Courts Staggering Under the Weight of Foreclosure Cases
The scene in courthouses is awesome – the courts are staggering under the weight of foreclosure cases.
Lee County courtroom depicts a typical scene. The judge asks the defendant if he or she is current in mortgage payment. The answer is invariably negative. Next the judge wants to know if the accused is living on the said property and here in most cases the answer this time is in the affirmative. The judge then gives a typical reply that the file has been reviewed and summary judgment will be granted. The defendant will be awarded a copy and also some extra time – about 60 days until the unit is sold. The brief speech ends with thanks. The whole drama takes 18 seconds. The homeowner has played his or her part and lost the game in 18 seconds. The answer is routine – pay up or get out.
Rachelle Hanleck was lucky to get a full minute in the court. She was lagging behind for twelve months and was hopeful of getting a sympathetic hearing. Sobbing she tried to explain that she was a teacher belonging to a migrant community.” But to the court she was nothing more than a number. Nobody had the time or patience with her tears. Her lender has refused to refinance the loan. She has no alternative but to move out.
Lee County court is clogged with backlogs of over 24,000 foreclosure cases. Charlie Green the clerk at the county civil court felt that it was high time some cleaning up was done. He informed that this was being done.
On that particular morning 450 foreclosure cases were heard. Only 47 foreclosure victims appeared at court. Most of them will have their houses put up for auction in the next two months.
CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports that Philadelphia City has taken a dissimilar stand in tackling the foreclosure problem. In courtroom 676 the traditional rules of the courthouse have been set aside. New deals are being worked out between the two contenders – the borrowers and lenders. Lisa Lee representing mortgage companies opined that the two have more in common than they know. The lenders of today do not want to be saddled with more foreclosures. It is a loss to them to be saddled with real estate inventory. This is something borrowers want to hear. The judges are working with the attorneys to make this reality come true and bring about a halt to foreclosures. Five other cities are duplicating this plan.
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