Under enforcement actions taken by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve, and Office of Thrift Supervision, more than a dozen large mortgage servicers are required to correct a number of problems with their servicing, loss mitigation and foreclosure processes. These servicers are also required to engage independent firms to conduct reviews of foreclosure activities that took place during 2009 and 2010.
Borrowers are eligible to submit a Request for Review to the independent consultants IF:
- their loan was serviced by one of the 14 servicers or their affiliates (see list below),
- the property is, or was, their primary residence, and
- their loan was “active in the foreclosure process” between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2010.
Active in the process can mean:
- Sheriff’s sale occurred on the property
- Loan was referred to foreclosure but the sale did not take place due to a payment plan, modification, or non-retention option; and
- Loans were referred to foreclosure but are still in delinquency.
BE CAREFUL!!
National media outreach will begin soon, and millions of homeowners will be notified by mail about the review process and will receive instructions for submitting a five-page Request for Review Form. As with any major announcement of this kind, we anticipate a number of copycat services and scams to pop up.
The independent reviews are free of charge and homeowners should never have to pay for foreclosure intervention services.
If anyone asks you to pay for their help with a review... or sends you to a website other than the national website that has been set up by the OCC, be careful... it might be a scam!
The national website is: http://www.independentforeclosurereview.com/
Additional Information:
Requests for Review must be received by April 30, 2012. The independent consultants will confirm receipt of the form within one week, though the full reviews are expected to take several months to complete. The consultants will evaluate whether the homeowner suffered financial injury through servicer errors, misrepresentations or deficiencies in their foreclosure practices. In cases where findings indicate a homeowner suffered financial injury as a result of servicer practices, compensation or other remedies will be provided. The exact form of remediation is uncertain.
A copy of the OCC news release is here.
Participating Lenders and Servicers (As of 11/2/2011)
America’s Servicing Co.
Aurora Loan Services
Bank of America
Beneficial
Chase
Citibank
CitiFinancial
CitiMortgage
Countrywide
EMC
EverBank/EverHome Mortgage Company
GMAC Mortgage
HFC
HSBC
IndyMac Mortgage Services
MetLife Bank
National City Mortgage
PNC Mortgage
Sovereign Bank
SunTrust Mortgage
U.S. Bank
Wachovia Mortgage
Washington Mutual (WaMu)
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
As always... if you have any questions about this Independent Foreclosure Review or are looking for ways to prevent the foreclosure of your home, contact a FREE, Non-Profit foreclosure prevention counselor that is a member of the Homeownership Advisors Network! To find your local counselor, click here.
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