Hope LoanPort (HLP) has announced that they have begun a collaboration with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to share information specific to entities representing consumers in pursuit of a foreclosure alternative. HLP has also become a member of the Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network to assist consumers in avoiding foreclosure rescue fraud.
The Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network is a national coalition of governmental and private organizations providing resources in support of ongoing efforts to combat foreclosure rescue scams. The lead organizations of the effort include the Lawyers’ Committee, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Homeownership Preservation Foundation, NeighborWorks America, and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Through its national database, the Network is working to collect complaints, discover and analyze national trends, and maximize the ability of federal, state, and local enforcement authorities to combat scammers.
HLP’s Web-based technology connects mortgage servicers to consumers and their authorized third-party advocates (ATPs) working on behalf of the consumer in pursuit of a foreclosure alternative. Recent audit findings from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) show that fraudsters have cost consumers millions of dollars since the beginning of the mortgage crisis.
As a member of the Network, HLP is working with their national coalition of governmental and private organizations that provide resources to combat loan modification scams. HLP’s participation in the Network resulted in a significant working relationship with the Lawyers’ Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fair housing and fair lending. The Lawyers’ Committee manages the Loan Modification Scam Database in support of the Network. The bilateral communication between the Lawyers’ Committee and HLP’s ATP registration process will now provide vital information for the Network, particularly for HLP ATP applicants for which HLP discovers information indicative of potential fraudulent activity.
“We have already seen this information sharing effectuate positive results,” said Samantha Friedman, senior vice president of Product Development and Client Services for HLP. “HLP recently engaged in a recertification process for many of our ATP’s, and the collaboration between the Lawyers’ Committee and use of their database has been invaluable at screening out fraudsters before they can harm the consumer.”
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2013 and continue our quest of “Moving America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and fair lending; community development; employment; voting; education and environmental justice.
