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HMFA to Train Additional Foreclosure Counselors
Counselors Will Learn How to Assist Homeowners Facing Foreclosure
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TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) announced today that it will host a training session on February 25 to instruct HMFA-certified counselors on how to help struggling homeowners utilize the New Jersey Judiciary Foreclosure Mediation Program and other foreclosure prevention programs enacted by the state in recent months.
“It’s imperative that counselors get the training they need to help at-risk homeowners take full advantage of the resources Governor Corzine and other state leaders worked hard to make available,” said Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Joseph Doria. “I have no doubt the HMFA will prepare and inspire counselors to hit the ground running.”
The goal of the training is to instruct counselors specifically on the New Jersey Judiciary Foreclosure Mediation Program that was officially launched in January. The free program aims to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by finding a compromise that benefits both the homeowner and the lender. The state provides participating homeowners with access to trained housing counselors, mediators and, in some cases, legal assistance in an effort to reach an amicable result. Homeowners qualify for the program if they own and live in the home that is subject to foreclosure and aren’t in bankruptcy.
“In their hour of need, more and more New Jerseyans are turning to housing counseling agencies to help them make sense of their financial situations,” said Marge Della Vecchia, HMFA’s Executive Director. “This training will provide vital support to the housing counseling agencies that are on the front lines of this crisis.”
In December, counselors from twenty housing agencies across the state received foreclosure mediation counseling training at the HMFA, an affiliate of the DCA. They were instructed by representatives of the Office of the Public Advocate, New Jersey Judiciary, Legal Services of New Jersey and HMFA. At the February 25th training, counselors will learn about the Judiciary’s Foreclosure Mediation Program, as well as other HMFA foreclosure prevention programs for homeowners who have fallen behind in their mortgage payments.
To learn more about the foreclosure mediation training and additional foreclosure prevention programs, log on to www.nj-hmfa.com and click on the links for Foreclosure Guidance and Foreclosure Prevention Resources, or call the HMFA at (609) 278-7400.
