Falmouth members of the group, Encore (the sister organization to Newcomers) visited the State House this last month.

Office of the Attorney General

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          MEDIA CONTACT:

April 25, 2012                                                                        Brad Puffer/Christopher Loh

                                                                                                (617) 727-2543

AG COAKLEY LAUNCHES “HOMECORPS” PROGRAM AND HOTLINE TO AID DISTRESSED BORROWERS AND EASE FORECLOSURE CRISIS

Funding Result of Multi-State Bank Settlement Over Illegal Foreclosures And Loan Servicing

Program Will Increase Loan Modification Specialists to Assist Homeowners;

Provide Multiple Grants Aimed at Revitalizing Communities and Aiding Borrowers

AG’s HomeCorps Hotline at 617-573-5333

BOSTON —  Attorney General Martha Coakley today launched a groundbreaking new initiative to prevent unnecessary foreclosures by increasing the number of loan modification specialists available to help distressed borrowers and providing a wide range of grant opportunities aimed at easing the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts.  Joined by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino in front of a Dorchester home saved through a successful loan modification, AG Coakley unveiled details of her new HomeCorps program, funded by the Massachusetts’ share of a nationwide settlement involving the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers and their connection with unlawful foreclosures and loan servicing.

As part of the launch of this new program, the AG’s office has established a HomeCorps Hotline at 617-573-5333 with loan modification experts available to assist borrowers facing foreclosure. A designated HomeCorps section of the AG’s website is now open with more information here.

“This comprehensive HomeCorps program will directly assist Massachusetts homeowners with avoiding unnecessary foreclosures and helping to prevent this crisis from deepening further,” said AG Coakley.  “Our office worked hard to ensure the best possible outcome for Massachusetts borrowers from this national settlement.  These new programs will now allow us to further assist distressed borrowers and stabilize communities deeply impacted by the foreclosure crisis.”

            “In Boston, we are a national leader on foreclosures thanks to our aggressive approach focusing on prevention, intervention and reclamation,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Our Boston Home Center and foreclosure intervention teams have successfully saved the homes of thousands of Boston residents and families by offering both education and financial support.  I applaud AG Coakley for recognizing how vital these programs are to building stronger communities. The HomeCorps program will be a valuable resource for residents and homeowners in the Commonwealth.”

More than five million people across this country have lost their homes to foreclosure during this economic crisis, including more than 45,000 people in Massachusetts. There are thousands more Massachusetts families on the brink of foreclosure. According to the Warren Group, in February 2012 alone there were 1,394 foreclosure starts in Massachusetts. That is more than double the number of foreclosure starts in February of 2011.

AG Coakley launched a series of HomeCorps initiatives to implement the $44.5 million paid to Massachusetts as part of the national settlement with Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and GMAC/Ally. According to the settlement, signed earlier this month by a federal judge, the banks are also ordered to provide an estimated $14.6 million in cash payments to Bay State borrowers and $257 million worth of mortgage relief across the Commonwealth.

The first part of AG Coakley’s HomeCorps program dedicates approximately $16 million to mitigate future impacts of the foreclosure crisis by providing assistance to distressed borrowers in Massachusetts facing foreclosure. Applications for grant programs in connection with this initiative were launched earlier this month.  This three part borrower support and referral initiative includes:

• HomeCorps Loan Modification Initiative:  

The Loan Modification Initiative offers direct loan modification advocacy to distressed Massachusetts borrowers in order to help many residents avoid unnecessary foreclosure.  The Initiative is staffed by a statewide team of skilled Loan Modification Specialists.

• HomeCorps Borrower Representation Initiative:

The Borrower Representation Initiative will provide direct legal representation to distressed borrowers, with the goals of attaining loan modifications, blocking unlawful foreclosures, or privately pursuing other potential claims. Attorneys at civil legal aid offices across the state will be funded by HomeCorps to provide these legal services at no charge to qualifying borrowers.

• HomeCorps Borrower Recovery Initiative:

The Borrower Recovery Initiative is a support and recovery network for those borrowers who lose their home to foreclosure.  Its goals are to help prevent homelessness, and to stabilize borrowers’ housing situation.  Staff at selected nonprofit organizations statewide will provide supportive resources, such as connecting families to rental housing, available benefits and programs, stabilization assistance, and financial counseling.

The second part of the HomeCorps program will provide up to $10 million in funds to additional programs which mitigate the impact to individual Massachusetts borrowers, as well as those which work to repair the harm to neighborhoods and municipalities. Grant applications for these components can be found on the AG’s website at www.mass.gov/ago/grants.  This part of the HomeCorps initiative includes:

• Crisis Response Innovation Grants:  This grant program is designed to support and fund strategies and programs across the state which support distressed borrowers and prevent foreclosures.

• Municipal and Community Restoration Grants:   This grant program is designed to support and fund strategies and programs across the state which support the Commonwealth’s recovery from the foreclosure crisis, and combat its negative impact on our neighborhoods and housing stock.

In addition to the above HomeCorps programs, other funds from the Massachusetts’ share of the nationwide settlement have been designated as follows:

• Civil Penalties (to General Fund): $4.4 Million
• Legal Expenses (to General Fund): $1 Million
• Compliance and Implementation of Consent Judgment: $1.5 Million
• Supplement Local Consumer Aid Fund (LCAF): $1 million to stabilize a statewide consumer financial education fund.
• Additional settlement funds are reserved for further implementation, HomeCorps programming and grants.

Borrowers facing foreclosures can now contact the AG’s new HomeCorps Hotline at 617-573-5333.  Consumers whose mortgage is serviced by one of the five banks involved in the state/federal settlement may also choose to contact their servicer directly to discuss loan modification and refinancing options.

Mortgage Servicer Hotlines:
Bank of America: 1-877-488-7814
Citi: 1-866-272-4749
Chase: 1-866-372-6901
GMAC/Ally: 1-800-766-4622
Wells Fargo: 1-800-288-3212

The joint state-federal settlement resolves many of the claims outlined in AG Coakley’s lawsuit against the five banks filed in 2011.  The settlement still allows the Attorney General’s Office to continue to pursue claims against the banks for initiating illegal foreclosures in our state and corrupting the Commonwealth’s registered land system through MERS, the Mortgage Electronic Registration System.

AG Coakley’s office has been a national leader in holding banks and investment giants accountable for their roles in the economic crisis.  In addition to the national settlement with the five banks, AG Coakley has obtained recoveries from Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Royal Bank of Scotland, Countrywide, Fremont Investment & Loan, Option One, and others on behalf of Massachusetts homeowners.  As a result of these actions, her office has recovered more than $600 million in relief for investors and borrowers, helped keep more than 25,400 people in their homes, and returned nearly $60 million in taxpayer funds back to the Commonwealth.

More information about AG Coakley’s work during the lending crisis can be found on her website.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2012

APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS FOR FIRST HOMECORPS GRANTS

Funding A Result Of Multi-State Settlement With Five National Banks In Connection With Illegal Foreclosures And Loan Servicing

BOSTON — In an effort to reach distressed borrowers and prevent unnecessary foreclosures, the Attorney General’s Office today opened the application period for two separate grant programs of approximately $3.5 million each. This funding is the result of a nationwide settlement involving the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers and their connection with unlawful foreclosures and loan servicing. The programs are designed to mitigate foreclosures and prevent homelessness through access to legal and nonprofit services for Massachusetts borrowers.

The Borrower Representation Initiative and Borrower Recovery Grants are just the first of a series of initiatives to be announced by the AG’s Office which will implement the remaining $37.5 million paid to Massachusetts as part of the national settlement with Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and GMAC/Ally. According to the settlement, signed last week by a federal judge, the banks are also ordered to provide an estimated $14.6 million in cash payments to Bay State borrowers and $257 million worth of mortgage relief across the Commonwealth.

These two grants are components of the HomeCorps, the Attorney General’s new statewide initiative to prevent unnecessary foreclosures in Massachusetts and help communities recover from the impacts of the foreclosure crisis. Designed to assist homeowners, the HomeCorps program includes these two initial grant programs, as well as the expansion of the AG’s Office’s efforts to provide loan modification assistance directly to borrowers. Additional grant opportunities designed to meet the goals of foreclosure prevention and community restoration will be released in the near future, all as part of a comprehensive plan for assisting homeowners throughout the Commonwealth.

“These grants are just one piece of a much larger program that we will implement to assist homeowners and prevent unnecessary foreclosures,” AG Coakley said. “We worked tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcome for Massachusetts borrowers from this national settlement, and we are continuing our work to provide real relief to borrowers and to hold lenders accountable for their unlawful actions.”

The HomeCorps: Borrower Representation Initiative is designed to provide legal services to distressed borrowers and to assist them with obtaining modifications or other relief to avoid foreclosure and loss of their homes. Organizations with the ability to oversee a statewide network of legal services organizations (LSO) offering a variety of free representation are encouraged to apply. Services provided by the LSOs include:

· Loan modification assistance, and;

· Legal representation for pre-foreclosure, post-foreclosure, bankruptcy and other homeownership proceedings.

The HomeCorps: Borrower Recovery Initiative Grant will help prevent homelessness and assist the recovery efforts of borrowers after they lose their homes due to foreclosure. Qualified applicants will be organizations with the ability to oversee a statewide network of borrower recovery sites with multiple disciplines and organizational missions, including:

· Community outreach;

· Financial counseling, and;

· Crisis intervention and social service referrals.

Applicants to both grant programs must be non-profit organizations in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service and in compliance with all reporting requirements of the AG’s Non-Profit and Public Charities Division.

The joint state-federal settlement resolves many of the claims outlined in AG Coakley’s lawsuit against the five banks filed in 2011. In Massachusetts, the settlement provides for immediate relief and continued enforcement. It also allows the Attorney General’s Office to continue to pursue claims against the banks for initiating illegal foreclosures in our state and corrupting the Commonwealth’s registered land system through MERS, the Mortgage Electronic Registration System.

Interested applicants can visit the Attorney General’s website, www.mass.gov/ago/grants, for additional information about the application process and to download application materials. The application deadlines are April 24, 2012 for the Borrower Representation Initiative and May 3, 2012 for the Borrower Recovery Initiative.

“I am pleased we were able to move this along favorably and hope the Senate will do the same” commented Rep. Madden. “We all know the volunteer firemen are crucial to the safety of the island and have been for years”.

The Governor’s Office will select 28 young people to represent the Commonwealth’s 14 counties – two representatives per county. Youth Council applicants should be passionate, motivated, emerging leaders between the ages of 14 and 20 with an interest in public service. Responsibilities will include: attending monthly meetings and conference calls, advocating for youth issues and incorporating the ideas of other youth and young adults into the creation of effective policy.

Youth can apply to serve on the Council by submitting an application available at www.mass.gov/governor/youthcouncil by Friday, May 25, 2012. A selection committee will review applications and select the 28 members, who will then be notified via mail. For additional information, please contact the Office of Community Affairs at 617-725-4020.

(L to R) Rep. Madden, Selectmen Jonathan Mayhew and Frank Fenner, Jr., Lt. Governor Timothy Murray after the meeting in Scituate, MA

BOSTON- Today the Massachusetts the Seaport Advisory Council voted to award $629,026 to the Town of Chilmark in order to help rebuild Menemsha from the July 12, 2010 fire which destroyed the dock. The funds will specifically be used for ongoing west dock repairs.

“Our Administration continues to invest in public infrastructure improvements for cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “With approximately 2,800 miles of coastline in Massachusetts, it is critical that we support infrastructure improvements in our port communities. By leveraging funds through the 2008 Environmental Bond Bill, the Seaport Advisory Council meeting agenda included a range of projects, and approved investments that will help local and regional economies and lead to job creation and economic development in Chilmark and other port communities.”

I would like to thank Lt. Governor Timothy Murray and his assistant Robyn Kennedy for all their support” commented Rep. Madden. “Tim Carroll and Diana DeBlase assistance was critical throughout this application process” he added.

Bank of America: 1-877-488-7814

Citi: 1-866-272-4749

Chase: 1-866-372-6901

GMAC: 1-800-766-4622

Wells Fargo: 1-800-288-3212

More information can be found on the state-federal settlement at the websites below:

www.mass.gov/ago/

www.NationalMortgageSettlement.com

www.HUD.gov

www.DOJ.gov

            Consumers who may have additional questions about the settlement or other concerns can submit a complaint online or call the Attorney General’s dedicated mortgage settlement phone line at (617) 963-2170. Consumers may also contact the Attorney General’s office at the following email address agocs@state.ma.us.

The attached release provides more details, including a discussion of our loan modification legislation (S. 868/H. 1219) and why it is a critical piece to helping homeowners in Massachusetts.