Funding Cut for The Homeowner's Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program

Now that Governor Rendell is gone and we have a so-called conservative Governor, the individual is in a lot of trouble in Pennsylvania. In addition to cutting funding for our children's education, Governor Tom Corbett has abruptly cut funding for the nationally recognized and admired program that has helped thousands of families save their homes. And he did so without so much of a peep. At least a "screw you consumers" would have been better than what we got.

The Homeowner's Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program ("HEMAP") was first created to help those who were in danger of losing their homes due to Pennsylvania's declining manufacturing industry. It has maintained its existence for nearly thirty years helping over 45,000 homeowners save their properties. It also operated on a fairly modest budget of approximately 8 to 10 million dollars a year, of which most of the loans were actually repaid. It worked like a bridge loan, helping to pay for the back payments or arrearages owed to mortgage companies in order to bring the mortgages current and take individuals and families out of foreclosure.

Now that HEMAP, the same program that the Feds modeled the less successful HAMP program after, has been unmercifully and ungracefully axed, the mortgage companies and banks should have a feeding frenzy at the expense of your neighbors, family and friends. Yes… the same banks who have been defrauding their customers and the courts for years with "Robo-signing and Securitized mortgages where, in many instances, your bank or mortgage company does not even own your mortgage, although they pretend to.

Yet, Governor Corbett is willing to forsake millions of dollars in revenues by turning the other cheek on taxing the Marcellus Shale drillers, who are beginning to wreak havoc with our environment. Chalk up another victory for big business and a loss for the consumer.

Fortunately, Governor Corbett and his cronies cannot stop you from defending yourself against the big business banks. You can still have your day in court by asserting your rightful defenses to a foreclosure lawsuit. This means that you can challenge the validity of the existence of the promissory note, the validity and credibility of other documents and the signers thereof. You can also challenge the ownership of the actual mortgage and if the entity bringing the suit actually owns the mortgage. There are only a handful of Philadelphia debt collector abuse attorneys who do this type of work, me included. Now, more than ever, its important to contact a lawyer in this area who will fight for you.