The following letter was sent to newspapers in Alabama, asking them to help people in critical need of mortgage foreclosure assistance find the services that will help them keep their home.
Dear Editor:
Today’s lagging economy was brought on by a convergence of many events. Chief among them is the mortgage meltdown. Thousands of Alabamians have either lost their homes or are desperately hanging on, trying to make mortgage payments they simply can’t afford. Media reports indicate some about-to-be-foreclosed homeowners are even selling their homes on eBay!
Alabama has experienced nearly 10,000 mortgage foreclosure filings this year. To put this in perspective; 1 in every 84 homes has received a foreclosure filing. Alabama lawyers are greatly concerned about this crisis. We have created a program that provides free legal assistance for homeowners who are in the vise grip of foreclosure.
The Alabama State Bar’s Mortgage Foreclosure Assistance Program provides free help from a lawyer through Legal Services of Alabama, and is sponsored by a grant from the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation and the Alabama Access to Justice Commission. We have already helped 3,000 homeowners dealing with foreclosure.
The goal is to help people keep their homes by working with lenders to find alternatives to foreclosure. Free assistance is available at a number of levels. Some services are open to anyone, and others are designed to help low-income homeowners. The key to a successful outcome is early intervention.
Homeowners having trouble making their mortgage payments who believe foreclosure is imminent must act immediately. Those in need may call the toll-free Mortgage Foreclosure hotline at 1-877-393-2333. It is helpful if homeowners have the following information handy when they call: all loan documents, payment records including cancelled checks or bank statements, and all correspondence with the loan institution.
Alabama lawyers render service.
Thomas J. Methvin
President, Alabama State Bar
Beasley Allen Law Firm, Montgomery
