Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce

Who:      For homeowners who have received a Foreclosure Summons and Complaint

When:    11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Where:   City-County Building, 3^rd floor, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Madison, WI

Cost:      FREE!

Call:        Please contact Bethany Nelson at (608) 261-5677 or info@daneforeclosurehelp.org for more information

THIS IS A RECURRING EVENT, 1^ST AND 3^RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH.

Volunteer lawyers and law students will be available to meet with Dane County homeowners in foreclosure.  Homeowners can receive basic legal information and free help at the Foreclosure Answer Clinic.  Experience shows that homeowners who engage in the court process early have better opportunities for a positive outcome.

Time is of the essence because homeowners generally have only 20 calendar days from the date they receive the initial lawsuit papers to file a formal response. Lawyers and law students at the Clinic can provide homeowners with the information they need to file a response. Homeowners can also find out more about the legal process, the Dane County foreclosure mediation program and other community resources.

The Clinic is open the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Madison. No appointments are necessary.

Homeowners should bring their Summons and Complaint as well as any other relevant papers about the foreclosure.

The Foreclosure Answer Clinic is a collaborative effort of the Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce, the Dane County Bar Association and the UW Law School, with grant funding provided by the State Bar of Wisconsin and other support provided by Dane County.

Who:      For homeowners who have received a Foreclosure Summons and Complaint

When:    11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Thursday, April 5th, 2012

Where:   City-County Building, 3^rd floor, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Madison, WI

Cost:      FREE!

Call:        Please contact Bethany Nelson at (608) 261-5677 or info@daneforeclosurehelp.org for more information

THIS IS A RECURRING EVENT, 1^ST AND 3^RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH.

Volunteer lawyers and law students will be available to meet with Dane County homeowners in foreclosure.  Homeowners can receive basic legal information and free help at the Foreclosure Answer Clinic.  Experience shows that homeowners who engage in the court process early have better opportunities for a positive outcome.

Time is of the essence because homeowners generally have only 20 calendar days from the date they receive the initial lawsuit papers to file a formal response. Lawyers and law students at the Clinic can provide homeowners with the information they need to file a response. Homeowners can also find out more about the legal process, the Dane County foreclosure mediation program and other community resources.

The Clinic is open the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Madison. No appointments are necessary.

Homeowners should bring their Summons and Complaint as well as any other relevant papers about the foreclosure.

The Foreclosure Answer Clinic is a collaborative effort of the Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce, the Dane County Bar Association and the UW Law School, with grant funding provided by the State Bar of Wisconsin and other support provided by Dane County.

What:      Meeting to provide information on how the TaskForce is helping to address area foreclosures and to solicit feedback on additional help or assistance that is needed

Where:    The Village on Park (Atrium meeting room), 2300 S. Park Street, Madison, WI

When:     Thursday, March 29th from 1pm to 2pm

Call:        Please call Bethany Nelson at (608) 261-5677 for more information

Cost:        FREE

Upcoming Meeting of the Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force to Address Area Foreclosures, Ways Community Can Help

The Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force will give an update on area foreclosures and local efforts addressing the problem at a public meeting Thursday, March 29th from 1pm to 2pm at The Village on Park, 2300 S. Park Street, in the Atrium meeting room.

The goal of the meeting is to connect the task force with individuals and agencies who assist struggling families in the area, especially those who face the prospect of losing their home.

“This is a chance for community partners to get the latest information, be better equipped to assist homeowners, and spread the message through your networks about the resources that are available,” said Task Force Co-chair Dan O’Callaghan. “We would also like to hear your ideas on how you or your organization can collaborate with the task force on projects to reinforce or expand our efforts.”

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin will also be on hand to deliver brief remarks.

“Our community has come together in unprecedented and powerful ways to help families under threat of, or facing a home foreclosure,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi.  “As foreclosure remains a reality for area families, we must continue to learn more about this problem and do all we can to help others.”

“Affordable housing is a cornerstone of any viable community,” said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. “The efforts undertaken by the Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force are certainly one important step toward that goal and I appreciate the organization’s hard work.”

The Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force is a coalition of government agencies, non-profit service providers and other community partners working to implement a coordinated response to the foreclosure problem in Madison and Dane County through prevention, intervention and stabilization.

The Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force also hosts free legal clinics on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month.  No appointment is necessary, and homeowners facing foreclosure can obtain free legal advice from volunteer lawyers.  The clinics take place at the City County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from 11am to 1pm.

Homeowners can also access additional resources by visiting the Dane County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force at www.daneforeclosurehelp.org, or by e-mailing info@daneforeclosurehelp.org.

The National Mortgage Settlement website is reporting that scammers are already at work trying to capitalize on the national mortgage settlement to access your personal information—or worse, your money.  The Attorneys General have already received reports of scammers in Alabama calling borrowers claiming to be one of the major banks involved in this settlement and offering a cash payment to consumers if they simply provide the routing number to access their bank account.

If you receive an unsolicited call from one of the major banks, you can identify a scam in several ways:

1. Does the caller identify themselves as representing your loan servicer? Or do they ask you to provide the name of your loan servicer? If they ask you for the name of your servicer, they may be a scammer.
2. Does the caller offer to provide your personal information to assist you in identifying your account? Or do they ask you to provide that? If the caller is from your loan servicer, they will be able to tell YOU your personal information because they will have it. You should never provide your personal information (including bank account numbers, social security numbers, etc.) to an unsolicited caller—no matter what they promise you.
3. Does the caller offer to speed your settlement relief for a fee? They are definitely a scammer! Neither the banks nor the Attorneys General will charge a fee to speed your settlement.
4. If you think the caller may be legitimate, ask for their contact information, tell them you are going to call your bank’s hotline (located below) and confirm, then call them back. Chances are if they’re a scammer, they won’t want you to check on them and they won’t provide their contact information.

• Ally/GMAC: 800-766-4622
• Bank of America: 877-488-7814 (Available M-F  7am – 9pm CT and Saturdays  8am CT – 5pm CT
• Citi: 866-272-4749
• JPMorgan Chase: 866-372-6901
• Wells Fargo: 800-288-3212 (Available M-F 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST)

If you believe that you have been contacted as part of a mortgage settlement scam, residents of Wisconsin are asked to report this activity to the Wisconsin Attorney General’s office:

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (R)
State Capitol, Ste. 114 E., P.O.Box 7857, Madison, WI 53707-7857
(608) 266-1221
http://www.doj.state.wi.us

Residents of other states should contact the Attorney General for their respective state.  Contact information for the Attorney General’s office for each state involved in the settlement agreement can be found at the National Mortgage Settlement website.