Foreclosure Rates Climbing on Long Island

Foreclosure Rates Climbing on Long IslandForeclosure rates have been climbing on Long Island for the past few months. The increase in foreclosure rates is related to lenders moving more vigorously to foreclose on homes after stopping for several months to review their practices to make sure they are in compliance with state and local laws. After employees from financial institutions admitted that they had signed foreclosure documents without reading them, New York state courts began requiring lenders and lawyers to scrutinize and check the paperwork they receive from their clients. State court judges have been aggressive in seeing to it that the lenders have all of the appropriate paperwork before they move forward with foreclosure proceedings.

As banks have corrected what many thought to be abuses of the foreclosure process, they have now become more confident that they are acting appropriately with regard to their foreclosure proceedings. This has allowed them to speed up the foreclosure processing of documents internally within their organizations.

During the first half of the year, investigations by local and state officials of bank abuse caused banks to take a second look at their foreclosure process. However, banks seem to have dealt with their problems and are now moving forward aggressively to foreclose on homes on Long Island.

The increased foreclosure activity has a negative effect on the housing market. The more homes that come on to the already over crowded housing market through foreclosure sales have an impact of reducing home values in the area of the foreclosed home.

Long Island and New York City Foreclosure Defense

The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo handles foreclosure defense for homeowners. We litigate all aspects of foreclosure proceedings including, but not limited to, defective foreclosure lawsuits,defective mortgages, predatory lending issues, bad faith, and other real estate legal issues. We attend foreclosure court conferencesfor the clients we represent. We also assist our clients in the preparation of mortgage modification applications, as well as deal with mortgage modification programs that are unresponsive to our clients’ needs.

In certain situations, foreclosure related bankruptcies can be utilized to stop foreclosures from moving forward. Upon filing either a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court issues an automatic stay that stops the foreclosure lawsuit from moving forward. It should be noted that bankruptcy proceedings are brought in the United States Bankruptcy Court, while foreclosure proceedings are brought in New York State Courts.

For our clients who file bankruptcy, we can sometimes eliminate second mortgages. We also can assist our clients in re-establishing their credit after filing bankruptcy. Should you have questions as to what type of bankruptcy would be appropriate for you or whether there is other alternatives related to foreclosure defense, feel free to contact us. At your initial free consultation, we will discuss all of your foreclosure options. We look forward to seeing you again on our foreclosure blog.

Improving Your Chances of Obtaining a Mortgage

For a period of time in America, mortgages were being given out by financial providers without the appropriate due diligence requirements being met. This caused a mortgage crisis in the United States that we are still dealing with. There are currently new rules in place regarding obtaining mortgages. The rules are strict and the requirements are more difficult to meet.

Credit Scores

It takes a much higher credit score today to obtain a mortgage than it did five years ago. Prior to obtaining a mortgage, it is important that you investigate your credit score. If your credit score is not high enough to obtain a mortgage, procedures can be undertaken to increase your credit score.

Paying Down Debt

If you have significant debt from credit cards, car loans or other types of debt, it can have a negative impact on your credit score. By paying down your debt you improve your income to debt ratio, which in turn will raise your credit score.

Don’t Make Large Purchases

If you’re planning on buying a home, do not apply for additional credit cards and do not make large purchases on your existing credit cards prior to buying your home. Lenders will look into these activities and it will have a negative impact on their underwriting process.

Put More Money Down As a Down Payment

Lenders today are looking for 20% down payment before giving mortgage loans to prospective homeowners. If you could put down more than the 20%, it will increase your chance of getting a mortgage loan.

The mortgage process will require that you produce tax records, pay stubs, bank statements, credit reports and other financial documents. Maintain all of these documents in an organized fashion. This will ease the burden of filling out the mortgage loan applications.

Beware of the Twenty Eight Percent Standard

Banks today are following guidelines that total housing expenses should not exceed 28% of your monthly gross income. If you exceed the standard it will be difficult for you to obtain a mortgage.

Foreclosure Defense

Foreclosure is a nasty term. Foreclosure notices are depressing. There’s a tendency when your financial troubles are out of control to try to avoid these problems. This is a wrong way of dealing with this problem. Come to us, we can help you! We litigate all aspects of foreclosure proceedings including, but not limited to, defective foreclosure lawsuits, defective mortgages, predatory lending issues, bad faith, and other real estate legal issues. We attend foreclosure court conferences for the clients we represent. We also assist our clients in the preparation of mortgage modification applications, as well as deal with mortgage modification programs that are unresponsive to our clients’ needs.

In certain situations, foreclosure related bankruptcies can be utilized to stop foreclosures from moving forward. Upon filing either a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court issues an automatic stay that stops the foreclosure lawsuit from moving forward. It should be noted that bankruptcy proceedings are brought in the United States Bankruptcy Court, while foreclosure proceedings are brought in New York State Courts.

For our clients who file bankruptcy, we can sometimes eliminate second mortgages. We also can assist our clients in re-establishing their credit after filing bankruptcy. Should you have questions as to what type of bankruptcy would be appropriate for you or whether there is other alternatives related to foreclosure defense, feel free to contact us. At your initial free consultation, we will discuss all of your foreclosure options. We look forward to seeing you again on our foreclosure blog.

Foreclosure Horror Story

Warren Nyerges and his wife Maureen purchased a home from Bank of America in St. Petersburg, Florida. They paid $165,000 for a twenty-seven-hundred square foot home.

Foreclosure Proceedings Initiated on Home

Several months after paying $165,000 for the home and having no mortgage on it, Warren and Maureen were sued in a foreclosure proceeding. They originally thought this was a joke. The house had no mortgage on it. This was the start of a saga lasting almost two years. A representative from Bank of America told Warren he was not current on his mortgage. This was ridiculous; he didn’t have a mortgage.

Homeowners Sue Bank of America

Warren and Maureen eventually sued Bank of America. After painstakingly researching this situation, Warren and Maureen found out that their names were taken from their real estate contract to buy the house and placed on a previously initiated foreclosure proceeding.

Florida Attorney General Investigation

The Attorney General’s office in Florida investigated this matter. They ascertained the attorney representing Bank of America had engaged in fraudulent practices. He had overcharged homeowners in legal fees. He also brought foreclosure proceedings without having the appropriate documents showing the banks were owed money on the homes. Eventually, Maureen and Warren were able to straighten out their problem with the help of a foreclosure defense attorney.

Foreclosure Help

Is your home in foreclosure? If so, we can help you save it! We are a foreclosure defense law firm. For more than 45 years, we have helped our clients in obtaining mortgage modifications and dealing with mortgage modification programs that fail to meet their needs. We represent our clients in foreclosure defense litigation. We litigate issues involvingdefective mortgage, predatory lending, defective foreclosure lawsuits and other types of real estate issues. We attend foreclosure court conferences on behalf of our clients.

At the time of our initial consultation, we provide all foreclosure options to our clients. In situations when foreclosure related bankruptcies make sense, we discuss either filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy immediately stops the foreclosure from moving forward. Sometimes the bankruptcy can also eliminate second mortgages. We discuss with our clients how to re-establish credit at the end of the bankruptcy. Feel free to call to discuss your foreclosure options. We appreciate your visiting us on our foreclosure blog.

Neighborhoods Affect Home Values

Home buyers will pay premiums for homes they perceive are located in country club communities. Subdivisions with attractive names such as pleasant, acres, hills, estates and heights are utilized by real estate professionals to motivate homeowners to purchase in these communities. The naming of a neighborhood is now a major consideration in the marketing of homes.

Investigate Before You Buy

Just because a subdivision or neighborhood has a fancy, slick name does not mean it is a fancy or attractive neighborhood. Before purchasing a home, you should look into the infrastructure of the area. Schools, parks, recreational facilities, senior facilities, crime in the area and services provided the local communities are significant issues to be investigated prior to purchasing a home. Due diligence requires that you investigate in detail before you purchase a home. Drive around the neighborhood. Talk to neighbors. Come to the area at various times of day or night. See how far the schools are from your home. Check with the various rating services as to the quality of the schools. Look into criminal statistics for crimes in the area. Look carefully before you leap when you buy a new home!

Defending Foreclosure Proceedings

The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo handles foreclosure defense for homeowners. We litigate all aspects of foreclosure proceedingsincluding, but not limited to, defective foreclosure lawsuits,defective mortgages, predatory lending issues, bad faith, and other real estate legal issues. We attend foreclosure court conferences for the clients we represent. We also assist our clients in the preparation of mortgage modification applications, as well as deal with mortgage modification programs that are unresponsive to our clients’ needs.

In certain situations, foreclosure related bankruptcies can be utilized to stop foreclosures from moving forward. Upon filing either a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court issues an automatic stay that stops the foreclosure lawsuit from moving forward. It should be noted that bankruptcy proceedings are brought in the United States Bankruptcy Court, while foreclosure proceedings are brought in New York State Courts.

For our clients who file bankruptcy, we can sometimes eliminate second mortgages. We also can assist our clients in re-establishing their credit after filing bankruptcy. Should you have questions as to what type of bankruptcy would be appropriate for you or whether there is other alternatives related to foreclosure defense, feel free to contact us. At your initial free consultation, we will discuss all of your foreclosure options. We look forward to seeing you again on our foreclosure blog.

Contact Us For a Free Consultation: We Can Save Your Home!

appraisalLow Appraisals

The real estate crisis in America has caused Financial Institutions to become very conservative with regard to approving mortgages for prospective homeowners. Bankers have put pressure on the appraisers they use to be very conservative in the valuation of homes. Restrictive loan underwriting requirements are causing many homes to be valued at 15 to 20% less than the actual market value. This has resulted in prospective home purchasers backing out of real estate deals due to a lower than anticipated appraisals.

Real Estate Appraisal Problems

During the days of the real estate boom, financial institutions accepted appraisers’ inflated home values so the prospective purchasers could obtain larger mortgages. Since the time the real estate bubble burst, new home purchasers have found that the appraisers working for financial institutions are now under valuing homes. In April of 2011, the medium national home price in the United States was $163,700. This was a 5% reduction from the median value of a single family home since April, 2010.

lawForeclosure Lawyers

Our law office can help you save your home. We fight foreclosure proceedings!!! We help our clients obtain mortgage modifications. We litigate defective mortgages, predatory lending, bad faith, defective foreclosure lawsuits and real estate issues. We are familiar with the State and Federal laws the banks must comply with in foreclosure proceedings. We attend court conferences for our clients and we try to motivate the financial institutions to enter into mortgage modification programs with our clients. Sometimes we advise our clients to file either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which immediately stops foreclosures from moving forward. We also can assist our clients in re-establishing their credit after filing for bankruptcy. Contact us for a free consultation. Thank you for visiting our foreclosure blog.

Banks Delaying Foreclosure Proceedings

Banks Delaying Foreclosure ProceedingsThe number of foreclosures in the Metropolitan New York area has been going down for approximately six months. This has been caused by massive delays in financial institutions processing foreclosure proceedings. Banks and other financial institutions have been hurt by the negative publicity concerning robo signers and improper and illegal foreclosure practices. They are now carefully reviewing each and every case before they send it out to their attorneys to initiate foreclosure proceedings. They are reviewing all of the mortgage related documents in each file to make sure that they have been handled in an appropriate manner before initiating a foreclosure litigation. There were 9% less foreclosures in April of 2011 than in March of 2011. In the United States, there were 219,258 foreclosures initiated during April of 2011. In addition, banks seized 70,000 homes in April. A representative of Reality Trac stated, “the slow down continues to be largely the result of massive delays in processing foreclosures, rather than the result of a housing recovery that is lifting people out of foreclosure.”

Foreclosure Proceedings Taking Longer

Each foreclosure proceeding in New York initiated during the first quarter of 2010 took more than 400 days from inception to completion. This is an increase of 60 days from the 340 days this process had taken in 2009. In 2007, it took approximately 150 days to move forward, from start to finish, with a foreclosure proceeding. As the number of foreclosure proceedings has dramatically increased in New York, the time for these proceedings to make their way through the courts has been increasing. It is estimated that new foreclosure proceedings could take as long as 2 ½ years to be concluded.

Home Prices Falling

Home prices are still falling through most of the country. In April of 2011, home prices fell below the March 2009 levels. This is the lowest point home prices have been in the past two years. Unfortunately, real estate experts do not feel the downward trend in home values will be ending in the near future.

Conclusion

The real estate market in the United States is in a sad state of affairs. Unless the real estate market comes back, the economy in the United States will continue to suffer.

fore1Foreclosure Help

The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo provides foreclosure defense for clients in the Metropolitan New York area. We attend foreclosure court conferences for our clients. We litigate defective mortgages, predatory lending and defective foreclosure lawsuits. We deal with all types of foreclosure and estate problems. We educate our clients concerning foreclosure related bankruptcy proceedings, including Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

We advise and assist our clients concerning mortgage modifications and how to deal with mortgage modification programs that fail to meet the needs of the public. We can provide you with a free initial interview and we will discuss all of your foreclosure options and how to stop foreclosures from moving forward. Thank you for visiting our foreclosure blog.

Foreclosure Crisis Continues

Foreclosure Crisis ContinuesForeclosure rates are going down. April of 2011 was the seventh month in a row that the number of homes that banks and other financial institutions initiated foreclosures against declined. There were 34% less foreclosure proceedings brought in April of 2011 than in April of 2010. Although this seems like good news, it is not! Rick Sharga of Reality Trek recently stated that, even with the decline in the foreclosure rates, there were still 225,000 foreclosures initiated during the month of April. There are more than 3.7 million families that are more than 90 days behind on their mortgage payments. In the past, almost all of these homes would have been put into foreclosure. However, the large majority of these homes are still not in foreclosure. Banks are under a microscope by regulatory agencies concerning their foreclosure procedures. They are now making sure that they “dot their i’s” and “cross their t’s” on all new foreclosure proceedings they initiate.

Saturated Real Estate Markets

The current level of foreclosures have saturated most of the real estate markets in the United States. The banks are slowing down their foreclosure procedures to avoid having a further negative impact on the homes that are already on the market waiting to be sold.

Mortgage Modification

Due to the concern by many large financial institutions about further flooding of the real estate market, they have liberalized some of their programs on mortgage modifications. In March of this year, more than 75,000 mortgage modifications were granted by financial institutions. This represented a 26% increase in the number of new mortgage modifications approved by banks since February of 2011.

Declining Home Prices

As home prices continue to decline, more and more homes become under water (worth less then the amount of their mortgages). This unfortunately creates an incentive for mortgage holders to default on their loans and walk away from their homes. It is estimated that approximately 30% of all single family homes in the United States are currently under water. If banks put more homes into foreclosure, the number of homes that are worth less than the amount of the mortgages on them will increase and continue to accelerate the downward spiral in home values. Some experts are predicting that home values will decrease in 2011 by 7% to 9%.

Conclusion: The Housing Crisis is Far From Over

It is estimated that the market for single family homes will not return to a normal housing market until 2014!

Foreclosure Defense

The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo is considered by many to be the premier foreclosure defense law firm in the Metropolitan New York area. We represent our clients concerning mortgage modifications and we deal with mortgage modification programs that fail. We litigate all aspects of foreclosure defense including, but not limited to, defective mortgages, defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending and other real estate related defenses. We attend foreclosure court conferences for our clients. At the time of the initial consultation, we provide our clients with all foreclosure options, which also includes discussion of filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies, which stop foreclosures upon the filing. Feel free to call for a free consultation. Thank you for visiting our foreclosure blog.

Military Divorces Being Investigated by the Justice Department

Justice DepartmentThe Service Members Civil Relief Act prevents financial institutions from bringing foreclosure proceedings against individuals in the United States Armed Forces. The Justice Department is currently investigating allegations that a division of Morgan Stanley that handles mortgages improperly foreclosed on more than twenty-four military families between 2006 and 2008, in violation of the Service Members Civil Relief Act.

Service Members Civil Relief Act

Pursuant to the Service Members Civil Relief Act, a court must be convened and a Judge must hold a hearing before a foreclosure can be initiated. At the hearing, the member of the Armed Services can be represented by an attorney. The lender must obtain a court order to move forward with foreclosure proceedings.

Sargeant James B. Hurley

Sargeant Hurly was stationed in Iraq. In December of 2005, he returned to his home in Hartford, Michigan. What he found shocked him. His home had been foreclosed and sold to someone else. He brought a lawsuit against Sackson Mortgage Service, which is a sub-division of Morgan Stanley. He claimed that his home had been foreclosed and sold at auction in violation of the Civil Relief Act. Sackson eventually settled the case with him by paying him monetary damages in an undisclosed amount. There are currently approximately twenty-two other cases pending against Sackson. It is claimed in each of those cases that they improperly foreclosed on homes of individuals in active duty in the military service of the United States.

service1Foreclosure Help

Our law office helps individual whose homes are being foreclosed. We litigate foreclosure proceedings involving defective mortgages, defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending and other real estate related issues. We attend foreclosure court conferences on behalf of our clients. We also represent clients in the preparation of mortgage modifications and we deal with mortgage modification programs that fail to meet our clients needs. We litigation foreclosure bankruptcy issues. We file either Chapter 7 bankruptcies or Chapter 13 bankruptcies on behalf of our clients when we feel this is an effective strategy to deal with their financial situation. We provide our clients with a thorough education as to what their foreclosure options are. Feel free to call us at your earliest convenience for a consultation. Thank you for reading our foreclosure blog.

Foreclosed Homes Zap the Strength Out of Our Economy

Banks and other financial institutions are in the loan business. They make loans based on the understanding that they will be repaid both the principal and interest. This is how they make a profit.

Foreclosures

Banks usually wait until a mortgage borrower is more than three months behind before initiating foreclosure proceedings. It is generally more profitable for a bank to resolve non-payment issue without resorting to foreclosure on the home. Lenders are in the money business, not the real estate business. They want to make loans and receive interest and principal payments on those loans. They don’t want to own real estate. When a bank takes possession of a home in foreclosure, their money is tied up in the foreclosed home.

Neglected Homes

Some of the homes taken back by financial institutions need major repairs and upgrades. Some of these homes have been empty for a considerable period of time and have been vandalized or neglected by the prior owners. Banks do not want to get involved in the repairing of homes they’ve taken ownership of in foreclosures.

Foreclosures in Depressed Market Prices

The recent increase is in the amount of foreclosure proceedings brought by financial institutions have further depressed the price of homes.

Price Reductions In Foreclosures

In neighborhoods with high foreclosure rates, the prices of all the homes in these neighborhoods are negatively affected. The sale of homes at bargain prices has a negative effect on the construction industry. Jobs are lost in the process. Suppliers of wood, steel and aluminum to the construction industry are losing jobs because of reduction in their business.

Foreclosure Help

We assist our clients in all aspects of foreclosure defense. We meet with our clients and provide our clients with foreclosure options. These options involve mortgage modifications, litigating defective mortgages, defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending, bad faith and other real estate related issues.

We discuss foreclosure related bankruptcy filings. These can be either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcies. The filing of these bankruptcies immediately stops the foreclosure from moving forward. We also assist our clients in re-establishing credit and, in some circumstances, we can eliminate second mortgages by filing bankruptcies. Call us for a free consultation. Thank you for reading my foreclosure blog.

Bank Attorney is Punished for Failing to Appear

On November 18, 2010, Justice Pagones, sitting in the Supreme Court located in Dutchess County, rendered a decision in the matter of BAC Home Loans Servicing vs. Westervelt. In this case, the bank and the homeowner were directed to appear at a settlement conference. Settlement conferences are required under New York State law in all foreclosure proceedings. The bank’s attorney failed to appear at the settlement conference. At that time, the court could have dismissed the bank’s foreclosure proceeding. In this case, the court declined to impose this remedy.

Justice Pagones, however, found that the bank attorney’s explanation for his failure to appear at the court settlement conference was inadequate. The court thereafter scheduled a hearing to determine what sanctions would be taken against the bank’s attorneys.

Bad Faith

Justice Pagones reached a conclusion that the attorneys for the bank had acted in bad faith in negotiating a settlement with the defendant. The defendant had made representation that the bank had, without explanation, refused to re-examine her income with regard to the mortgage modification she submitted. The court pointed out that the financial institution under the HAMP directives had an obligation to review her income.

Bank Barred From Collecting Arrears and Interest

The court scheduled another court conference date. In the interim, the court ordered the bank stop collecting arrears from the date the homeowner received the HAMP denial. The court also barred the financial institution from collecting any interest that might accrue from this date. The court also waived unpaid late fees and ordered the bank to waive attorney’s fees relating to this case.

Foreclosure Court Conferences

Foreclosure court conferences exist because the State Legislature passed a law in 2010 ordering the financial institution to attend foreclosure court conferences for the purpose of finding alternatives to the foreclosure proceedings. Our law office regularly attends foreclosure conferences on behalf of our clients. We utilize these conferences to try to motivate the attorneys for the financial institutions to work with our clients towards approving mortgage modifications that take the cases out of foreclosure.

Foreclosure Lawyers

The foreclosure defense attorneys at our law office aggressively litigate issues involving defective mortgages, defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending, bad faith and other real estate related matters. When appropriate, we file foreclosure related bankruptcies, including either a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, depending on the circumstances involved with our clients. These bankruptcies stop foreclosure and, in some cases, allow us to eliminate second mortgages. Prior to filing bankruptcies, we discuss the types of bankruptcies that are appropriate with regard to our client’s specific situation. Call us for a free consultation. We will discuss all foreclosure options available to you. Our phone numbers are 516-561-6645, 718-350-2802 and 1-800-344-6431.

Foreclosure Defense in Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Baldwin, Malverne, Freeport, Oceanside, Long Beach, Elmont, Lakeview, West Hempstead, Hempstead, Merrick and Bellmore, New York

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The information you obtain at this website is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your particular legal issue. This is attorney advertising.

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