Archives

WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, OH - February 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge is pleased to announce introduction of legislation to aid states and cities in addressing the need to demolish vacant and abandoned properties. The Restore our Neighborhoods Act of 2013 (H.R. 656) was jointly introduced by Congresswoman Fudge (OH-11), Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) and unveiled today at a news conference in Cleveland.

COLUMBUS, OH - February 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) today announced expansions to the State of Ohio's foreclosure prevention program, Save the Dream Ohio. Effective February 1, the enhancements to the program and eligibility requirements are intended to aid OHFA in assisting more homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments.

CLEVELAND, OH - January 18, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- At an event today at Community Housing Solutions with Ohioans who were unlawfully foreclosed on, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released a letter to federal regulators urging them to cancel tax breaks for big banks involved in the settlement deal on unlawful foreclosures.

COLUMBUS, OH - January 17, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today reminded eligible Ohioans that January 18th is the deadline to submit claims for compensation to the National Mortgage Settlement Administrator. Pursuant to the National Mortgage Settlement announced in February 2012, eligible borrowers who lost a home to a foreclosure sale would be eligible for direct compensation.

COLUMBUS, OH - October 1, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) is proud to mark the two-year anniversary of Ohio's statewide foreclosure prevention program, Restoring Stability: A Save the Dream Ohio Initiative which has disbursed $82.5 million on behalf of 7,459 homeowners.

COLUMBUS, OH - September 25, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said today that claim forms are going out to 64,428 Ohio borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 and who may be eligible for payment under the $25 billion National Mortgage Foreclosure settlement.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 13, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that a housing advocate and Miami Valley leader has been named to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board. Brown urged the CFPB to select Jim McCarthy, president and CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC), to serve on the 25-person panel that will advise the CFPB on a broad range of consumer financial issues and emerging market trends.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New rules proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today include provisions—authored by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)—to protect homeowners from surprises and costly mistakes by their mortgage servicers. Brown’s Foreclosure Fraud and Homeowner Abuse Prevention Act of 2011 would expand access to foreclosure prevention services, while increasing protections for homeowners and investors in mortgage-backed securities.

DAYTON, OH - July 31, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- In advance of forum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a new effort to ensure our nation’s servicemembers’ and their families’ rights are protected.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 26, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Only 6,000 of the 140,000 eligible Ohioans have initiated a foreclosure review process which could put as much as $125,000 in their pockets. During a news conference call today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) alerted more than 140,000 Ohioans whose homes were foreclosed on in 2009 and 2010 to the Independent Foreclosure Review (IFR) process which awards financial assistance to borrowers who were foreclosed on because of errors or misrepresentations by lenders. Requests for review must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2012

COLUMBUS, OH - April 11, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) today announced the recipients of the 2012 Housing Tax Credit (HTC) program, used to fund the construction, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable housing communities across Ohio. More than $29 million in federal housing tax credits was awarded to 37 developments that will serve families, seniors and individuals with disabilities

COLUMBUS, OH - January 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to assist more Ohioans at risk of mortgage loan default or foreclosure, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) recently announced new changes to the state's foreclosure prevention program. Enhancements to Restoring Stability: A Save the Dream Ohio Initiative are designed to expand eligibility to reach more Ohio homeowners.

Washington, DC - November 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a longtime advocate for homeowners in Ohio, today released the following statement upon the news that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will move forward with a plan to review up to 4 million potentially improper home foreclosures.

COLUMBUS, OH - August 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board today authorized the issuance of up to $15.5 million in Multifamily Bonds. Multifamily Housing Bonds are tax-exempt revenue bonds designed to lower the costs of borrowing for housing developers. The program provides financial assistance for the development and rehabilitation of affordable housin

CINCINNATI, OH - August 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- American Equity Group A federal grand jury has indicted four people who ran a Cincinnati real estate business known as American Equity Group (AEG) with fraudulently obtaining more than $13 million in loans through a loan fraud scheme that targeted homeowners or builders in or near foreclosure.

DAYTON, OH - August 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of reports that banks and mortgage processors have continued forging signatures and submitting false affidavits, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for renewed federal efforts to crackdown on this risky, illegal practice that undermines Ohio’s housing market during a news conference today.

CLEVELAND, OH - July 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of reports that banks and mortgage processors have continued a practice known as “robo-signing”—forging signatures and submitting false affidavits—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) held a news conference in Cleveland today to call for renewed federal efforts to crackdown on this risky, illegal practice that undermines Ohio’s housing market. This unlawful act has forced thousands of homeowners into foreclosure and raised doubts about the ownership of hundreds of thousands of mortgages. Recently, both the Associated Press and Reuters reported that despite regulators’ assurances to the contrary, illegal robo-signing allegedly remains rampant in both foreclosure and non-foreclosure cases. The reports also suggest that some regulators are aware of these violations.

CLEVELAND, OH - July 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against foreclosure rescue company Diversified Real Estate Consultants LLC (DREC), its affiliates, and its owner for multiple violations of Ohio consumer laws."This company continually misled consumers," Attorney General DeWine said. "It charged substantial upfront fees for services and results that it promised but never delivered. It also encouraged homeowners to default on their mortgage loans, falsely stating that defaulting on their loans would help them get a loan modification. Such statements are completely false and caused homeowners to risk losing their homes."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced new relief for unemployed Ohioans facing foreclosure. Changes announced today to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requirements and the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA) would extend the timeline and remove hurdles for unemployed Ohioans to qualify for foreclosure

COLUMBUS, OH - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) has been awarded $1,461,561 to continue supporting the availability of foreclosure counseling and prevention services across the state.