCC, một chương trình được tài trợ bởi thành phố San Jose và thành phố của Sunnyvale ở (408) -293-6000 hoặc truy cập trang web của chúng tôi: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org. Nhân viên tư vấn của chúng tôi đã được HUD chấp thuận có thể giúp bạn đánh giá các lựa chọn của bạn, tìm hiểu thêm về các chương trình của liên bang và tiểu bang có thể giúp bạn với các vấn đề thế chấp của bạn, và sẽ giúp bạn tạo ra một kế hoạch phía trước.

Xin lưu ý: Tất cả các nội dung trên Blog ForeclosureHelpSCC được cung cấp thông tin duy nhất và không nên coi là hợp pháp hoặc tư vấn thuế. Nếu bạn có bất cứ câu hỏi , xin vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi qua đường dây nóng: (408) -293-6000, hoặc truy cập vào trang của chúng tôi: http://www.foreclosurehelpscc.org hoặc gửi email cho chúng tôi: help@foreclosurehelpscc.org.

Luật Dân Quyền cho Chủ Nhà ở trong Tiểu Bang California (California Homeowner Bill of Rights)

Posted on January 17, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

Luật Dân Quyền cho Chủ Nhà ở trong Tiểu Bang California

(California Homeowner Bill of Rights)

Luật Dân Quyền cho Chủ Nhà ở trong tiểu bang California này trở thành luật vào ngày ngày 1 Tháng 1 năm 2013 để đảm bảo cho vay công bằng và thực hành vay cho các chủ nhà ở trong tiểu bang California.

Luật pháp được thiết kế để đảm bảo sự công bằng cơ bản và minh bạch cho chủ nhà trong quá trình tịch thu nhà. Các điều khoản chủ yếu bao gồm:

1. Hạn chế về nhà bị tịch thu theo dõi kép: dich vụ thế chấp được hạn chế thúc đẩy quá trình tịch thu nhà Nếu chủ nhà đang làm việc về bảo đảm sửa đổi khoản vay. Khi chủ nhà hoàn tất đơn xin cho một sửa đổi khoản vay, quá trình tịch thu nhà chủ yếu là tạm dừng lại cho đến khi các ứng dụng hoàn chỉnh đã được xem xét đầy đủ.

2. Đảm bảo người liên lạc duy nhất: Chủ nhà được đảm bảo một điểm của liên lạc duy nhất khi họ hiểu biết về quá trình và cố gắng để giữ ngôi nhà của mình – một người hoặc một nhóm nghiên cứu tại ngân hàng phải là những người hiểu biết về các sự kiện và trường hợp của họ, có giấy tờ của họ và có thể nhận được một quyết định về ứng dụng của họ cho một khoản vay sửa đổi.

3. Xác nhận các văn bản: Công ty cho vay tiền khi có nhiều tài liệu chưa được xác minh trong hồ sơ tập tin sẽ phải chịu một hình phạt dân sự lên đến $ 7,500 cho mỗi khoản vay cho mỗi một hành động được đưa ra bởi một công tố viên dân sự. Công ty cho vay tiền là những người vi phạm cũng bị cưỡng chế bằng biện pháp cơ quan cấp giấy phép, bao gồm Bộ Tổng công ty, Sở Bất động sản và Vụ trưởng Vụ các tổ chức tài chính.

4. Thực thi: Khách hàng vay sẽ có quyền để tìm kiếm sự bồi thường của “vật chất” hành vi vi phạm bảo vệ quá trình tịch thu nhà mới này. Bắt buộc cứu trợ sẽ có sẵn trước khi bán nhà bị tịch thu và phục hồi thiệt hại sẽ có sẵn sau khi một vụ mua bán. (AB 278, SB 900)

5. Quyền người thuê nhà: Người mua nhà bị tịch thu được yêu cầu để cung cấp cho người thuê ít nhất 90 ngày trước khi bắt đầu thủ tục trục xuất.Nếu người thuê nhà có một hợp đồng thuê dài hạn cố định vào trước khi chuyển quyền sở hữu tại bán nhà bị tịch thu, chủ sở hữu phải tôn trọng hợp đồng cho thuê, trừ khi chủ sở hữu có thể chứng minh rằng trường hợp ngoại lệ nhằm ngăn chặn các hợp đồng cho thuê gian lận áp dụng. (AB 2610)

6. Công cụ để truy tố gian lận thế chấp: Quy chế Cơ hạn chế để truy tố các tội phạm liên quan đến tài sản thế chấp được kéo dài 1-3 năm, cho phép Văn phòng Bộ Trưởng Tư Pháp để điều tra và truy tố tội phạm gian lận vay thế chấp phức tạp. Ngoài ra, Văn phòng Bộ Trưởng Tư Pháp có thể sử dụng bồi thẩm đoàn toàn tiểu bang lớn để điều tra và truy tố các thủ phạm của tội phạm tài chính liên quan đến nạn nhân nhiều tại các quận. (AB 1950, SB 1474)

7. Công cụ để kiềm chế tàn rụi: Chính quyền địa phương và người nhận có công cụ bổ sung để chống lại tàn rụi gây ra bởi nhiều nhà bỏ trống trong các khu phố của họ, từ có thêm thời gian để cho phép chủ nhà để khắc phục vi phạm luật một phương tiện để buộc các chủ sở hữu của tài sản bị tịch thu để trả cho bảo trì. (AB 2314)

La Declaración de Derechos de los Propietarios de Vivienda en California

Posted on January 14, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

La Declaración de Derechos de los Propietarios de Vivienda en California se convirtió en ley el 1ro de Enero de 2013 para asegurar prácticas de préstamos justas para los propietarios en California.

Las leyes han sido diseñadas para garantizar un proceso de embargo de hipoteca justo y transparente para los propietarios. Las provisiones más importantes incluyen:

1. Restricción del seguimiento doble en el proceso de embargo: Las agencias que dan servicios hipotecarios están restringidas de continuar con el proceso de embargo si el propietario está trabajando un proceso de modificación del préstamo. Cuando un propietario completa la aplicación para una modificación, el proceso de embargo es pausado hasta que la aplicación haya sido completamente revisada.

2. Garantiza un punto de contacto único: Los propietarios se les garantiza un punto de contacto único mientras navegan el sistema y tratan de mantener su vivienda. –una persona o un equipo en el banco que conocen la verdad de su caso, tiene los documentos y pueden obtener una decisión sobre su solicitud de modificación de préstamo.

3. Verificación de Documentos: Los prestamistas que registren múltiples documentos no verificados serán sujetos a una penalidad civil de hasta $7,500 por préstamo en un recurso iniciado por un fiscal civil. Los prestamistas que estén en violación serán sujetos también a una sanción por parte de los organismos de otorgamiento de licencias incluyendo el Departamento de Corporaciones, el Departamento de Bienes Raíces y el Departamento de Instituciones Financieras.

4. Cumplimiento: Los prestatarios tendrán la autoridad de acceder a una compensación por violaciones “materiales” en las nuevas protecciones del proceso de embargo. Las reparaciones por mandato judicial estarán disponibles antes de una venta de embargo y la recuperación de daños estará disponible después de la venta. (AB 278, SB 900)

5. Derechos de los inquilinos: Los compradores de casas embargadas están obligados a otorgar a los inquilinos un mínimo de 90 días antes de iniciar el proceso de desalojo. Si el inquilino tiene un contrato de arrendamiento por un tiempo fijo con fecha de inicio anterior a la transferencia del título de propiedad, el nuevo dueño deberá honrar el contrato de arrendamiento a menos que pueda demostrar que se aplican las excepciones con el fin de prevenir fraude. (AB 2610)

6. Herramientas para combatir legalmente el fraude hipotecario: El límite legal para procesar legalmente los crímenes relacionados a las hipotecas ha sido extendido de uno a tres años permitiendo a la oficina del Fiscal General investigar y procesar crímenes de fraude hipotecario mas complejos. Adicionalmente, la oficina del Fiscal General puede utilizar un gran jurado estatal para investigar y procesar a autores de crímenes financieros que involucren víctimas en múltiples condados. (AB 1950, SB 1474)

7. Herramientas para evitar la plaga: Los gobiernos locales y las entidades encargadas por mandato judicial tienen herramientas adicionales para combatir la plaga causada por múltiples casas no habitadas en los vecindarios, desde mayor tiempo para que los propietarios arreglen las violaciones al código, hasta medidas que obligan a los dueños de propiedades embargadas a pagar por el mantenimiento. (AB 2314)

Posted on January 11, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

Californians who received payday loans from Check ‘n Go are now eligible for refunds ranging from $20 to $4675. More here: http://www.caloanrefund.org/

Nuevos Detalles de la Revisión Independiente de los Embargos Hipotecarios: Que Bancos están incluidos y que bancos no están.

Posted on January 10, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

Mas detalles salen a la luz acerca del remplazo de la Revisión Independiente de los Embargos Hipotecarios y seguiremos actualizando a manera que la Reserva Federal y la Oficina del Control de la Moneda anuncien mas información. Estimamos que serán varias semanas antes de que se sepan los detalles del programa actual y ha habido sugerencias de que los pagos a los propietarios no empezaran por lo menos hasta Marzo 2013. Los propietarios deben continuar revisando loa pagina web de la Revisión Independiente de los Embargos Hipotecarios Independent Foreclosure Review website y sospechamos que mayor información será publicada para finales de Enero de 2013.

1. ¿A cuanto asciende el nuevo acuerdo? $3.3 billones serán distribuidos en pagos directos a los prestatarios elegibles, mientras que $5.2. billones adicionales serán otorgados en compensación a través de modificaciones de préstamos y perdón de juicios de deficiencia.

2. ¿Como se determinará la compensación? El Huffington Post (Foreclosure Review In New Settlement Leaves Homeowners In Banks’ Hands January 7, 2013 ha reportado que los bancos y las agencias que prestan servicios hipotecarios revisarán los casos de los 4.4 millones de propietarios cuyas viviendas fueron embargadas entre los años 2009-2010 y

harán una clasificación general de 11 categorías dependiendo del nivel de fraude durante el proceso de embargo. Prestatarios con préstamos embargados que están en la categoría de prioridad mas alta, como embargos ilegales hechos a miembros de las tropas de los Estados Unidos mientras en combate fuera del país, calificarán para pagos de hasta $125,000. Aquellos en el grupo de menor categoría, tales como préstamos con errores administrativos calificarán para al menos $250.

3. ¿Qué bancos están incluidos? De acuerdo al comunicado de prensa de la Reserva Federal e Federal Reserve press release, los participantes en este nuevo acuerdo “cumplirán con los requisitos de las acciones de implementación que manda que las agencias que prestan servicios hipotecarios retengan consultores que conduzcan una revisión independiente del proceso de embargo” ( en otras palabras, esto remplaza la Revisión Independiente del Embargo Hipotecario para estos bancos y agencias de servicio hipotecario)

Aurora Loan Servicing
Bank of America
Citibank
HSBC (added on Jan. 18th)
JPMorgan Chase
MetLife Bank
PNC
Sovereign
SunTrust,
U.S. Bank
Wells Fargo

4. ¿Qué bancos no están incluidos? De acuerdo al artículo publicado por el Huffington Post citado anteriormente, los siguientes bancos no están incluidos en el nuevo acuerdo y las revisiones continuarán para los propietarios cuyos préstamos fueron manejados por estas compañías:

Ally Financial,
EverBank,
OneWest Bank (formerly IndyMac bank)

El comunicado de prensa emitido por la Reserva Federal menciona “Las agencias continuarán trabajando para alcanzar acuerdos similares en principio con las otras agencias de servicio hipotecario que no son parte de este acuerdo anunciado el día de hoy, pero son también sujetos a acciones de ejecución por prácticas de servicio de hipotecas y proceso de embargos deficientes”

5. ¿Qué sucederá con los clientes de Litton y Saxon? 16 de enero 2013 Update: Litton y sajones han acordado llevar a cabo un proceso similar al de los 10 bancos / administradores mencionados al principio de este post, se puede ver una nota de prensa sobre sus asentamientos aquí: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reached agreements in principle with the Federal Reserve Board to pay $557 million in cash payments and other assistance to help mortgage borrowers.

New Details on Independent Foreclosure Review: What Banks Are Included, What banks are not

Posted on January 8, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

More details are emerging about the replacement of the Independent Foreclosure Review, and we will continue to update as more information is released from the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller Currency. We suspect that it will be several weeks before actual program details emerge, and there have been suggestions that payments to homeowners would not start until March 2013 at the earliest. Homeowners should keep their eye on the Independent Foreclosure Review website and we suspect that more information will be posted by the end of January 2013.

1. How much is the new settlement? $3.3 billion will be distributed in direct payments to eligible borrowers, while an additional $5.2 billion in relief will be granted through loan modifications and forgiveness of deficiency judgments.

2. How will compensation be determined? Huffington Post (Foreclosure Review In New Settlement Leaves Homeowners In Banks’ Hands January 7, 2013) reports that banks and servicers will now look at the 4.4 million homeowners who were foreclosed on from 2009-2010 and:

broadly classify them into 11 “buckets” corresponding to the level of fraud during the foreclosure process. Borrowers with foreclosed loans that fall into the highest-priority bucket, such as foreclosures illegally conducted on U.S. troops while they were fighting overseas, will qualify for a payout of as much as $125,000. Those in the lowest-level group, such as loans with a clerical error, will qualify for at least $250.

3. What banks are included? According to the Federal Reserve press release, participating in this new agreement “would meet the requirements of the enforcement actions that mandated that the servicers retain independent consultants to conduct an Independent Foreclosure Review.” (In other words, this is replacing the Independent Foreclosure Review for these banks and servicers)

Aurora Loan Servicing

Bank of America

Citibank

HSBC (added January 18th)

JPMorgan Chase

MetLife Bank

PNC

Sovereign

SunTrust,

U.S. Bank

Wells Fargo

4. What banks are not included? According to the HuffingtonPost article cited earlier, these banks are not included and reviews will continue for homeowners whose loans were serviced by these companies:

Ally Financial,

EverBank,

OneWest Bank (formerly IndyMac bank)

The Federal Reserve press release states: “The agencies continue to work to reach similar agreements in principle with other servicers that are not parties to the agreement announced today, but that are also subject to enforcement actions for deficient practices in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing.”

5. What about Litton and Saxon customers? Jan. 16th, 2013 Update: Litton and Saxon have both agreed to conduct a process similar to the 10 banks/servicers mentioned earlier in this post, you can see a press release about their settlements here: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reached agreements in principle with the Federal Reserve Board to pay $557 million in cash payments and other assistance to help mortgage borrowers.

Independent Foreclosure Review Program is Replaced With New Settlement

Posted on January 7, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

By Sean Coffey, MPA, Program Manager of ForeclosureHelpSCC

It is now official, the Independent Foreclosure Review program is being replaced with a program that will provide direct cash payments to homeowners that were foreclosed on inappropriately between 2009-2010.

According to a Federal Reserve press release: “A payment agent will be appointed to administer payments to borrowers on behalf of the servicers. Eligible borrowers are expected to be contacted by the payment agent by the end of March with payment details. Borrowers will not be required to execute a waiver of any legal claims they may have against their servicer as a condition for receiving payment. In addition, the servicers’ internal complaint process will remain available to borrowers. “

Is this a success? It’s difficult to say. The administration of the Independent Foreclosure Review, and the outreach to eligible borrowers was roundly criticized, so this may be a better way to actually get the money to people who dealt with robo-signing issues. For example, our program was still receiving phone calls from people after the December 31 deadline, asking how they could apply for the Independent Foreclosure Review.

Comments on our petition also highlighted the weaknesses in the outreach of the program, with one homeowner explaining that the letter she received looked like a scam letter, so she had tossed it aside until she saw a news program about the Independent Foreclosure Review the night before the deadline.

On the other hand, there is also a question about the actual amount of compensation that homeowners will receive. Gretchen Morgenson at the New York Times (“Surprise, Surprise, the Banks Win” January 5, 2013) suggests that depending on the number of people who receive the compensation, this may not be as beneficial to individual homeowners as the money they could have received from the Independent Foreclosure Review:

Some back-of-the-envelope arithmetic on this deal is your first clue that it is another gift to the banks. It’s not clear which borrowers will receive what money, but divvying up $3.75 billion among millions of people doesn’t amount to much per person. If, say, half of the 4.4 million borrowers were subject to foreclosure abuses, they would each receive less than $2,000, on average. If 10 percent of the 4.4 million were harmed, each would get roughly $8,500.

This is a far cry from the possible penalties outlined last year by the federal regulators requiring these reviews. For instance, regulators said that if a bank had foreclosed while a borrower was making payments under a loan modification, it might have to pay $15,000 and rescind the foreclosure. And if it couldn’t be rescinded because the house had been sold, the bank could have had to pay the borrower $125,000 and any accrued equity.

As a reminder, a study released in November 2012, found that 800,000 more homeowners should have qualified for the HAMP program, except that a few large banks and servicers were not modifying mortgages at the same rate as their more efficient peers.

ForeclosureHelp will continue to post information on our blog as we receive updates, but as of right now, it looks like March 2013 will be one of the big dates with this new settlement, when a payment agent will be appointed.

We are also hopeful that information for homeowners who had their loans serviced by Litton Loan Servicing and Saxon Mortgage will soon be posted to the Independent Foreclosure Review website.

If you are a homeowner living in San Jose or Sunnyvale and are struggling with your mortgage, please contact ForeclosureHelpSCC, a program funded by the City of San Joseand the City of Sunnyvale at (408)-293-6000 or visit our website: www.foreclosurehelpscc.org. Our HUD-approved counselors can help you evaluate your options, learn more about federal and state programs that may help you with your mortgage issues, and will help you create a plan forward.

Check ‘N’ Go is paying millions for allegedly illegal fees

Posted on January 4, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

All CA residents are eligible and borrowers could receive between $20 and $4,600!

Coalition Against Payday Predators

Go to full-size image According to KQED, “Payday lender Check ‘N’ Go is paying millions of dollars to borrowers in the Bay Area and throughout California. San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera announced Check ‘n’ Go has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of charging excessive interest and fees. Herrera says all California residents who applied for Check ‘n Go online loans between November 2006 and June 2008 can file a claim for refunds.”

http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2012/12/28/113511/check_n_go_to_pay_customers_4_million_for_excessive_fees?category=economy

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Five Important Policy Updates For California Homeowners and Tenants in 2013 Related to Foreclosures, Short Sales, and the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights

Posted on January 3, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

By Sean Coffey, MPA, Program Manager of ForeclosureHelpSCC

1) Independent Foreclosure Review: The New York Times broke the news on December 31 that the Independent Foreclosure Review may be replaced. The article explains that regulators and banking officials have been meeting in hopes of designing a less cumbersome, less expensive way of compensating homeowners who were improperly foreclosed on by their banks or servicers. During the few weeks leading up to the December 31^st deadline for the Independent Foreclosure Review, we received an increase in phone calls and google searches which went to our blog pages explaining how to apply for the Independent Foreclosure Review.

However, we were also very concerned about the many shortcomings of the review (read our compilation of media reports at a previous blog posting: “7 Reasons to Postpone the Independent Foreclosure Review”), and so we created a petition on Change.org asking regulators to postpone the deadline until after they had released the results of at least 215,000 cases. The regulators in charge of the program have not yet released any information about their plans, and we suggest that homeowners and former homeowners continue watching the news, checking our blog, and checking the website for the Independent Foreclosure Review for any updates.

2) Mortgage Debt Forgiveness: Housing Wire reports that the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act was extended for another year. This is an important policy win for homeowners who are struggling with their mortgages because without this extension, debt forgiveness from a modification, short sale, or foreclosure would have been taxed in 2013. For more information, visit our previous blog: Foreclosures in San Jose and Sunnyvale: Three Reasons Time is Not on Your Side

3) Unemployment benefits were also extended as part of the Fiscal Cliff negotiations. Homeowners in California who are struggling to pay their mortgage should consider applying for the Keep Your Home California Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program. More information at our previous blog here: “Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program, Part of Keep Your Home California: How Does It Work?”

4) The California Foreclosure Refund deadline is fast approaching- it’s January 18, 2013. As part of the Attorney General Settlement, there is a foreclosure refund for homeowners who were improperly foreclosed on by one of the large five banks (Ally/GMAC (800-766-4622), Bank of America/Countrywide (877-488-7814), Citibank (866-272-4749), JPMorgan Chase (866-372-6901) and Wells Fargo/Wachovia (800-288-3212). For more information, see our previous blog: “California Foreclosure Refund Program, Part of the Attorney General Settlement”

5) Homeowner’s Bill of Rights: This set of laws went into effect on January 1, 2013, and are designed to address the many loan servicing abuses that homeowners have experienced since the foreclosure crisis began. These include “dual-tracking” (processing a foreclosure while a modification request is also being considered), having to speak with multiple people at their bank or servicer (banks and servicers are now supposed to provide a single point of contact), and other provisions. In addition, when a person purchases a foreclosed home in California, if there are existing tenants, the new owner must give them a 90 day eviction notice. This is an additional 30 days more than the previous 60 day requirement. For more information, visit the Attorney General’s website: California Homeowner Bill of Rights.

I wrote my master’s thesis on similar legislation enacted in North Carolina, and one of the big “take-aways” from my research is that these types of laws are only effective to the extent that homeowners know about their rights under the law, and have the knowledge to complain to regulators when the law isn’t being followed or the ability to hire an attorney and sue their bank or servicer. So, ForeclosureHelp will be making strong efforts to educate homeowners about their rights under this new legislation.

California Homeowners should also know that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also proposing mortgage servicing regulations, nicknamed the “no run-around” rules. Homeowners can also file a RESPA request if they are seeking information from their bank or servicer, or if there is a dispute about payments being credited, etc. For more information, see our previous post: “New Mortgage Servicing Rules Proposed- What Does it Mean for You? Part 2 of 2”

Posted on January 2, 2013 by CustomerBullHorn

Great summary by the California Department of Housing and Community Development

HCD Blog

The California Homeowner Bill of Rights takes effect on January 1, 2013 to ensure fair lending and borrowing practices for California homeowners. The legislation was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in 2012.

The laws are designed to guarantee basic fairness and transparency for homeowners in the foreclosure process. Key provisions include:

Restriction on dual track foreclosure: Mortgage servicers are restricted from advancing the foreclosure process if the homeowner is working on securing a loan modification. When a homeowner completes an application for a loan modification, the foreclosure process is essentially paused until the complete application has been fully reviewed.

Guaranteed single point of contact: Homeowners are guaranteed a single point of contact as they navigate the system and try to keep their homes – a person or team at the bank who knows the facts of their case, has their paperwork and can get them a decision…

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