Foreclosure nightmare

Assistance is available for local homeowners

By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com
Like clockwork, Cutler residents Kenny and Sherri Scarbro mailed their mortgage payment to their lender every month.

But the couple encountered problems last fall when their original lender sold their loan to another company. Suddenly, checks were being returned and demands were being made for more money. Within a few months the Scarbros received notice that foreclosure proceedings were under way.

“It wasn’t that we didn’t have the money. We were able to make our payments,” said Sherri Scarbro, 43. “It’s just that they wouldn’t take our checks. There was always some excuse ... The account numbers didn’t match, or it wasn’t enough.”

The next several months were filled with fear, frustration and many sleepless nights, the couple said.

Their story is not unique. Last year in Washington County 182 other homeowners faced foreclosure. Statewide the number of foreclosures last year jumped to 83,000, a record high.

“You cry. You pray. You do whatever you can do,” Scarbro said.

Eventually, the couple sought the assistance of Southeast Ohio Legal Services, a group of attorneys who help low-income families with legal issues.

“I thought an attorney would be our last option,” Scarbro said. “I didn’t think we could afford help. But I didn’t give up. I wanted to. But I didn’t.”

In response to the mortgage crisis, Ohio lawmakers announced Tuesday a statewide effort to provide more legal assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure. The “Save the Dream” foreclosure assistance program connects qualified homeowners with legal aid lawyers and nearly 1,100 attorneys who have volunteered to provide legal services free of charge.

Homeowners facing foreclosure are being encouraged to call a hotline, 1-888-404-4674, to see if they meet eligibility requirements to be connected with an attorney. Basic income eligibility is 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which is about $54,000 for a family of four.

Dennis Harrington, an attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services in Marietta, said too many people facing foreclosure are too embarrassed to come forward and ask for help. He said by the time most people ask for help it is too late.

“Too many people stop opening their mail or answering their phones and just shut down,” Harrington said. “Not every home can be saved. But the only way to know is to talk to someone who knows.”

Scarbro said Harrington was able to save their home by getting the lender to agree to waive their late fees and foreclosure costs.

Locally, nine attorneys have agreed to provide free legal help for families who qualify.

Attorney Bob Ellis said it is in everyone’s best interest to prevent foreclosure.

“Because there have been so many foreclosures the lenders aren’t getting the money they need out of these properties,” Ellis said. “So it makes them a little more responsive to concessions.”