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At the Minnesota Homeownership Center, we understand the importance of home. We love helping people get into homeownership – and stay there –especially when we can help turn first-time homebuyers into long-term successful homeowners. That’s why we’re so excited about an upcoming event we’re planning with the City of Minneapolis and a number of non-profit homeownership educators, housing developers, and lenders.
The Minneapolis Homeownership and Banking Fair will be held on Saturday, April 27th from 9am to 2pm (Open House) in Studio 185 of International Market Square. This event will share information about programs available in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Twin Cities metro area. We hope you’ll join us!
This fair is designed to be a one-stop shop for homebuyers and homeowners – you can learn about available down payment programs, meet with lenders, and explore whether homeownership is right for you. Stop by on your way to the Minneapolis and St. Paul Home Tour, and you’ll be able to search for your dream home (or dream kitchen remodel) with newfound confidence that you’re making informed decisions!
More than 20 organizations will be at the event including: Bank of America, Build Wealth Minnesota, BMO Harris Bank, City of Lakes Community Land Trust, Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation, Hmong American Partnership, Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS, Minnesota Housing, Neighborhood Housing Service of Minneapolis, Neighborhood Development Alliance, PRG, Inc., TCF Bank, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, US Bank, Wells Fargo. Best of all, this event is free and open to everyone.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to get your banking, lending, homeownership questions answered. We’ll bring the coffee. See you there!
Give us a call to learn more (651) 659-9336 Ext. 108 or laura@hocmn.org. You can also check out our event page.
Consumers are warned to be careful!
At the end of March, Rust Consulting, the private contractor hired by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board to oversee applications and payments for the Independent Foreclosure Review began mailing postcards to 4.2 million homeowners. These postcards officially notify these consumers that they will be receiving IFR settlement payments. The payments themselves will be mailed in the next four to eight weeks.
For more information about IFR, view some of our previous blog posts, here and here.
DON’T BECOME A VICTIM OF A SCAM.
Scam artists are ALWAYS looking to prey on consumers. If you receive a postcard, make sure that the information is coming from Rust Consulting, that the phone number on the card is 1-888-952-9105, and that the website to visit is one of the following:
- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC: http://www.occ.gov/independentforeclosurereview),
- The Federal Reserve Board (http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/independent-foreclosure-review-payment-agreement.htm), or
- The Independent Foreclosure Review (http://independentforeclosurereview.com/).
Any other solicitation may be a scam!
DO NOT PAY TO GET HELP:
- No one has to pay a fee to receive payment through the IFR.
- No one can ‘help you get more money’ as the amount of the payment has been decided by federal regulators. The amount cannot be negotiated.
- The opportunity to request an independent foreclosure review is OVER. If you were not on the regulators and the servicers lists – the deadline to apply was December 31, 2012 – paying someone will NOT get you added to the list.
For additional information, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on the independent foreclosure review website, here.
NOTE:
The most recent postcards ONLY cover settlements with 27 major servicers. (Click here for a complete list). There are still 3 major servicers that have not settled:
- Ally (GMAC Mortgage),
- Everbank, and
- OneWest Bank (IndyMac).
If you have questions regarding the Independent Foreclosure Review or any mailing you receive about IFR, please contact a Homeownership Advisor in your area.
If you, or someone you know is struggling with mortgage payments... visit www.hocmn.org or call the Minnesota Homeownership Center at 866-462-6466 today! Waiting limits your options!
