St. Louis Suburban Journals – Ramona C. Sanders, Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Collinsville resident Jacqueline Hoffmann and her three daughters hope the Madison County Foreclosure Mediation program will help them keep their home.
Following a divorce and job loss in 2010, Hoffmann has had trouble paying her $1,100 mortgage payment with her income — unemployment and child support.
“Since I’m unemployed, I don’t have credit enough to get an apartment,” Hoffmann said. “I’ve gone through all the different agencies I can, I’m trying like everything I can. All I need is for my house payment to come down and I’ll be more than happy to pay.”
That’s why Hoffmann has turned to the newly formed circuit court-based program for residents in Madison and Bond counties. Since the mediation program started in June, it has helped 19 homeowners protect their homes from foreclosure, according to administrator Linda Jun.
Jun said the mediation program helps lenders and borrowers come to an agreement on how to stop the borrower’s home from being foreclosed, or sold by the lender to cover the unpaid loan balance.
“The mediation brings the parties to the table to an alternative arena to the court to explore alternatives, to see if the case can be resolved without a judgment and foreclosure,” Jun said.
County residents are notified that they are eligible for the foreclosure mediation program when they are served with foreclosure court documents. Jun said the homeowner also gets a notice about the program with a request for the homeowner’s information.
Jun said there are usually two pre-mediation meetings held with the homeowner so that he or she can gather all of the required documentation. The full mediation session involves a meeting between the lender and their attorney and the homeowner and their attorney or advocate. It is overseen by one of the 12 attorneys or experienced mediators who volunteer for the program.
