Foreclosure and Loan Modification Blog

Jake Sterling

Jake Sterling is Amerihope Alliance Legal Services' Homeowner Liaison. He helps to bring awareness and teach homeowners about foreclosure defense and options to save their homes.

Recent Posts

Bad Lending, Are You Being Taken Advantage Of?

If you put down less than 20% when you purchased a home, you probably pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI) every month. Private mortgage insurance protects the lender in case you can't make your payments and the house is foreclosed on. But what happens if you paid 20% down? Surely, that proves that your loan is not a risky one for the lender. I mean you have shown that you have a significant financial stake in the property. Pay attention, Mortgage Watchdog says that 70% of existing escrow accounts violate federal law by holding excessive balances. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (The FDIC is an independent agency of the federal government responsible for insuring deposits.) Home loan errors are costing Americans $8 billion to $10 billion each and every year.

Celebrating 20 Years of Service - Attorney at Law, Gregory M. Nordt, Esq.

Attorney at Law, Gregory M. Nordt, Esq. has reached another milestone – 20 years of service and experience in the field. He has been practicing foreclosure defense, banking/finance law, tax law, and IRS tax controversy since 1995. Mr. Nordt, along with his team at Amerihope Alliance Legal Services, invoke candor, integrity, and expertise whilst defending their clients. All with the common end goal of achieving the best possible outcomes.

“I, along with our entire team, am extremely proud of our attorney Greg Nordt, that he has reached this career milestone with such integrity," said Amerihope Alliance Legal Services Operations Manager Sherrill Clark. "We applaud Greg for his long standing commitment and passion." All cases are unique and Mr. Nordt treats all clients with the respect and care they deserve.  From the start, Mr. Nordt fights alongside his clients to ensure the end goal is met. 

“There are so many talented people I work with. For the last three years our Managing

And the Winner Is... [2015 Client Distinction Award Winner]

For the third year in a row, Gregory M. Nordt, ESQ is a Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review Rated Lawyer of Distinguished 4.4 out of 5 as of January 1, 2015 based on his client reviews of four main areas of question:

Why Do Houses Become Abandoned? Here Are 5 Reasons

1. Natural Disasters.

Floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. During natural disaster, people will skedaddle from their homes and sometimes they never return.

2. War or Civil Conflict.

Violence, anarchy, etc. In times of war and civil conflict there are lots of people who will just abandon their homes and never ever come back.

What Is Debt to Income Ratio?

When it comes to applying for a loan modification, your debt-to-income ratio is really very important. Having the right or wrong DTI ratio can make or break your loan modification. But what is debt to income ratio? Let's dive right in. President Obama's foreclosure prevention plan has it set up so that for your first mortgage, your Front-end debt-to-income ratio can be no more than 31 percent. This basically means that your house payment cannot exceed 31 percent of your gross monthly income. So if for example your monthly mortgage is $1,000, your gross monthly income should be at around $3,230 or more.

There are actually 2 debt-to-income (DTI) ratios to become familiar with:

  1. First there's your Front-end DTI ratio which is based on your house payment. Under the President's plan, the Front-end DTI ratio target of 31 percent only applies to your first mortgage. Other loans taken against your home such as a second mortgage or an equity line of credit are separate and are not a part of your Front-end DTI. Instead, you can calculate these other loans as a part of your Back-end DTI. But wait, what is Back-end DTI? I'm glad you asked!

  2. Besides Front-end DTI, you also have your Back-end DTI ratio which is based on all your monthly debt payments combined. This includes your house payment, credit card payments, auto loan payments.

What Can You Do If Your Loan Modification Is Denied? [Slideshow]

If your loan modification was denied, don't worry: you're not alone. Loan modifications may be one of the hardest things to get approved without the assistance of an experienced attorney. After denial, your next step will depend on the reason why you were denied and where your home is in the foreclosure process.

Top 5 Bank of America Loan Modification Problems

As the second largest bank in the United States based on total assets, Bank of America has become a staple in nearly every home. More so, Bank of America has been an integral factor in the financing of millions of mortgages across the U.S. With such a considerable level of relevance in home mortgages, it's easy to assume that BOA is the shining symbol of excellence. However, Bank of America has consistently been amid a whirlwind of mortgage lawsuits and shady practices over the last few years.

Gregory Nordt and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

Amerihope Alliance Legal Services managing attorney Gregory Nordt congratulates Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi who was re-elected to serve a second year term as Florida’s Chief Legal Officer. Attorney General Pam Bondi secured 55% of the vote with more than 5.6 million votes cast in the cabinet race.

When Should You Speak with a Foreclosure Attorney?

Although the number of Americans behind two or more months on their mortgage payments have fallen below  the 2 million mark for six consecutive months, an estimated 1.89 million borrowers had  serious delinquencies of  60-days+ in August 2014, according to HOPE. It does not matter why you fell behind on your mortgage payments. Unless you negotiate otherwise, you will fall into default on your mortgage loan, which triggers the foreclosure process.

But do you need a lawyer?

Massachusetts Is a Non-Judicial Foreclosure State, What's That?

Massachusetts is a non judicial (technically, “nonjudicial under power of sale in deed of trust") foreclosure state... Uhm, what the heck is that you ask? Oh, just that lenders can take your home without going through court, or any sort of judicial proceeding. Okay and?! AND, say good bye to any extra time you thought you had in your home, because clearly there will be no pending judicial process delaying your foreclosure... I don't mean to a big ole' foreclosure ogre or anything but that's reality peeps, time to embrace the “it is what it is.”

Foreclosure by sale  

Otherwise know as, “foreclosure under a deed of trust.” which just so happens to let the lenders sell your precious property through a power of sale (unfair much? after all you two have been through, haha they got you! If you didn't already know, lenders have 0 remorse..). Now I'm sure you want an explanation of how this power of sale BS works. Here it goes.....

About this Blog

Amerihope Alliance Legal Services is a leading loan modification and foreclosure defense law firm with attorneys licensed in 5 states. We have helped over 7,000 homeowners fight back and keep their homes.

Click to Read Our Super Loan Mod Success Stories

Our goal is to provide valuable information to help homeowners who are trying to obtain a loan modification or to stop foreclosure. You may schedule a free consultation at any time.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Lists by Topic

see all
Quick Foreclosure Quiz

Foreclosure Process Handbook