Posts 
Middlesex County courts have just launched a new program that brings lenders and homeowners together for negotiations. This kind of program will soon be duplicated in other courthouses within the state by mide-December.
The said program is spearheaded by Judge Frank and Francis Ciuffani, who reached out to about 70 lawyers in the Middlesex County Bar Association who, in return, volunteered to represent homeowners in negotiations. However, these volunteers have a limited scope, only for those who contested foreclosure actions.
Negotiations really matter for it can lead to changes in terms of loans or refinancing. In some cases, this can mean thousands of dollars being forgiven. Unfortunately, some great debts cannot be saved by any mediation anymore. It greatly depends on the capacity of a homeowner to pay.
Another good thing about the new program is that it is mandatory for people to contest foreclosures. A lot of people do not combat foreclosure actions. In fact in New Jersey, uncontested foreclosures are about 95 percent of the total actions. Sometimes, they just make a move when it is already too late.
The said program aims to help people before they ran out of options. Even if there has been a default judgment already to someone who has stopped paying mortgages, one can still ask for mediation.
Not all the benefits go to the homeowner because even banks are helped by making a loan “perform” again, Therefore, the program works both ways – clearly showing that the courts always remain neutral.
The growing number of foreclosures every year is not favorable therefore homeowners must step up in fighting foreclosures, now that there are a lot of easy ways doing it.
Homeowners in Middlesex County should understand first that they will have to go through one of these nonprofit agencies for some counseling regarding their financial state: New Jersey Citizen Action (Highland Park), Faith Fellowship Community Development Corp. (Sayreville), Puerto Rican Action Board (New Brunswick).
There is no guarantee for all happy endings with the new program; but as always, trying matters.
