This is a guest post from Justin Haines, Director of the Foreclosure Prevention Unit at Legal Services NYC – Bronx. Justin has lead the Center’s training effort for citywide advocates for the past two years; he is our network expert on the all things related to the tax lien sale. This year, in coordination with […]
Last month saw three important developments in the world of flood insurance that will have a big impact on New York homeowners: first, New York City has formally appealed FEMA’s proposed flood maps; second, we rallied for proposed New York State legislation to bring justice to victims of Hurricane Sandy who were short-changed by insurance […]
Homeowners at risk of foreclosure got a big boost in this year’s City budget, which went into effect July 1st. This year, the New York City Council increased funding for at-risk homeowners to $2 million, an increase of $1.25 million from last year’s budget. This new funding will allow the Center to expand programming for […]
Did you know that since 2010, almost 3,000 New Yorkers have reported being victims of foreclosure rescue scams? And that’s just reported scams — many more homeowners have no doubt been scammed, but did not know how to report it, or were too embarrassed to come forward. Foreclosure and mortgage scams are a major threat […]
The Center is constantly on the lookout for emerging threats to homeowners – and combating foreclosure rescue scams continues to be a top priority. Recently we have seen an alarming increase in deed theft scams. Several individuals associated with Homeowner Assistance Services of New York and Launch Development LLC were recently charged in federal court […]
amNewYork provides an online mapping tool that shows the concentration of zombie properties in communities hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis. Check out this great special report on “zombie” properties in today’s amNewYork. The report, which documents the destructive impact that zombie properties have on their neighbors, provides a very useful new data and mapping […]
Over the past three years, the Center has partnered with the Seth Sprague Foundation to connect new housing counselors with mentors, certified counselors with extensive experience in foreclosure prevention. The mentorship program, which includes shadowing, collaboration, and ongoing discussion, is a valuable experience for everyone involved, and, in particular, the clients, who receive high quality […]
In April, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $36 million in grants to support housing counseling work nationally. Over $2.1 million will go to 16 organizations across New York State, though only about 20% of that total (approximately $2 million) will go to organizations serving residents of New York City. New […]
On Earth Day, Mayor de Blasio released his OneNYC plan, a blueprint of policies and goals intended to help make New York City more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. The “Resiliency” plank of the Mayor’s plan includes ensuring that the city’s infrastructure is robust enough to withstand the challenges of natural disasters and climate change. As […]
Last week, the New York State Attorney General’s office announced a new judgment against two law firms involved in foreclosure rescue scams. The judgment ordered Litvin Law Firm; Litvin, Torrens & Associates, PLLC; and the firms’ principal attorney Gennady Litvin to immediately halt their illegal business practices and provide a full accounting so that the […]
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