Together, Mike and Lora Zook have faced cancer, a disabling accident, a crippling genetic disease, and even a fire that almost destroyed their home. What they couldn't face was the idea of losing their home to foreclosure.
When even a single home goes into foreclosure, the effects can be far reaching. In the case of Dee, when she faced foreclosure on her home in Prince George's County, Maryland, the potential hardship extended well beyond her immediate family.
Since the housing crash, millions of Americans have lost their homes, many of them victims of improper foreclosures. Now, those unfairly evicted homeowners are getting compensation. But don't be concerned that they're getting more than they deserve.
The Obama administration is revamping a program that's designed to let more homeowners refinance their mortgages even if they don't have any equity. This isn't a new program, but instead attempts to turbo-charge an existing federal initiative called the Home Affordable Refinance Program. Here's a look at some frequently asked questions.
In the last few years, outreach events by banks and nonprofits have been held all over the country, offering help to distressed homeowners. But even when they get personal invitations to these events, the vast majority of people who need mortgage modifications or short sales aren't showing up.
The housing crisis continues unabated, and millions of unemployed Americans remain at risk of ending up homeless. But additional government help is arriving from the Obama administration, and nonprofit agencies are making a difference in the efforts of some families to get help from their lenders.
Many of those who genuinely believed Harold Camping's prediction that the Rapture would arrive Saturday are starting this week with no jobs and no belongings. DailyFinance can't address their spiritual anguish, but we can offer some advice on how they can regain their financial footing.
Will homeowners see a penny of the reimbursements that the government has ordered 16 mortgage lenders to pay? Not likely, foreclosure victims and housing activists say, because the independent review ordered by regulators is too weak.
A partial settlement plan has been constructed by a group of state attorneys general and federal regulators. In theory, it addresses banks' flawed mortgage servicing, modification and foreclosure practices. In reality, it just lets the banks off the hook.
A California appeals court has ruled that U.S. Bank conned Claudia Aceves out of her home by tricking her into giving up her bankruptcy protections. Now she can sue the bank for damages and fraud, and conceivably, so could other homeowners in similar situations.
When the state tightened its foreclosure rules in response to the document crisis, it ordered the six largest servicers to explain why they should be allowed to continue foreclosing on homes. In effect, their response went something like this: "Trust us, everything's fine now."
An affidavit in a court case needs to include the documents that support its claims. Except for banks in Florida foreclosure cases. Despite the massive robo-signing scandal and evidence of errors in mortgage files, judges there still merely take the bank's word about what you owe.
The foreclosure crisis continues to pummel millions of Americans, and it has given rise to new con artists offering false assistance that leaves homeowners even deeper in debt. If you don't want to get kicked when you're already down, here are a few things to remember.
