-------- Original
Message --------
| Subject: |
Families
Forced into Foreclosure & Bankruptcy - Predatory Lending Continues |
| Date: |
Fri,
18 Sep 2009 09:14:56 -0700 |
| From: |
"Stephen
M. Apatow" <s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net> |
| To: |
Emergency
Food and Shelter National Board Program
<efsp.email@uwa.unitedway.org> |
18
September 2009
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone: (203) 668-0282
Url: www.humanitarian.net
Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative
Url: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
Dear Colleagues:
Last evening, I received a call from a predatory lending challenge that
has been on going for close to two years in Connecticut. In
short, the
family according to the federal Making Home Affordable initiative, qualified for a
loan modification of approx. $960.00, yet have been forced into a
$2600.00 payment for close to a year. With no care, concern,
interest or sympathy, the bank that now holds the Countrywide loan
would not modify the mortgage. Just until recently, the bank
representatives stated that they did not recognize the federal
emergency mortgage relief initiatives. This has now changed, but
the family was forced to re-submit all the paper work, once again....
now they are close to three months behind, in a scenario where they
would have been upwards of $20,000 + ahead if the criminal predatory
lending issue was resolved.
The President's Hope Hotline and consumer credit protection agency
affiliate has been recently engaged and very helpful, but despite
multiple repetitive filing demands and mediated conversations between
the victim and bank, the only communications the family is receiving
are threats. The challenge has now been escalated by the federal
representatives.
Pain, suffering and damages that resulted from criminal
predatory lending, mortgage and appraisal fraud are vital, especially
for those who have been forced into foreclosure and close to 20 million
non business bankruptcies, during the last 10 years.
Our nation and financial system has collapsed due to these criminal
activities, yet the victims of the crimes have been left to suffer
while those responsible for the crimes continue to prosper. Our nation
and international community has been pushed into an economic collapse
due to a challenge exponentially larger and more severe than the Great
Depression, yet economic emergency
protections have not yet been enacted.
The financial institutions that packaged these mortgages
to fuel the unregulated OTC derivatives market, continue these
activities.
I watched the former Chair of the SEC on Bloomberg television the
other
evening, he told the commentator there was less than a 50% chance that
the
White House would be able to advance regulatory controls over the banks
and
non bank financial institutions.... that the actions may never happen.
In
short these financial institutions are pulling together all available
resources to stop the emergency stabilization initiatives by the United
States, G-20 and United Nations member countries. It's
called profit at any cost, and we could care less if you, your family
or the billions of impoverished across the globe die. The
challenge here is that the victims are not only the poor, but middle
and upper class America.
Many of the household level economic emergencies are hidden, many are
unwilling or embarrassed to ask for help. It was not until I
received a direct telephone call from the victim last evening,
that I learned that despite months of efforts, the scenario was
continuing to spiral out of control.
I pray that you will join me in efforts to reach every home in this
nation, to define the true scope of needs that exist and coordination
of resources and support that will facilitate stabilization and long
term recovery.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Apatow
Founder, Director of Research & Development
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Humanitarian University Consortium Graduate Studies
Center for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine & Law
Phone: 203-668-0282
Email: s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net
Internet: www.humanitarian.net
----------------------------------------
28 August 2009
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone: (203) 668-0282
Url: www.humanitarian.net
Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative
Url: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
US Economic Emergency Response Moves to the Household
Level
Two years into a national economic emergency,
the crisis on the household level has been virtually ignored.
It's time for
this to change. Emergency management leaders in Washington have
noted
the severity of this crisis, that has not yet been treated as a crisis.
Disinformation, regarding unemployment statistics is one variable
that has contributed to the confusion, since in June real unemployment
reached 18.2 percent:
Nearly
30 million working-age individuals were
underutilized in May 2009, the largest number in our nation’s history.
The
overall labor underutilization rate in May 2009 had risen to 18.2
percent, its highest value in 26
years. -- No Recovery in Sight, New York Times, 27 June 2009.
This statistics represents 30 million families in crisis and in need of
emergency assistance.
Disaster economic
emergency management discussions have included:
- Declaration of a state
of emergency, municipal, state than federal disaster declaration.
- Treating
the economic crisis as a post natural disaster incident, with house to
house needs analysis (every community, every U.S. county), to provide a
foundation for strategic implementation of resources needed for
stabilization. This includes a fast track, emergency pathway for
bankruptcy protection to stop all U.S. foreclosure actions with long
term sustainable court directed modifications. With 18.2 percent
real unemployment, this may mean a modified payment structure or
deferment for the time period in which
the state of emergency is active.
- 8-12
million foreclosures projected during the next 4 years represents a
systemic economic collapse scenario, that may require an active
declaration for a period equal to this projected period, or until
stabilization and functional self sufficient recovery is achieved.
- Systemic
needs analysis, on the city/state level to accommodate access to low
interest rate emergency loans, in conjunction with restructuring of
municipal
and state budgets under bankruptcy level protections.
Churches, interfaith and disaster
organizations are being asked to lead corporate, small business and
household level needs assessments, and emergency resource support, today.
In conjunction with the community level efforts, the National Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) provides a direct link to
<DisasterAssistance.gov>
where businesses and families can complete a pre-screening
questionnaire and application for emergency assistance, today.
Soundtrack "Special Forces Prayer" proceeds to support
Veterans and Wounded Warriors Advocacy
Our members of the armed forces protect all United States
citizens with their lives, it is time that we show respect, honor
and gratitude for their sacrifice. This need has prompted a
national call for all communities, businesses and corporations
to commit special programs and assistance for current members/veterans
of our armed forces, our most severely wounded warriors and wounded transitional. Discussions on the
table include:
- Jobless rate at 11.2% for veterans of Iraq,
Afghanistan: The 11.2% jobless rate for veterans who served
in Iraq and Afghanistan and who are 18 and older rose 4 percentage
points in the past year. That's significantly higher than the
corresponding 8.8% rate (3.20.2009) for non-veterans in
the same age group, says Labor Department economist Jim Walker. -- Article, USA Today, 20
March 2009. See Also: VetJobs:
America's Premier Job Board for Veterans.
- Untold Mortgage Crisis:
Families Facing
Military Foreclosures: According to one recent study, the
number of foreclosures in military towns are four times the national
average.
Why? Because military families were targeted as customers during the
boom
in subprime lending. Their frequent moves, overseas stints, and low pay
meant they were likely to have weak credit ratings. The initial low
rates
and easy terms of these loans made them more attractive than the
traditional
route of taking out a Veterans Administration (VA) loan. In fact, at
the
peak of the U.S. subprime lending, the number of new VA loans fell to
their
lowest level in 12 years. - Article: Veterans Today, 14 October 2008. See:
Crime
Victims of Predatory lending,
Humanitarian Resource Institute.
- Homeless
Veterans: The VA estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless
on any given night. And approximately twice that many experience
homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of
every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or
box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served
this country. The vast majority are single, most come from poor,
disadvantaged communities, 45 percent suffer from mental illness,
and half have substance abuse problems. America’s homeless veterans
have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War,
Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan),
Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military's anti-drug cultivation
efforts in South America. 47 percent of homeless veterans served
during the Vietnam Era. National
Coalition for Homeless Veterans: 1-800-VET-HELP.
- More
female veterans are winding up homeless; many are single parents:
One out of every 10 homeless vets under the age of 45 is now a woman,
the statistics show. Overall, female veterans are now between two and
four times more likely to end up homeless than their civilian
counterparts, according to the VA, most as a result of the same factors
that contribute to homelessness among male veterans: mental trauma
related to their military service and difficulty transitioning into the
civilian economy. -- Article:
Boston Globe, 2 July
2009.
To assist
with advocacy initiatives to address these unmet needs,
Country Music Association Artist Stephen Michael Apatow is dedicating the
soundtrack "Special
Forces Prayer" from the album compilation "Country Goes Global"
to this cause. The
words were written in 1961 for William Pelham "Bill" Yarborough, by
SF Chaplain John Stevey, the
7th SFG (ABN) Chaplain.
Rock The World Campaign
Rock The World: "Bridging Unmet Needs to Untapped Resources"
Artists/professionals, arts organizations, music labels (management,
arrangers, producers), film production and media companies asked to
join
together in the coordination of local events to spotlight the size and
scope of unmet needs on the community level, strategic planning and
development,
with emphasis on reaching families and organizations in crisis, that
have
fallen through the cracks. Additional information is available on
the "Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative"
web site.
Internet: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
"When campaigning, be swift as the wind; in leisurely
march, majestic as the forest; in attack, like fire; in standing, firm
as the mountains. As unfathomable as the clouds, move like a
thunderbolt," to protect the weak. - Adapted from Sun Tzu.
"The Art of War" - The
Ultimate Objective: Humanitarian Resource Institute.
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