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Visit Tales from the Trenches, the national blog for Facing the Mortgage Crisis.
Facing the Mortgage Crisis is part of CPB’s Public Service Media Economic Response Initiative.In-Depth Reports and Programs
Below are in-depth reports and programs, local and national, that have aired on WCPN and WVIZ about the mortgage crisis.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times
A Muppet family copes with uncertain economic times. Elmo and his friends offer advice and hope.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Mortgage Fraud Task Force: Largest Indictment in US From Cleveland and Eastern Suburbs
Law enforcement officials from across Northeast Ohio yesterday announced what they are calling the largest mortgage fraud indictment in the country. The indictment charges 57 defendants for fraudulently flipping hundreds of houses in nearly two dozen Greater Cleveland communities. ideastream®'s Mhari Saito reports.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Frontline: Inside the Meltdown
Chronicles the Bear Stearns deal, the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the $700 billion bailout.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Lenders Unload Mortgage Debt
Lenders have come under fire for failing to modify troubled mortgages in a way that borrowers can actually pay for the home. Now, in particularly hard hit real estate markets like Cleveland, some borrowers are finding lenders offering them a surprising solution to their mortgage problems. It's a phenomenon some are calling "extreme short payoffs." ideastream's Mhari Saito has the latest in our ongoing series, "Facing the Mortgage Crisis."
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
CSU Study: Cleveland House Prices Dropping, Suburbs Holding
In the aftermath of the mortgage crisis, statistics on home values are a worry for many homeowners throughout Northeast Ohio. But they don't necessarily give a true measure of a single home's actual worth. Foreclosed properties drive down average and median home prices; but when you separate them out, the picture can look a lot different. A new study out of Cleveland State University does just that. ideastream®'s Mhari Saito reports.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mortgage Modification Event Prompts Mixed Reactions
It's the best of times...it's the worst of times. That Dickens line pretty well sums up the mixed reactions of Northeast Ohioans who attended an event to help at-risk homeowners this past week. N.A.C.A., the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America --- a Boston-based group --- came here to fast-track mortgage modifications. As a part of our on-going coverage, "Facing the Mortgage Crisis", ideastream®'s David C. Barnett tagged along.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Senate Banking Committee Grills Government Officials and Bank Executives
Banking Committee senators summoned federal officials and bank executives to Capitol Hill. They wanted to find out why the government is failing to stop waves of foreclosures that are hurting cities like Cleveland. As Eric Niiler reports, the hearing still didn't answer who is responsible.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Getting Help With a Mortgage in Trouble
Today and through the weekend, a Boston-based foreclosure prevention group hosts an event at downtown Cleveland's Wolstein Center. The nonprofit group, The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, says it will help low and moderate income borrowers in trouble get into cheaper, lower interest loans. There are also a number of organizations that do that here in NE Ohio. ideastream®'s Mhari Saito reports as part of our ongoing coverage, Facing the Mortgage Crisis.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Audio Postcard: On the Frontlines of the Mortgage Mess
For some trying to avoid foreclosure and deal with lenders is just too confusing or frustrating. So, they turn to a group known for persistance, cunning and combativeness...when necessary: Lawyers. Lawyers like those you'd find at Ohio's Snyder Pro Law. The firm specializes in foreclosure assistance and uses a Chesterland-based paralegal company, Performing Investments Corporation, to help with their caseload. The firms allowed WCPN to listen in to their front-line encounters on the loan modification playing field.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Why Aren’t Banks Modifying More Mortgages?
Today the heads of the country's largest mortgage lenders are in Washington DC to answer questions from Senators wanting to know what they've been doing to help home owners in trouble. It's a good question because, according to the best research available, only a small fraction of borrowers facing foreclosure have had their loans modified -- and most of those who did ended up with higher mortgage payments. That made no sense to ideastream executive editor David Molpus who turned to reporter Mhari Saito to help explain.
Take Action
United Way 211
United Way's 211/First Call For Help is a free and confidential information service ready to direct you to the health and human services you need in Cuyahoga, Geauga and Medina Counties.
Just dial 2-1-1. Professional staff are available to help you 24 hours a day, every day.
Save the Dream
The American dream of home ownership is disappearing during these times of crisis. In Ohio, rising unemployment, loss of business, and a bleak economic outlook also threaten that dream.
Help is available. Save the Dream provides information and highlights programs that Ohioians can use to help save the dream of owning a home.
Upcoming Events
ESOP Partners with Area Suburbs to Help Homeowners
Two additional suburbs will hold local intake sessions, in partnership with ESOP (Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People), to provide FREE foreclosure prevention counseling to area homeowners. This initiative builds on ESOP’s track record of making its highly successful foreclosure counseling practices more readily available in Cuyahoga County suburbs. ESOP already provides intakes in South Euclid and Lakewood.
Starting Feb. 4, 2010, trained counselors from ESOP will also set up shop once a week in Bedford Heights and Garfield Heights. Please see below for more detailed information on the time and location of these new intake sessions. Homeowners do not have to be city residents but MUST call or email ESOP to set up an appointment.
Bedford Heights, Every Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Jimmy Dimora Community Center, 5615 Perkins Road, Bedford Heights, OH 44146
Garfield Heights, Every Thursday at 1 p.m.
Word of Righteousness Family Life Center, 13455 Dressler Avenue, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125
To make an appointment or for more information, please call ESOP at 216-361-0718 or email .
ABOUT ESOP:
ESOP is a HUD-certified housing counseling agency. ESOP’s success stems from partnerships with various lenders and servicers, allowing for easy negotiation of loan modifications. ESOP has been nationally and internationally recognized for its campaigns against predatory lenders and for its success obtaining mortgage resolutions that keep families in their homes.
Funding
Funding for the coverage of economy and jobs topics comes from The Cleveland Foundation; The George Gund Foundation; The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation; The Nord Family Foundation; The Bruening Foundation; The Community Foundation for Lorain County; and The Charter One Foundation.
