Thousands of people in the Metro St. Louis Are will face foreclosure this year. Why? It might be a job loss, divorce, health crisis or a reduction in hours.
In addition, hundreds of people have adjustable rate mortgages that will be increasing this year, putting additional strain on family incomes.
Free help is available from local housing counseling agencies. A non-profit foreclosure prevention counselor may be able to help you:
• Understand your mortgage. • Evaluate your monthly income and expenses. • Explain options to help you avoid foreclosure. • Negotiate with your mortgage company to find a “work out option.” • Experience a “soft landing” if you decide not to keep your home.
To contact a local non-profit agency Click Here or contact the HOPE Hotline 24 hours a day at (888) 995-HOPE (4673).
Warning: The Missouri Attorney General is urging consumers to be very skeptical of every piece of mail they receive related to mortgage refinancing, loan consolidation, loan modification and foreclosure relief. Consumers are asked to check with their bank or call the Attorney General's consumer hotline at 800-392-8222 or go online at ago.mo.gov if they are unsure about an offer's validity. He also wants consumers to send him the offers they are receiving in the mail.
"Pack them up and send them to our office in Jefferson City," Koster said in a recent press release. "We will look at what you send us, investigate each new deceptive tactic and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law....That's what 'Zero Tolerance' for mortgage scams means in Missouri." For full press release click here.