Just in from the mayor’s office:

Mayor Greg Nickels invites homeowners who may be having
trouble paying their mortgages to attend a free workshop where they can
get assistance from lenders and counselors to help avoid foreclosure.
On Friday, July 24, the city’s Office of Housing and Human Services
Department, in partnership with federal, state and local non-profit
agencies, will hold the free workshop at Cleveland High School, 5511
15th Ave. S. on Beacon Hill. The workshop will run from 11 a.m. to 7
p.m.

“We’re extending a helping hand and making sure people who are
struggling can get their questions answered and make it through these
difficult times,” said Nickels. “Too often, homeowners don’t know
where to start or they wait too long to seek help when they have trouble
making their mortgage payments.”

Homeowners will be able to meet one-on-one with HUD-certified mortgage
counselors and learn about loan modification and refinancing options to
lower their monthly payments. The following lenders will be on hand to
work directly with their borrowers: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, GMAC,
Chase/WaMu, Ocwen, Freddie Mac and American Home Mortgage. Translators
will also be available.

Homeowners should bring copies of the following documents: a photo ID,
social security card, closing documents, 2007-2008 W-2s and tax returns,
last two months’ pay stubs, last two bank statements, monthly mortgage
statements or notices, and if it is applicable, a medical letter from a
doctor or a layoff notice from employer. Aside from loan modifications,
the event also will offer workshops on the foreclosure process, avoiding
foreclosure scams, repairing credit scores and budgeting.

“While Seattle has not been hit with foreclosures like some areas of
the country, there has been an increase with the downturn in the
economy. Unfortunately, the increased awareness of foreclosures has
provided an opportunity for scam artists to prey upon vulnerable people
who don’t know what their real options are,” said Linda Taylor,
housing director for the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, a
nonprofit agency that has been offering mortgage counseling services for
40 years.

Those planning to attend can register by calling the Urban League of
Metropolitan Seattle at 1-800-368-1455. Walk-ins are also welcome. More
information is available at
www.seattle.gov/housing/buying/ForeclosurePrevention.htm, including
flyers in English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The workshop is co-sponsored by the city of Seattle, the Federal
Reserve Bank of San Francisco (Seattle branch), U.S Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC), Washington State Department of Financial
Institutions, the Seattle-King County Asset-Building Collaborative, the
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and Comcast.