HUD ISSUES NEW CARES ACT MORTGAGE PAYMENT RELIEF FOR FHA SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNERS

Mortgage servicers instructed to offer deferred or reduced mortgage payments

by as much as 6 months to start

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced a tailored set of mortgage payment relief options for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 National Emergency. Also included is an extension period for seniors with Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. Read today’s Mortgagee Letter.

           Effective immediately for borrowers with a financial hardship that makes them unable to pay their mortgage due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, mortgage servicers must extend deferred or reduced mortgage payment options – called forbearance – for up to six months, and must provide an additional six months of forbearance if requested by the borrower. This mandate implements provisions contained in the landmark Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which President Trump signed into law on March 27, 2020.

“The last thing any of us wants is for Americans to lose their homes unnecessarily while we continue to fight this invisible enemy. If you’re struggling, immediate help is now available. The FHA will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that the loss mitigation options that are offered for both forward and reverse borrowers are appropriately tailored for the present situation,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

In addition to special COVID-19 forbearance, FHA also implemented today the COVID-19 National Emergency Partial Claim, an option to be used by servicers when the COVID-19 forbearance period ends. This partial claim will help eligible homeowners who have been granted special COVID-19 National Emergency forbearance to reinstate their loans by authorizing servicers to advance funds on behalf of homeowners. The partial claim will defer the repayment of those advances through an interest-free subordinate mortgage that the borrower does not have to pay off until their first mortgage is paid off.

Further, FHA today instructed mortgage servicers to:

·       Delay submitting Due and Payable requests for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages by six months, with an additional six-month delay available with HUD approval; and

·       Extend any flexibility they may have under the Fair Credit Reporting Act relative to negative credit reporting actions.

“For American families impacted by the COVID-19 virus and unable to pay their FHA-insured mortgage, imminently losing their homes is now one less fear they should have. Today’s actions will ease the immediate pressures faced by many Americans who, through no fault of their own, are struggling with financial uncertainty,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Brian Montgomery

Borrowers who are not currently impacted and able to make their monthly mortgage payments should continue doing so.  However, those who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 National Emergency should immediately contact their mortgage servicer – the entity to which they make their monthly mortgage payments – to discuss forbearance or other options that may be available to them. Borrowers who are not experiencing an income reduction due to COVID-19 are asked to avoid contacting their mortgage servicer about these options, as these questions will divert resources from serving those truly in need.  

To assist homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages in understanding these options, FHA has also published a Q&A for consumers at https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/SFH/documents/COVID-19HomeownerHelp.pdf 

Rod's Comment: I am now retired but served for many years as a housing counselor, working primarily in "mortgage default" since 2007.  I have helped a lot of people avoid losing their home but unfortunately seen a lot of people lose their home because they did stupid stuff. A forbearance is an excellent tool to help a person through a rough spot who can not make their housepayment. However, it is a temporary solution and at the end of the period of forbearance all of the payments that accumulated are due. You may be eligible for a partial claim or a modification or repayment plan, but it is not automatic. Don't try to do this on your onw, get professional advice from a HUD-approved housing counselor. 

Don't lose your home to foreclosure during the Coronavirus crisis.

by Rod Williams - I am retired now but spend about the last thirty years working for a HUD-approved non-profit housing counseling agency. Up until 2007 I worked helping low-income people become homeowners. After the 2007 housing crisis hit and up until I retired I worked mostly in mortgage-default, helping people avoid losing their home. Unfortunately, a lot of people have poor money management skills, to put it mildly. To be less generous, I would say a lot of people are irresponsible. I see reports that say 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. That does not generate sympathy from me. They shouldn't. It is irresponsible to not have some savings. I know bad things can happen to good people and there are some people living on the edge who can't help it. However, for the majority of people who are financially living on the edge, they never learned discipline and delayed gratification. That being said however, I don't want them to lose their home, because they lost their job. With the closing of bars and restaurants, a lot of people already find themselves unemployed. With the further lockdown, more people are losing their job. The longer this crisis lingers, the more people will lose their job. A lot of people, when they lose their job will lose their house. A lot of people lose their home because they do the wrong things. If one has some savings, one has a better chance to keep one's home than if one does not, but the savings only delays the foreclosure unless one acts wisely. With savings are not having savings, there are steps to increase the likelihood that you will avoid foreclosure. Your solution for avoiding foreclosure and keeping your home can vary depending on several factors. Here are some of them: Who actually owns your mortgage and what policy for foreclosure avoidance to they have in place. The company you pay your mortgage payment to is most often a servicer of the mortgage and their options are limited by the entity that insures your mortgage or owns your mortgage. How is your home titled? If you are married is the mortgage in both names? If you once owned a home jointly with a spouse and are now divorced and were awarded the home through divorce, did you ever have the ex-spouse's name removed from the mortgage and the title? When you lost your job, did you just quit because the company was reducing staff or closing their doors or were you laid-off? Your housing ratio, which is the percentage your gross income that it takes to pay the house payment, and your debt ratio, which is the percentage of your gross income it takes to pay all debt, are factors. Before the crisis did you pay your mortgage on time? It can be complicated. I am listing some general guidelines of what to do if you lose your job and own a home and don't want to lose it. This are general. Other recommended actions would depend on ones specific variables. Immediately get on a crisis budget. Cut all unnecessary expenses. Prioritize. If you have two car payments and a house payment, it is probably better to lose a car than a house. As a housing counselor, I have seen people lose their home who could have saved their home if they would have tightened their belt and prioritized their spending. If you have not applied for unemployment, do it! If the unemployment office says you must have a separation letter from your employer, get it. Communicate with your mortgage company. Don't sent partial payments. Some people think paying half a mortgage payment or whatever they can afford shows good faith and helps them with their mortgage company. It doesn't. If you are not making payments do not let the money you could have paid toward a mortgage payment just get adsorbed in other spending. Save it, so when you do get a workout offer, you have some money to pay toward your mortgage. Don't think a "forbearance" means you can just skip some payments. A forbearance is a temporary plan to skip payment for a while but at the end of the period, the accumulated skipped payment must be paid or a plan put in place to catch them up. See a HUD-approved housing counselor. A counselor can evaluate your situation, develop an action plan for dealing with the crisis and advocate on your behalf. Don't try to do this alone. Be aware of scams. If someone ask you for money to help you avoid foreclosure, it is probably a scam. Don't move out of your home. Some people panic and move. If you are living in your home, you are more likely to be eligible for a workout plan or assistance than if you have abandoned your home. If this crisis continues, there will probably be more programs to help people avoid foreclosure as there were when the housing crisis of 2007 hit. Don't count on it but don't do stupid things that would disqualify you from taking advantage of whatever program may be offered. Taking on more debt is one of the things people do in a crisis that is the wrong thing to do and may disqualify them from whatever workout solution or assistance for which they would otherwise be eligible. Don't panic. Don't bury your head in the sand and just assume it will all work out. Be proactive. I wish all who are facing this crisis, the best. Here are some important links: HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

New program may save your home from foreclosure: Principal Reduction Recast Program with Lien Extinguishment

The following is from the THDA website: 

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency’s (THDA) Principal Reduction Recast Program with Lien Extinguishment (PRRPLE) will lower monthly mortgage payments to affordable levels for eligible homeowners by providing (1) a reduction in the principal balance of their first mortgage loan, combined with a loan recast, modification, refinance or (2) principal reduction which results in a full lien extinguishment.

This program is available to qualifying homeowners who are facing a financial hardship, through no fault of their own, which resulted in a loss of income due to the death of a spouse, divorce, or underemployment.

The goal of the program is to reduce delinquencies and foreclosures by lowering mortgage payments to affordable levels for homeowners who have encountered a financial burden due to an eligible hardship, including but not limited to homeowners who are living on social security, long-term disability or other fixed income source.

If you have questions or need assistance with the PRRPLE application please call (855) 890-8073 or email PRRPLE@thda.org.

This is a great program and may save your home if you meet the criteria and if you can successfully apply.  The program expects a consumer to be able to answer questions they may not understand and assumes they know terminology they may not know.  To apply, you must scan and upload documents.  If you are a loan processor or a legal secretary it should be easy to make application by yourself; anyone else may have difficulty.

It you want help completing an application, call me.  There is no charge for my services.  I will evaluate you and see if you are eligible and if you are I will help you make application.  I can scan document for you and notarize documents and help you write letters you may need to write.  You can apply without help but your chances of successfully applying are greatly enhanced if someone who knows what they are doing helps you. I am a counselor with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and have over 20 years of experience as a housing counselor and am good at what I do.  The agency is Woodbine Community Organization. Call me, Rod Williams, 615-850-3453.

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) will now include a "streamlined" modification.

Supplemental Directive 15-06 issued July 1, 2015 announced that The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) will now include a "streamlined" modification. This new directive does not apply to GSE mortgages such as those owned or insured by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or VA loans or FHA loans.  Those loans are governed by different directives.  Any investor or servicing agreement that permits a servicer to offer HAMP Tier I or Hamp Tier II is encouraged to permit Streamline HAMP modifications.

This is another tool to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.  Customers who have previously been granted a HAMP Tier 1 or HAMP Tier II modification and have experienced a interest rate step-up and then again become delinquent may be eligible for the new Streamlined HAMP. This is a relaxation of a previous prohibition against multiple modification. Also, if a borrower was previously evaluated for, but not offered, a HAMP modification, they may be eligible for a Streamline HAMP.

There are a lot of variables at play in determining if one should be eligible for a modification or other program to avoid foreclosure.  If one should be eligible, then whether one actually gets the work out is a function of correctly and completely completing the paperwork.   I work for a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and have over twenty years experience as a housing counselor. There is no charge for my service.  I can evaluate you for a solution to your housing problem, and if you should be eligible for a workout, I will help you complete the Request for Mortgage Assistance.  To learn more, or to schedule an appointment call me.

Rod Williams
615-850-3453

HAMP ends this year. Don't miss out.

From Freddie Mac:

Extensions for HAMP and the Freddie Mac Streamlined Modification Among the Highlights in Guide Bulletin 2015-9

We are making several updates reflected in Freddie Mac Guide Bulletin 2015-9, including the following key highlights:

• A one-year extension of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). As a result of previous announcements made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to extend HAMP, we have updated Section C65.4 of the Guide to require that all HAMP modifications have a Modification Effective Date on or before September 1, 2017, and that all evaluations for HAMP must be based on a complete Borrower Response Package submitted on or before December 31, 2016.

My Comment: I know this is only June, but sometimes to submit a package for a modification and allow time for the package to be worked can take months.  If the package sits on someone's desk and they do not get around to until your check stub or bank statement is  older than 30 days, they ask for new documents.  If the documents are not current, then they do not have a Borrower Response Package.

If you need help, don't wait!

My name is Rod Williams and I am a HUD approved housing counselor. There is no cost for my services. Many people who apply for a modification don't get it because they fail to complete a package correctly.  I can increase your chance of getting a modification.  Also, sometimes a modification is not the best option. If you have a housing problem, don't try to solve it by yourself. Call me at 615-850-3453.

HARP extended through 2016

The program known as Keep My Tennessee Home, which was Tennessee's version of the Hardest Hit Fund program ended some months ago, but there are still options available for avoiding foreclosure if you are having difficulty making your house payments.  For a review and evaluation call me.  I am a housing counselor with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and there is no cost for my services. Rod Williams, 615-850-3453.

Below is new information about HARP, the Home Affordability Refinance Program.

Program Overview

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of the Treasury introduced HARP in early 2009 as part of the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable program. HARP provides borrowers, who may not otherwise qualify for refinancing because of declining home values or reduced access to mortgage insurance, the ability to refinance their mortgages into a lower interest rate and/or more stable mortgage product.

Homeowners Helped Since Program Inception

As of August 31, 2011, nearly 894,000 borrowers had refinanced through HARP.

HARP is only one refinancing option

HARP is only one of several refinancing options available to homeowners. Since April 2009 when HARP began, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have helped approximately nine million families refinance into a lower cost or more sustainable mortgage product. HARP is unique in that it is the only refinance program that enables borrowers who owe more than their home is worth to take advantage of low interest rates and other refinancing benefits.

Borrower Eligibility

• The existing mortgage must have been sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac on or before May 31, 2009.
  Homeowners can determine if they have a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan by going to:
  http://www.FannieMae.com/loanlookup/  or calling 800-7FANNIE (8 am to 8 pm ET)
  https://ww3.FreddieMac.com/corporate/ or 800-FREDDIE (8 am to 8 pm ET)
• The program will continue to be available for loans with LTVs above 80 percent.
• Borrowers must be current on their mortgage payments with no late payment in the past six months and no more than one late payment in the past 12 months.
• Borrowers should contact their existing lender or any other mortgage lender offering HARP refinances.

**On May 8, 2015, FHFA announced the extension of HARP through 2016.

Other Resources

www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov  or call 1-888-995-HOPE (4673)
www.KnowYourOptions.com  or www.FannieMae.com/homeowners
www.FreddieMac.com/avoidforeclosure 

Keep My TN Home ends this month!

The Keep My Tennessee Home program is running out of money and winding down.  It will not be renewed.  When it is gone, it is gone. If you have been putting off applying, don't delay any longer!

If interested in the program, call me.  I will screen you on the phone and not waste your time.

Rod Williams 615-850-3453
This is for middle Tennessee homeowners only.

Last chance for Keep My Tn Home program

The Keep My TN Home program which can provide up to $40,000 in free money to help those who have experience a housing hardship, is coming to an end very, very soon. If you think you may qualify, call me. I will evaluate you over the phone. I can speed up the process. Your best chance of getting this program before it ends is by contacting me: Rod Williams 615-850-3453. Middle Tennessee residents only.

I was the Counselor who helped Ms Phyllis Qualls-Brooks save her home. Call me and let me see if I can help you.

I was the Counselor who helped Ms Phyllis Qualls-Brooks save her home. Call me and let me see if I can help you. Rod Williams 615-850-3453

Keep My Tennessee Home winding down. To take advantage of this program. Do not delay.

To take advantage of this program, do not delay. I don't know for sure when the program will end but it will be soon. We have first heard  from THDA that the program could end as early as January but then more recently we heard it may last until March or April. If you think you may be eligible for this program, don't delay. When it ends, I do not know if we will be told to not take new applications but to continue to work those who are in the pipeline, or if we will be told to stop submitting files.

From the time I have a complete file, it still takes about six weeks to get an application approved. Often it takes a client up to a month, sometimes longer, to get their documents to me.

If you make contact directly with me, I will shorten the process for you. Tell me you are being referred from this website and you will get to skip the class that clients normally have to go to before they see a counselor. Also, not to be immodest but I am one of the most experienced and successful counselors working this program. I have over twenty years experience as a housing counselor and know the KMTH program and other work-out options inside and out. I am one of the best and, I won't waste your time. If you are not eligible, I will tell you. Also, feel free to call for a phone screening. There is no cost for our services. There is no cost for getting the Keep My TN Home assistance.

If you qualify, what Keep My TN Home can do for you is bring your loan current and make your house payment for up to three years or until $40,000 is spend on your behalf. I know that sounds unbelievable and too good to be true, but it is. I am not offering an opinion of whether or not I think it is a good policy or a wise policy. I don't make policy or comment on policy on this blog, I am just trying to drum up some business.  Why would I do that? I don't make any money off of serving you, but I do want to be a productive employee and maintain a record as a high producer. Who knows? When this program ends, there may be less demand for housing counselors and I want to remain one of the best in the business. So, call me and let me help you save your home. Rod Williams 615-850-3453.

To be eligible, you must of lost your job or had a decrease in income or suffered another eligibility hardship through no fault of your own. There are some other restrictions but most people meet the other requirements. Don't assume you are not eligible. Don't immediately register on the Keep My Tn website, call me first. 

If you are closer to Memphis or Knoxville or Chattanooga than Nashville you need to be served somewhere else; go to this website: http://www.keepmytnhome.org. This program is only for Tennessee residents but about 19 other states have their own version of the same program. Nationally the program is know as the Hardest Hit program.

Keep My TN Home: On the Steps of Foreclosure

Save a couple steps, speed up the process and let me help you.There is no charge for my services. Call me and I can do a preliminary screening over the phone.  I won't waste your time if you are not eligible.

Rod Williams
Senior Housing Counselor
Woodbine Community Organization
222 Oriel Ave., Nashville, TN 37210
Work phone #: 615-850-3453
FAX: 615-833-9727
web site: Woodbinecommunity.org

Nearly 1.3 Million Homeowner Assistance Actions Taken through Making Home Affordable

More than 1 million homeowners have received a permanent modification through the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). These homeowners have reduced their first lien mortgage payments by a median of approximately $539 each month – more than one-third of their median before-modification payment – saving a total estimated $15 billion to date in monthly mortgage payments.

Nearly 94,000 second lien modifications have been completed through the Second Lien Modification Program (2MP), and over 71,000 homeowners have exited their homes through a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure with assistance from the Home Affordable Alternatives Program (HAFA).

87% of eligible homeowners entering a HAMP trial modification since June 1, 2010 have received a permanent modification with an average trial period of 3.5 months.

Homeowners currently in HAMP permanent modifications with some form of principal reduction have been granted an estimated $7.2 billion in principal reduction. 81% of eligible non-GSE borrowers entering HAMP in August have received some form of principal reduction with their modification.

If you think you may qualify for a  Home Affordable Modification Program or the Hardest Hit fund, improve your chances of getting approved by letting an experienced housing counselor assist you. The service is free. You will never pay a dime for letting a HUD-approved housing counselor help you resolve your housing need. For assistance in middle Tennessee call Rod Williams 615-850-3453.

The Hardest Hit Fund is Available to Help Homeowners in 18 States and the District of Columbia

Paul O. and his wife outside their home in North Carolina.

Reposted from US Treasury

By: Mark McArdle

7/28/2011

Struggling with mortgage payments and facing the prospect of foreclosure can be overwhelming and frightening for homeowners. In 2010, the Obama Administration launched the Hardest Hit Fund to help homeowners avoid foreclosure in the areas hardest hit by steep home price declines and unemployment. Through the program, participating housing finance agencies (HFAs) in 18 states and the District of Columbia are implementing a variety of different initiatives to help homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments. All participating HFAs are now operating programs widely and offering assistance to homeowners.
The North Carolina program—the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund—pays an unemployed worker’s mortgage for up to 24 months (up to $24,000) while they are enrolled in an educational or training program or are searching for a new job. In high-unemployment counties, the cap is 36 months. The funds are provided as a zero-interest loan to the homeowner, which does not have to be repaid if the homeowner continues to live in their home for 10 years. The loan can also be used by homeowners who are seeking employment because of a financial hardship such as a divorce, or who have become re-employed but need to bring their mortgage current because they fell behind during a recent period of unemployment.

Paul O. has experienced the benefit of the Hardest Hit Fund first hand. After 17 years as a shipping and warehouse supervisor for an electronics manufacturer in Winston-Salem, he was laid off in February 2010. While disappointed, Paul had peace of mind on the day he was laid off. Paul says that was because of the information he had received from the Governor’s Workforce Rapid Response Team about the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund.

The Rapid Response Team offers early intervention for workers like Paul who are affected by layoffs or closures throughout North Carolina. Led by the N.C. Department of Commerce and local workforce development professionals, with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, a Rapid Response team meets with companies planning layoffs or closures and their employees on short notice and in confidentiality. The N.C. Housing Finance Agency’s outreach teams have participated in nine rapid response deployments within the past year, providing resources and information to over 4,000 displaced workers who may be eligible for assistance. Partnerships like these allow the state to target outreach directly to individuals who are likely to be eligible for assistance.
Paul says that what he learned about the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund during his Rapid Response meeting last November gave him his greatest comfort—knowing that a program was available to help him keep his home during the transition. He left that meeting with a notebook full of materials that gave him a sense of direction and hope. One of the pages he dog-eared instantly was the flier for the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund.
“We don’t want homeowners to wait until they’re in foreclosure to use our loans,” said Betsy Rozakis, the Housing Finance Agency’s CFO and director of the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund. “Our goal is to provide help before they’re in foreclosure, and before they have depleted their retirement savings or ruined their credit.”
Paul is now enrolled at Forsyth Community College to get an advanced certification in shipping and warehouse management that will help him become more competitive in a job market he has not had to venture into in over 17 years. Paul believes this has only been possible because of the N.C. Foreclosure Prevention Fund. The N.C. Housing Finance Agency will use loan funds to pay his mortgage and homeowner’s association dues through June 2013, while he finishes his education and seeks re-employment.
Hardest Hit Fund programs vary state to state, but may include the following:

• Mortgage payment assistance for unemployed or underemployed homeowners
• Principal reduction to help homeowners get into more affordable mortgages
• Funding to eliminate homeowners’ second lien loans
• Help for homeowners who are transitioning out of their homes and into more affordable places of residence.

Homeowners in participating states can apply for the Hardest Hit Fund through 2017, or until all program funds are allocated for homeowner assistance. For more information about the program in your state, contact your HFA directly.

Making Home Affordable Plans Nashville Event to Help Struggling Tennessee Homeowners Keep their Homes

Reposted from Treasury Notes
By: Andrea Risotto,10/19/2012

Are you a Tennessee homeowner struggling with your mortgage payments?  Would you like to understand the options available to you based on your particular circumstances?  Do you need help working with your mortgage company to apply for assistance?  If so, then we encourage you to attend the free Helpfor Homeowners Community Event at the Nashville Convention Center on Wednesday, October 24. 

At next week’s event, which is co-sponsored with the HOPE NOW Alliance, homeowners in the Nashville area will be able to meet face-to-face with 15 of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers to discuss options to make their mortgage payments more affordable. Every homeowner who attends will leave with a clearer idea of their eligibility for help and next steps.

We encourage you to attend even if you have tried unsuccessfully to work with your mortgage company in the past, particularly if you have had a change in circumstances.  Local HUD-approved housing counselors will be on-site to meet with homeowners and offer free guidance. And there are more options for assistance available today than ever before, including new opportunities for mortgage modifications, refinances and unemployment assistance.  

One of the newer programs available to homeowners in the Volunteer State is Keep My Tennessee Home.  Funded by Treasury’s HardestHit Fund, Keep My Tennessee Home offers assistance to homeowners struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments due to unemployment or a reduction in wages. This program makes payments to a homeowner’s mortgage company for up to 18 months while he or she looks for work. 

Far too often, struggling families in Tennessee and across the country tell us they were unaware of their options or too scared to reach out.  But remember that—every month—hundreds of additional Tennessee families are getting help to make their mortgage payments more affordable.  Keep My Tennessee Home is an example of one such program where agencies across the state are working together to help homeowners.

As the administrator of Keep My Tennessee Home, the Tennessee Housing Development Authority (THDA), told us, “We recently attended an outreach event in a community southeast of Nashville.  Toward the end of the evening, an adult couple timidly approached us and subsequently thanked us for helping them keep their home.  This couple was accompanied by their teenage son and daughter.  When their son realized who we were, he stuck out his hand and, shaking vigorously, thanked us very sincerely for helping his family stay in their home. All it takes is one experience like this to remind us of what this program is all about.”

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have sponsored 77 free outreach events for struggling homeowners across the country.  Additional events are already planned for 2012 in Orlando,Florida and Ontario,California.  More information about these events and other free resources for homeowners is available on MakingHomeAffordable.gov. (end)


You can skip this outreach event and call me and I will screen you over the phone and if you qualify I will serve you.  You will save a lot of your time.  I am a HUD-approved housing counselor. There is no cost for our services.
Rod Williams 615-850-3453

NASHVILLE, TN | HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS COMMUNITY EVENT

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET

Nashville Convention Center

Center Exhibit Hall

601Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203

Click for Event Brochure

Learn about the Making Home Affordable Programs

You can skip this event and come directly to me and I will evaluate you for all of the work-out options. If you are not eligible, I will tell you.  If you are eligible or potentially eligible I will tell you how to improve your chances of getting a workout. I can help you assemble  your work-out package. If you are eligible for the Hardest Hit program, I will serve as your counselor and process your application. There is no charge for our service.


Rod Williams
Senior Housing Counselor
Woodbine Community Organization
222 Oriel Ave., Nashville, TN 37210
Work phone #: 615-850-3453
FAX: 615-833-9727
web site: Woodbinecommunity.org

From the Desk of HUD Secretary Donovan: A Proven Tool to Fight Foreclosures

As every member of the HUD family knows, over the last three years we've come a long way in pushing back against the foreclosure crisis.

Foreclosure notices have been cut in half since President Obama took office - and nearly 6 million families have received mortgage modifications that have helped them stay in their homes.

I'm proud of the progress we've been able to make so far for those families. And I know that it would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of housing counselors we fund in communities across the country.

Over the last three years, HUD-approved housing counselors have assisted 8 million families - one reason last month, the Obama Administration honored our nation's housing counselors in Los Angeles as part of the White House Champions of Change initiative.

And the results these men and women have achieved is undeniable. Indeed, a recent study found that 9-in-10 families who received foreclosure counseling from HUD-approved counselors continued to live in their homes 18 months later.

As impressive as those results are, we shouldn't be surprised. Distressed homeowners are nearly twice as likely to receive a modification on their mortgage if they are working with a housing counselor. And as the Urban Institute recently demonstrated, borrowers in foreclosure were 70 percent more likely to get up to date on payments if they received counseling.

Quite simply, housing counseling works.

With our extraordinary record of success, like many of you, I was disappointed when Congress eliminated funding for HUD's housing counseling grants in Fiscal Year 2011. But we didn't sit on our hands - instead, we built a case that HUD-funded housing counseling is a critical tool in our work to not only fight foreclosures, but support the recovery of our housing market more broadly.

Indeed, while the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling funds administered by our partners at NeighborWorks America are essential to our ability to assist homeowners in acute distress, HUD funds support the entire range of counseling and training necessary to ensure people make good, responsible choices that work for families in their communities - whether it's buying or renting, improving financial literacy, protecting families' rights against discrimination, or even preventing homelessness.

That's the case we made to Congress - and because we did, last month HUD was able to announce more than $42 million in housing counseling grants to 468 organizations in communities across the country that prevent foreclosures and help families find decent housing.

I'm proud we were able to partially restore our housing counseling funding. But I'm even prouder that we were able to cut the time it took to get these funds on the street by nearly 70 percent compared to 2010. And I expect that progress to continue once Congress approves our plan to establish the Office of Housing Counseling within HUD.

Even still, we know the housing market is still fragile, and that homeowners need all the help they can get. That's why the $2.6 billion provided to states as part of the recent $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement with the five largest servicers is so important. These dollars can be used for foreclosure prevention efforts that include housing counseling - and already, we've seen state attorneys general from both parties commit to using these funds to help homeowners. Indeed, while needs and requirements vary from state to state, at meetings with stakeholders and attorneys general around the country, I am encouraging our state attorneys general to direct settlement funds towards helping homeowners.

At a time when our economy is growing and our housing market is showing signs of strength, we know there is no better way of accelerating that progress than speeding help to homeowners. That's what housing counseling is about - and ensuring it helps as many families as possible, in as many communities as possible, is our shared challenge in the months ahead.

Call me. I can help you save your home. No charge for my services. 

Rod Williams
Senior Housing Counselor
Woodbine Community Organization

Work phone #: 615-850-3453
FAX: 615-833-9727
web site: Woodbinecommunity.org

Lawsuit Settlement Could Save Homes From Foreclosure

Lawsuit Settlement Could Save Homes From Foreclosure: In a huge settlement against major banks, Tennessee stands to get $141 million to help save thousands of homes from foreclosure.

How Harest hit saves Phyllis Qualls-Brooks home

by Marcus Washington, News Channel 5


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In a huge settlement against major banks, Tennessee stands to get $141 million  to help save thousands of homes from foreclosure.

Phyllis Qualls-Brooks walks the path many Tennesseans have traveled in this rocky economic downturn.
"Because of budget cuts my position was eliminated," said Qualls-Brooks.

Without a job she could not pay her mortgage, so she turned to a program she heard about through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, THDA, called the "Hardest Hit Fund."
"I finished the application process; I was approved. That day was a wonderful day in my life," said Qualls-Brooks. (link)

I was Phyllis Qualls-Brooks housing counselor and helped her get qualified for the Hardest Hit Fund. Call me, I may be able to help you. There is no charge for my service.

Rod Williams
Senior Housing Counselor
Woodbine Community Organization

Work phone #: 615-850-3453
FAX: 615-833-9727
web site: Woodbinecommunity.org

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Get Taxes Done Free at Woodbine

Woodbine Community Organization is once again working with NAFI - Nashville Alliance for Financial Independence and the United Way of Metro Nashville To host VITA - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

Preparation is FREE to individuals and families who earned less that $49,000 in 2011. Taxes are prepared on a first come first serve basis starting January23 through April 17.
Monday: 9am-1pm and 5pm  - 8pm
Tuesday: 5pm to 8pm
Wednesday: 9am - 1pm and 5pm - 8pm
Thursday: 5pm - 8pm
Friday: 9am to 1pm
Saturday: 9am - 3pm
Sunday: Closed

Please bring the following to the tax site: (1) proof of identity (2) Copies of ALL W-2, 1089, 1099 forms (3) Social Security Card(s) or Individual Tax Identification Number card for ALL individuals listed on Tax return (4) Banking Information (checking and/or savings deposit slip) for direct deposit process (5) If e-filing a joint return, BOTH spouses MUST be present to sign return (6) Amounts/Dates of estimated or other tax payments made, etc. (7) Child care provider Identification Number (8) Amounts of other Income.