Union County, NJ – The Union County Foreclosure Task Force is reminding residents whose homes were undergoing a foreclosure process in 2009 and 2010 that they may be eligible for a free, comprehensive review of their case.
“If you were unfairly exposed to foreclosure in 2009 or 2010, Federal agencies have arranged a process that could help you seek redress,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “I urge you to take this opportunity to find out if your case can be reviewed.”
The free review process is the result of an enforcement action against more than a dozen mortgage servicing companies and vendors undertaken last spring by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Office of Thrift Supervision.
Under the terms of the enforcement action, those companies are required to engage independent consultants to review cases that were in a foreclosure process in 2009 and 2010.
The review is designed to reveal whether borrowers suffered financial injury through errors, misrepresentations, or other deficiencies in the process, and to determine appropriate remediation for those customers.
To be eligible for a review, the mortgage must have been active in the foreclosure process between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010. In addition, the property securing the loan must have been the primary residence, and the mortgage must have been serviced by one of the following mortgage servicers:
- America’s Servicing Company
- Aurora Loan Services
- Bank of America
- Beneficial
- Chase
- Citibank
- CitiFinancial
- CitiMortgage
- Countrywide
- EMC
- Everbank/Everhome
- Freedom Financial
- GMAC Mortgage
- HFC
- HSBC
- IndyMac Mortgage Services
- Metlife Bank
- National City
- PNC
- Sovereign Bank
- SunTrust Mortgage
- U.S. Bank
- Wachovia
- Washington Mutual
- Wells Fargo
The companies were required to send informational mailings to their customers, with instructions on how to apply for a review.
“If you have not received a mailing you may still be entitled to a review,” said Mirabella. “If you have any questions about your eligibility, don’t hesitate to call the federal hotline for more information at 1-888-952-9105.”
Persons seeking information on their eligibility can call the Independent Foreclosure Review toll free, 1-888-952-9105, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information is also available online at IndependentForeclosureReview.com.
All requests for review must be received by April 30, 2012.
For Union County residents who are not eligible for the Independent Foreclosure Review process, the Union County Foreclosure Task Force has free, reliable information and guidance that can help homeowners avoid foreclosure, or can help them cope with a foreclosure more effectively. Information for tenants is also available.
Visit the Task Force online at www.ucnj.org or call the toll free hotline at The Home Ownership Preservation Foundation, a Task Force partner, 888-995-HOPE (4673).
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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.
Tina Casey
Deputy Director
Union County Office of Public Information
908-527-4346