Legislators extend mortgage advice

Forum speakers urge residents at risk of foreclosure not to suffer in silence

With her son, Edward C. Thomas of Largo, now unable to pay for the house or get his money back, Thomas said she wants answers.

‘‘The government needs to come in and put a halt” to questionable home financing practices, she said.

To help residents cope with foreclosure or its threat, state Sen. Ulysses Currie hosted a forum April 10 for residents of the 1,100-home Perrywood community in Upper Marlboro.

Curry and several officials from state agencies said they are trying to help people like Thomas’ son.

‘‘We might not have all the answers, but we’re willing to listen to give people a sense of hope,” said Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of Forestville, whose district includes Perrywood.

Officials urged county residents who are falling behind on mortgage payments to seek out, before it is too late, the assistance that is available from state and nonprofit organizations while avoiding predatory lenders.

About half of borrowers in foreclosure proceedings do not contact their lenders for help, according to a 2005 survey by Freddie Mac, a government chartered mortgage financier.

A national mortgage crisis, spurred by questionable lending, is being felt worst in Maryland by Prince George’s County residents.

In February, 3,485 county residents were faced with mortgage foreclosures, the highest in Maryland and about 25 percent of the state’s total for that month, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Also in Prince George’s attending the forum were Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), Del. Melony G. Griffith (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro and Prince George’s County Council Chairman Samuel H. Dean (D-Dist. 6) of Mitchellville also attended.

O’Malley told the audience, which packed a cafeteria at Perrywood Elementary School, that homeowners in trouble should contact the hotline of the state’s foreclosure assistance program, Home Owners Preserving Equity or HOPE, at 877-462-7555.

The HOPE Web site, MdHope.org, contains information about emergency loan programs and nonprofit finance counseling organizations that operate in the county, including Sowing Empowerment and Economic Development, Inc., Kairos Development Corp., the Greater Washington Urban League, Inc. and the Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc.

O’Malley also outlined legislation that passed in the 2008 session, extending the foreclosure process from 15 days to 150 to give homeowners more time to get help, toughening criminal statutes against predatory lenders and prohibiting such lenders from tricking homeowners into signing over ownership of their homes.

‘‘You have a lot more rights now than you did a week ago,” Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Thomas E. Perez told the audience.

Currie said he planned to hold another forum in May in the Clinton area.

Other county state senators said they do not plan similar forums, but they intend to tell residents about assistance programs and the new foreclosure laws.

‘‘Over-information on an issue like this is better than under-informing,” said Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Dist. 22) of University Park, who plans to include foreclosure information in newsletters he sends to constituents.

Sen. Nathaniel Exum (D-Dist. 24) of Capitol Heights said he plans to share similar information at civic association meetings.

Perrywood resident Earl Day and his wife attended the April 10 forum and said they are threatened with foreclosure on their $585,000 home. Day said that for six years he was never late on a mortgage payment, but he has been falling behind recently as other bills pile up.

They tried to refinance their mortgage but could not get a good deal, Day said, so they are hoping now that the government can help.

‘‘There are so many people who are involved in this thing, so we just hope and pray they do what they say they are going to do,” Day said.