Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns has been repeating what might seem an odd mantra to some but might be the best advice to curb an impending foreclosure crisis: “If you are behind on your loan, stay in your home.”
Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns has been repeating what might seem an odd mantra to some but might be the best advice to curb an impending foreclosure crisis: “If you are behind on your loan, stay in your home.”
It’s good advice. A two-year backlog of loan defaults was staved during the pandemic, but with infections appearing – maybe – to be waning, government-imposed moratoriums on foreclosures have ended.
Kearns has long been an advocate of protecting neighborhoods. Throughout much of his career in public-service, he has sounded the alarm over zombie houses – abandoned properties that attract criminals and lay waste to residential streets. As county clerk, Kearns has continued that advocacy.
He has been working with the Western New York Law Center, Belmont Housing Resources for WNY and Local Initiatives Support Corp. to inform homeowners about their options. The group also has been training municipalities on how to deal with lenders not taking responsibility for properties on which they foreclose.
To continue reading the rest of the article, please click on the source link below: