Texas Foreclosure Prevention Efforts
For 2009, Texas ranked 29th among all states in foreclosure rate, an increase of 4.04% from the year before. Nationally, 2009 was the worse year for foreclosures in US history, with 2.8 million property owners receiving a foreclosure notice.
Compared to other states, it’s very easy to get a foreclosure in Texas.
Foreclosures can be obtained both in and out of court, depending on the specifics of the mortgage or deed of trust. To foreclose on a home a lender mails a letter to a past due borrower, allowing him at least 20 days to pay the default amount on the loan. Once this period lapses the lender can demand the full balance on the loan and schedule a sale. There is no requirement that the sale notice be listed in the local paper. It simply has to be posted at the door to the courthouse. According to the Texas Housing and Community Affairs Department, delinquent homeowners can lose their homes in as little 41 days, the fastest process in the entire country.
State Senator Craig Estes and the state Attorney General Greg Abbott are backing a bill to extend the timeline on foreclosure procedures, but Governor Rick Perry has given no indication that he’ll sign it. If you find yourself at risk of falling behind in your mortgage payments in Texas, it’s vital that you take immediate action to save your home.
Your primary state resource for mortgage assistance is The Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. It’s a consortium of 50 organizations representing state and municipal governments, lenders and non-profit community activists working together to help families forestall foreclosures. Call the bi-lingual hot line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for assistance: 1-888-995-HOPE. Callers can get help establishing a dialog with their loan servicers, creating budgets and action plans and connecting with local public organizations. The task force does not provide any relief funds. Contact JoAnn DePenning, Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force Coordinator at jdepenning@austin.rr.com for further information.
If you live in one of Texas’ major cities, below are the numbers to call for local help:
City of Fort Worth Housing Department
1000 Throckmorton
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: 817-392-7322
Fax: 817-392-7508
http://www.fortworthgov.org/housing/
Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation
4300 Lyons Avenue
Houston, Texas 77020
Phone: 713-651-8050
Fax: 713-674-0176
http://www.fifthwardcrc.org
City of San Antonio Department of Community Initiatives
115 Plaza De Armas, Suite 210
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Phone: 210-207-5910
Fax: 210-207-5914
http://www.sanantonio.gov/communit/?res=1280&ver=true
Gulf Coast Community Services Association
5000 Gulf Freeway
Houston, Texas 77002
Phone: 713-393-4700
Fax: 713-393-4751
http://www.gccsa.org
Project Bravo
4838 Montana
El Paso, Texas 79903
Phone: 915-562-4100
Fax: 915-562-8952
http://www.projectbravo.org
Jordan Community Development Corporation
1701 N. Greenville Ave., Suite 1005
Dallas, Texas 75081
Phone: 972-763-0878
Fax: 972-437-0786
http://www.jordancdc.org
NID-HCA Ephram Neal
4901 Alicia Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76133
Phone: 817-346-9990
Fax: 817-423-4207
http://www.myhomecounselor.com
North and East Lubbock Community Development Corporation
1708 Cricket Avenue
Lubbock, Texas 79401
Phone: 806-747-5937
Fax: 806-747-5934
http://www.nelcdc.org
North Texas Housing Coalition
2900 Live Oak, 2nd Floor
Dallas, Texas 75204
Phone: 214-946-3500
Fax: 214-826-5181
http://www.nthcinc.org
Contact: Lawanda Strhan
lstrhan@nthcinc.org
Credit Coalition
3300 Lyons Avenue, #203A
Houston, Texas 77020
Phone: 713-224-8100
Fax: 713-224-8102
http://www.creditcoalition.org
Contact: Sherrie Young
sherrie@creditcoalition.org
FrameWorks Community Development Corporation
701 Tillery Street, Suite A-7B, Box 15
Austin, Texas 78702
Phone: 512-385-1500
Fax: 512-385-1503
http://www.frameworkscdc.org
Contact: Joyce McDonald
joyce@frameworkscdc.org
If you haven’t found your town listed, go to the HUD website for more.
If you are unable to reach your servicer or local state program, or if you would like additional assistance in this process contact Mortgage Outreach at 1-866-408-0420. Mortgage Outreach works directly with many servicers to help find solutions for borrowers that are struggling to keep up with their payments.
