National Mortgage Servicer Settlement Progress Report
We previously wrote about the 25 billion dollar National Mortgage Servicer Settlement and how it, supposedly, helps distressed NY homeowners.
The affected servicers are:
- Bank of America: 877-488-7814
- Citibank: 866-272-4749
- Chase: 866-372-6901
- GMAC/ALLY: 800-766-4622
- Wells Fargo: 1-800-288-3212
The above servicers have agreed to provide at least $25 billion in relief to distressed homeowners, the 49 participating states, and the federal government.
Well, have they?
Joseph A. Smith, Jr., the Monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement, recently released a “Progress Report” that outlines progress made by the five banks that are parties to the settlement. The Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight stated the following in a recent Press Release:
“The report discloses that the banks have granted $10.56 billion in consumer relief to borrowers between March 1 and June 30, 2012. Additionally, first lien principal reduction trials were offered and begun for about 28,000 homeowners, totaling approximately $3 billion of potential relief,” said Smith. “This information is self-reported and has not been confirmed by the professional firms working with me. Further, it represents gross dollar amounts and cannot be used to evaluate progress toward the banks’ $20 billion obligation.”
In addition, the report provides an update on the banks’ implementation of the settlement’s servicing standards.
“As of July 5, the servicers reported to me that 56 servicing standards have been incorporated into their business processes,” continued Smith. “Implementation of the mortgage servicing standards outlined in the settlement can be an important contribution to reform of the mortgage finance system.
Our take: We find some of the language used and statements made in the press release somewhat vague and troublesome. Moreover, we have not seen much relief, under the Mortgage Servicer Settlement, for our clients facing foreclosure. However, it is our understanding that all the the new servicing standards must be implemented by October 3, 2012. Hopefully, we will see more help for distressed homeowners soon thereafter.
See the Press release here.
See the Progress Report here.
If you have any questions about this or other legal issues, call the Law Firm of Vaughn, Weber & Prakope, PLLC today, at 516-858-2620, for a free consultation!
Mortgage Servicing Settlement
The following Excerpts are from a recent Press Release by NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman regarding mortgage servicing settlement:
A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN SECURES $136 MILLION FOR STRUGGLING NEW YORK HOMEOWNERS IN MORTGAGE SERVICING SETTLEMENT
After Schneiderman’s Persistence, Narrow Settlement Preserves Sweeping Legal Claims For Housing Crisis Misconduct That Has Not Yet Been Investigated
New York To Receive More Per Underwater Borrower Than Any Other State, Plus Loan Modifications, Principal Reductions
Schneiderman: Civil & Criminal Investigations Will Continue As We Seek Accountability For Those Responsible For Crisis And Leverage Greater Relief For Homeowners
New York’s estimated share of the guaranteed cash payments in the settlement is $136 million, the fourth highest in the nation. New York will be able to distribute these funds to legal aid, homeowner assistance and advocacy organizations to help distressed individuals facing foreclosure or servicer abuse.
….
Because of the complexity of the mortgage market and this agreement, which will be performed over a three-year period, borrowers will not immediately know if they are eligible for relief. It will take between 30-60 days to appoint a settlement administrator, and banks will be conducting a vigorous search to identify eligible borrowers and this may take several months.
For loan modifications and refinance options, borrowers may be contacted directly by one of the five participating mortgage servicers.
For payments to foreclosure victims, a settlement administrator designated by the attorneys general will send claim forms to eligible persons (You may be eligible if you were foreclosed on between January 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2012)
Even if you are not contacted, if your loan is serviced by one of the five settling banks, you are encouraged to contact your servicer to see if you are eligible—keeping in mind that it will take anywhere from six to nine months to be contacted.
Bank of America: 877-488-7814
Citi: 866-272-4749
Chase: 866-372-6901
GMAC: 800-766-4622
Wells Fargo: 1-800-288-3212For more information on today’s agreement, visit:
www.ag.ny.gov
www.NationalMortgageSettlement.com
www.HUD.gov
www.DOJ.gov
Are foreclosures being halted in NY?
Foreclosure defense is a large part of our law practice. We are currently defending foreclosures brought by GMAC, Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo etc. For the most part, we have not seen much evidence of these lenders suspending current foreclosure actions. They are still opposing our motions, replying to our answers, and having counsel attend the Mandatory Foreclosure Settlement Conferences on their behalf.
However, we have had several recent loan modification offers, requests for adjournments, and at least one major lender is attempting to discontinue their foreclosure action against one our clients. We were able to achieve the foregoing results by raising and vigorously litigating the “faulty/fraudulent paperwork” that is a part of many foreclosure actions.
So, we know what the headlines say, but we have YET to receive any calls from any lenders or their attorneys saying “Hey, we are discontinuing all of our foreclosures in NY.” We look forward to that day, but until then, we will keep raising the issues and fighting for our clients.
As always, The Foreclosure Defense Law Firm of VAUGHN & WEBER, PLLC is here to assist you. We are conveniently located in the heart of Nassau County, Long Island, at 217 Willis Avenue in Mineola, NY 11501. Contact us at (516) 858-2620 to arrange a consultation with a foreclosure defense lawyer.
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
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