By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Homeowners will have an opportunity to attend a seminar with a foreclosure defense attorney this Friday, July 22 at the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces, located at 201 West Picacho Avenue.
An attorney will be giving a seminar on the foreclosure process starting at
8:00 am, which will be followed by individual consultations on foreclosure and loss mitigation. A HUD-certified housing counselor will also be available to meet with homeowners interested in loan modification on a first-come-first-served basis. This event is free and open to the public.
In New Mexico, lenders must file an action with the District Court in order to foreclose on a property. The plaintiff, typically a bank, must prove that it is entitled to take a property that was given as security for a loan. This process gives homeowners an opportunity to defend themselves in court. However, because the vast majority of homeowners are unrepresented in these cases, few are able to take advantage of this opportunity.
The United South Broadway Corporation's Fair Lending Center is a non-profit law office that provides counsel to homeowners qualifying for free legal services. The Fair Lending Center recently received a grant from the New Mexico State Bar Foundation to do a series of informational seminars on the foreclosure process throughout the state. The goal of these workshops is to provide defendant homeowners with enough information to respond to a complaint for foreclosure, and to make them aware of possible foreclosure alternatives.
USBC is also accepting applications for the Emergency Homeowner's Loan Program though July 22. Applications are available on-line at www.findehlp.org. EHLP will offer a limited number of homeowners, selected by lottery, an interest-free forgivable loan of up to $50,000 for mortgage payments. There are some eligibility requirements, including likelihood of foreclosure, being able to resume payment, and being delinquent for at least 3 months.