Valley lawyers offer services in some foreclosure cases

By Marc Kovac

A record 83,000 new foreclosure filings were made in Ohio’s courts last year.

COLUMBUS — More than 1,100 Ohio attorneys have agreed to provide their services, free of charge, to low-income residents facing foreclosure.

Of that number, 57 are from either Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Nineteen have volunteered from Mahoning, 27 from Trumbull and 11 from Columbiana.

The so-called pro bono work is part of a state-sponsored effort, titled Save the Dream, that is providing education, legal aid and other assistance to homeowners caught up in the subprime crisis.

“As I’ve traveled around the state these past months, I’ve met many Ohioans who have lost their homes or who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure,” Gov. Ted Strickland told reporters. “The situation is truly heartbreaking for these families.”

Strickland was joined a press conference by Attorney General Marc Dann, Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, state Treasurer Richard Cordray and others in announcing the new initiative.

They noted that 83,000 new foreclosure filings were made in Ohio’s courts last year, a record.

Upward of 90 percent of the families affected by such filings have no legal representation.

“It can cost literally thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer to defend a foreclosure action,” Dann said.

Last month, the Ohio Department of Commerce launched Save the Dream, a public awareness campaign that includes a Web site — www.savethedream.ohio.gov — and a toll-free hot line, (888) 404-4674.

In the past two weeks, more than 400 borrowers have contacted the state through the campaign and linked to housing counselors, Strickland said.

“We’re doing everything we can within the powers that we have to assist the people in Ohio who are suffering from these tragic circumstances,” he said.

The pro bono legal aid will be available to households at 250 percent of federal poverty guidelines (about $54,000 for a family of four). Eligibility will be widened as more lawyers step forward to participate.

Attorneys will analyze mortgages and related documents, determine whether terms can be reworked, represent clients in discussions with lenders and assist in mediation of foreclosure issues.

Dann called Ohio’s effort the most comprehensive state-sponsored foreclosure prevention program in the country and said it should help stem “the tide of despair and destruction” that hits communities because of foreclosures.

“Empty houses attract vandals and drug dealers,” he said. “Property values decline. Cities spend more for police patrols in those neighborhoods. And the courts become overwhelmed.”

mkovac@dixcom.com