National Black Church Initiative is a subsidiary of the DC Black Church Initiative

State Government Assistance

In some larger cities, Freddie Mac (and maybe Fannie Mae) has teamed up with local housing groups and/or legal assistance organizations to form foreclosure avoidance projects. Where these are available, community based housing organizations will be aware of them.

There are now a few funds out there to help people in precarious situations with their mortgages. Neighbor Works or local community housing organizations may be able to plug you in.

If you think your problems are the result of predatory lending practices or a fraudulent loan, get in touch with your local fair housing agency. You can obtain a list of fair housing organizations from the National Fair Housing Alliance's website, www.nationalfairhousing.org. Additionally, you can contact your local state attorney general or secretary of state. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-800-876-7060.

IN some cases you may need an attorney. Many of those attorneys that specialize in debtor assistance or bankruptcy will give a free one-hour consultation that may steer you in the right direction.

While state laws prevail over the actual foreclosure sale, the lender or servicer may have rules to follow before initiating foreclosure laid down by the actual owners or inventors of the loans. For example, federally guaranteed loans such as Veterans Administration or FHA loans have a book of rules to follow - if only we knew what they were. The VA and FHA websites are not particularly helpful regarding the subject so you may have to rely on the bank which underwrote your loan for information. Be assertive in your inquiries an you will eventually find out what hoops they and, consequently, you have to jump through.

It may be difficult to find out if your loan was sold under auspices of either of the the two GSEs, but you can at least be informed about their guidelines by visiting their websites (www.freddiemac.com; www.fanniemae.com) and looking at those sections dedicated to mortage servicing companies