(Maybe they are overworked)
When they finally did, this week's foreclosures jumped from a weekly average around 35 to 65, the second highest this year.
Housing Counselors Share in the Strain of Foreclosures
Nonprofit Workers' Caseloads Are Rising, and So Is Their Exposure to Homeowners' Anguish
By Sandy Shore
AP November 3, 2007
DENVER -- It was one of Zach Urban's most trying days as a housing counselor: A woman arrived on his doorstep so distraught over the thought of losing her townhome that he feared she might harm herself.
Sherie Zamora sought Urban's help when she temporarily lost her job and couldn't get relief from her mortgage company. She said Urban was calm and reassuring as they developed a plan. But as she left his office, he gave her some suicide-prevention hot-line numbers.
Counselors help homeowners examine their finances; what it will take to catch up with payments, if that's feasible; and how the foreclosure process works.
They also work with lenders, often spending hours trying to reach the right representative.
Officials worry that counselors may quit over burnout or find better jobs just as demand is soaring.
The news isn't getting much better. Foreclosure filings nearly doubled nationwide in September, and new-home sales are projected to fall 23 percent this year.
In Colorado, one of the hardest-hit states, foreclosures rose 31 percent in 2006, to 28,220. They are expected to climb an additional 30 percent in 2007
Edited by Rogerdodger, 03 November 2007 - 10:52 AM.