The Attorney General’s office has a wide range of statewide assistance programs funded through the national mortgage settlement that could help those having problems paying their mortgage.

The other day a caller said “I used a document preparer or bankruptcy petition preparer. Certainly they have obligations to keep my social security number confidential?” Unfortunately I had to say “Oh how wrong you are.”

Although the economy has come a long way with a significant downturn of foreclosures in our state over the past couple of years, there are still a number of people that are in hardship situations as a residual to the crash. As real estate professionals, we come across many situations when dealing with the public.  I found this information to be a good resource to find mortgage modification programs. More information can be found at the Attorney General’s web site.

The Attorney General’s office has a wide range of statewide assistance programs funded through the national mortgage settlement that could benefit someone facing challenges to pay their mortgage. They include:

•   Zero interest, forgivable loans from AZ Mortgage Relief Fund to help with past due payments as a result of a hardship, principal reduction or refinance when a loan is going to become unaffordable due to a hardship or an interest rate increase.

•   Foreclosure prevention and financial literacy counseling by HUD-approved housing counselors

•   Free legal help with mortgage related issues for people at risk of or impacted by foreclosure

•   Job training and employment services for people who lost their home or were evicted due to foreclosure

•   Funds for veterans with service connected disabilities who can’t afford to make accessibility improvements and maintain their mortgage payment. This feature is coming in August 2014. CLICK

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Note from Diane: Be very careful about the con artists trying to separate you from your hard earned money.  These folks may promise to contact your lender, if only you pay a mere $5,000 for their “experienced services”.  Does that mean that every company or attorney offering to help is a con artist – no.  But, it does mean there are several out there and it is difficult to determine who is legitimate and who is not.  Do you own homework first.  Ask for references.

We have several videos on this site.  Below are some samples:

• “Suggestions on How to Hire an Attorney”
• “What are the Lender’s Foreclosure Rights in Arizona?”
• “Should I keep my home or let it go into foreclosure?”