Final “Fix Your Mortgage,” FREE Foreclosure-Prevention Event in 2010 Happening on Chicago’s West Side, Oct. 16, at Westinghouse College Prep

Free, professional assistance to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure modify their loans

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Inc. (NHS):

WHEN:
Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Doors will close at 12:30 p.m. or when 1,000 attendees have been registered.

WHERE:
Westinghouse College Prep, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd., Chicago, Ill. 60558.

WHAT:
The sixth and final “Fix Your Mortgage” foreclosure-prevention event in 2010 offers FREE, on-site loan modification application assistance and information to qualified, at-risk homeowners. This is the final event to be held in 2010 and co-sponsored by the City of Chicago (http://www.cityofchicago.org), Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (www.nhschicago.org) and Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund (www.atgf.com).

At the Oct. 16^th event, more than 100 volunteer real estate attorneys, HUD-certified counselors and other volunteers will review, FOR FREE, homeowners’ paperwork and determine if they qualify for assistance under the “Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan” – known as “Making Home Affordable” — http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov. If so, an application will be prepared on-site and submitted to the loan servicer THAT DAY via the Internet.

On Chicago’s Near West Side (an area bounded by Kinzie, 16th Street, the Dan Ryan Expressway and Rockwell), lenders filed 227 foreclosures from January through the end of June of 2010 - a 72 percent increase compared to the first half of 2009. (Woodstock Institute.) Also in the first half of 2010, the city of Chicago had 11,103 new foreclosure filings, a 14 percent increase from the same period in 2009.

WHO:
Residents:
The event is intended to help Chicago homeowners at risk of foreclosure determine if they may be eligible for help under the federal government’s foreclosure assistance plan. If so, they will receive assistance completing and submitting their online loan modification applications to their lenders.

Homeowners may be eligible if they:

• Are behind on their mortgage or are at risk of foreclosure.
• Are owner-occupants of a one- to four-unit property.
• Have a loan that was originated before January 1, 2009.
• Have income that will support monthly mortgage payments (even if it’s reduced).
• Have a mortgage payment that exceeds 31 percent of their gross income.

Sponsors:

The City of Chicago, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) and Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund (ATG).

For more information or to register, call NHS of Chicago at [phone] (English) or [phone] (Spanish). REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED.

Additional information can be found at the following websites: the City of Chicago: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/provdrs/afford_hous/svcs/fix_your_mortgage.html,

ATG: www.atgf.com and NHS: http://www.nhschicago.org.

About Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago

A nonprofit organization established in 1975, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Inc. (NHS) is committed to offering Chicago residents affordable resources so they can buy, maintain and sustain their homes. It partners with residents, block clubs, neighborhood organizations, financial institutions, the City of Chicago, insurance companies, corporations and foundations so that families can protect and preserve their single biggest investment—their homes. NHS is a charter member of the NeighborWorks® America network. Today, there are more than 230 network organizations working to revitalize communities with affordable mortgage financing and comprehensive homebuyer counseling.

Note to media, for more information please contact: Jason Sherman, SHERMAN communications and marketing, P: 708-445-8598, [e-mail], www.shermancm.com, Public relations firm.