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LANSING, MI - October 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm yesterday called on the nation's top lending institutions that service mortgages in Michigan to suspend all foreclosures pending investigation of possibly fraudulent foreclosure filings. The governor also repeated her call for the nation's top lenders to fully participate in the Michigan's Helping Hardest Hit Homeowners Fund to help homeowners avoid foreclosure

October 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) will announce that it has provided counseling to 17,000 Michigan families since 2008 thanks in part to funding from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program. The NFMC Program recently announced that more than 1 million homeowners in Michigan and across the nation have sought and received foreclosure intervention counseling from more than 1,700 nonprofit counseling organizations funded by the program, including MSHDA.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today made the following statement about the ongoing foreclosure crisis and Bank of America’s announcement: “Families living in neighborhoods across Michigan continue to suffer from the economic downturn, declining home values and foreclosures. That’s why I welcome today’s announcement that Bank of America has suspended foreclosures in every state. I am concerned that too many Michigan families are losing their homes as a result of faulty paperwork and I hope that this motivates all institutions to reevaluate their processes and make sure homeowner’s are being treated fairly.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and three Senate colleagues wrote on Friday to the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Ally Financial, asking them to halt foreclosure proceedings in 27 states, including Michigan, where they have not already done so

Washington, DC - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14) and Congresswoman Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (MI-13) called on lenders to extend their foreclosure moratorium to Michigan and other states and to cease administering foreclosures until the problem of fraudulent paperwork is resolved.

LANSING, MI - September 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- State Senator Tupac A.Hunter (D-Detroit) today introduced legislation that would prevent banks and other lending institutions from foreclosing on most homes unless they have signed up to participate in the “Help the Hardest Hit Program.”

LANSING, MI - September 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today continued her effort to push the nation's largest banks to join other lending institutions and take part in the Helping Hardest Hit Homeowners Fund. Since announcing the availability of an additional $128.4 million in federal dollars for the fund earlier this month, Granholm has reached out to executives at Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup, PNC Bank and Wells Fargo, asking them directly to help prevent additional home foreclosures

LANSING, MI - August 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) is joining with community partners across metro Detroit when the Fifth Third Bank Homeownership Mobile (aka the "eBus") rolls into Livonia Thursday, August 12 as part of a kick-off to highlight the state's $154.5 million Hardest Hit Fund home foreclosure prevention initiative

LANSING, MI - July 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the filing of 19 criminal complaints and a total of 69 charges against illegal advanced fee "foreclosure rescue" operations accused of defrauding Michigan families of thousands of dollars. Nine Michigan mortgage companies are accused of illegally charging homeowners facing foreclosure upfront fees for mortgage modification assistance. The defendants claimed they would help homeowners by working with their lenders in an attempt to modify the borrower's mortgage. After paying the upfront fee, borrowers found that the companies made no real attempt to secure a modification and were subsequently unable to get their money back. Many of the victims lost their homes to foreclosure.

LANSING, MI - July 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said a new state fund will help protect thousands of people at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.

LANSING, MI - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), along with banks, credit unions and nonprofit counseling agencies, will launch a statewide program to help eligible Michigan homeowners avoid foreclosure by participating in the state's new $154.5 million Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund.

LANSING, MI - June 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have approved the Granholm Administration's plan to distribute $154.5 million in federal funds beginning July 12 that should help more than 17,000 Michigan households avoid foreclosure, including 11,000 homeowners who are currently drawing unemployment benefits and are struggling to make monthly mortgage payments.

LANSING, MI - April 15, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Granholm Administration today unveiled the state's proposed plan to distribute $154.5 million in federal funds beginning this summer that should help more than 17,000 Michigan households avoid foreclosure, including 11,000 homeowners who are currently drawing unemployment benefits and are struggling to make monthly mortgage payments.

LANSING, MI - March 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michigan Senate Democrats continued to combat the negative impact of home foreclosure on Michigan families today with their effort to lower property taxes for homeowners in communities hit hard by foreclosure. The amendment to Senate Bill 395 would have required tax collectors to consider foreclosed homes in a neighborhood when determining property values and taxes. The amendment was defeated by the Republican Majority on a party line vote.

LANSING, MI - March 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) offered the following statement on the need to protect Michigan consumers from foreclosure scams, and her legislation to help do so. Senate Bill 930, Whitmer's legislation to develop qualifications and regulations on foreclosure consultants, was introduced in October 2009 and is currently awaiting action by the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.