About 25 Percent of HAMP Homeowners in Default Again

Data from the Treasury Department indicate that more than 25 percent of homeowners who have received assistance from the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) are behind on their new mortgage payments. DSnews.com picked up the statistic from Assistant Treasury Secretary Herbert Allison’s testimony before a congressional oversight panel, in which he stated that just “73 percent of borrowers are current in their trial plan payments.”

NeighborWorks America believes that one way to reduce the default rate is for homeowners to receive the lowest sustainable mortgage payment possible when they rework their mortgages. Foreclosure counseling also greatly increases the chances that homeowners will be successful in their efforts to keep their homes.

In a report released in November, NeighborWorks America found that homeowners who received loan modifications through the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program lowered their mortgage payments significantly more than homeowners who received loan modifications without NFMC Program counseling.

NFMC Program clients, with the help of their counselors, secured loan modifications that lowered their monthly mortgage payments $454 more than the clients who received modifications without foreclosure counseling, which results in an average annual savings of $5,448. The same report found that NFMC clients are 60 percent more likely to avoid foreclosure than homeowners who don’t seek counseling.

Read “Quarter of HAMP Mods in Default Again” at DSnews.com

Learn more about the NFMC report in the NeighborWorks newsroom.

Two Newly Chartered NeighborWorks Organizations Celebrate their Affiliation in the Northeast District

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) in New York City and St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society in Camden, New Jersey, each recently held events to mark their affiliation with NeighborWorks America. Both highly accomplished organizations, they represent the first new affiliations in the Northeast district since 2002 and significantly expand NeighborWorks’ reach into underserved communities.

NeighborWorks America COO Eileen Fitzgerald noted that “St. Joseph’s represents the kind of excellence in community stabilization, revitalization and development that characterized the NeighborWorks network across the country.”

“St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society has helped thousands of New Jersey residents purchase and maintain their homes and they will be a tremendous asset to the NeighborWorks America network in our state,” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. “Their proven track record of educating potential home buyers will complement NeighborWorks’ efforts in improving the quality of life of working families. I congratulate St. Joseph’s for their revitalization projects which have improved the lives of so many children and families, andhope this partnership will serve to expand their efforts in promoting safety, financial stability and homeownership opportunities in Camden neighborhoods.”

Joined by District Director Deborah Boatright and several other prominent local elected officials, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez offered her congratulations to AAFE. “By joining forces with NeighborWorks, AAFE will have additional funding and support for their efforts to create equal opportunities for all New Yorkers. I am committed to working with AAFE to address the shortage of affordable housing, increase financial literacy and improve lending practices. With unemployment rising above 10 percent and families struggling to make ends meet, this help is needed in New York City now more than ever.”

Read more in the NeighborWorks Newsroom.

NeighborWorks Joins Senator Reid and Other Officials at Nevada Event to Stop Foreclosure Fraud

The state of Nevada has the highest foreclosure rate in the country, making it a prime breeding ground for foreclosure rescue scammers out to take advantage of struggling homeowners. Last week Senator Harry Reid of Nevada joined state and federal officials to launch a Stop Foreclosure Fraud campaign, and NeighborWorks America was invited to speak.

“Each day, families are losing their homes or equity and their fair share of the American Dream,” Senator Harry Reid said at the event, which was reported in the Las Vegas Sun . “As foreclosures rise, so do instances of fraud.”

“It’s quite regrettable that such a campaign is necessary,” said Marietta Rodriguez, NeighborWorks America’s deputy director of National Homeownership Programs and Lending.

NeighborWorks America launched a similar national campaign in October and is currently traveling the country educating homeowners about loan modification scams. This Nevada effort is a separate campaign focused solely on the state’s foreclosure problem.

Read more.

Rev. Floyd Flake Keynotes “Faith In Action” Conference to Discuss Stabilizing MA Communities

Former Congressman, the Reverend and Doctor Floyd H. Flake, Sr. Pastor of the 20,000 member Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, NY spoke to nearly 170 attendees from 73 faith-based organizations and agencies at the first “Faith in Action Conference: The Role of Faith Based Organizations in Stabilizing Massachusetts Communities.”

Reverend Flake described the shift in his church’s organizational structure during the 80’s and 90’s to embrace a paradigm shift toward church-centered, faith-based action that led to quality education and market oriented community and economic development for his community. He urged pastors and church members to think beyond their church structures and envision a more entrepreneurial role in sustaining, stabilizing and transforming communities.

“The synergy between NeighborWorks America and the faith-based participants was just bubbling with enthusiasm during the entire event," said LaRayne Hebert, director of NeighborWorks America's New England district. "This is just the beginning of new collaborations that reach more deeply into communities to create and preserve affordable housing.”

During closing minutes of the conference, organizers agreed that faith based organizations can play an important role in transforming communities so long as they continue to be strategic, collaborative and innovative.

NeighborWorks Applauds CFED's 30th Anniversary Celebration and Push to Create Economic Opportunities Through Innovation

CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development), a long-time partner of NeighborWorks America, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with an Innovation Summit and Gala celebration in Washington, DC. CFED has led the growth in individual development accounts for low-income American families to save, build assets, and enter the financial mainstream. At least a dozen local NeighborWorks organizations offer IDA programs.

CFED's Innovation Summit featured more than 20 innovations to help expand economic opportunity for millions of Americans. Among them was Manufactured Housing Done Right!, a new social enterprise developed by NeighborWorks member Frontier Housing in Kentucky.

Eileen Fitzgerald, chief operating officer, Marietta Rodriguez, deputy director for homeownership and lending, and David Dangler, director NeighborWorks Rural Initiative, were among the summit participants from NeighborWorks America.

Read more about it in the NeighborWorks newsroom.