UNA, credit counselor partner for foreclosure prevention

Urban Neighborhoods Alliance, the city of Springfield and Consumer Credit Counseling Service are urging homeowners at risk of foreclosure to ask for help.

“The earlier financially distressed homeowners reach out for assistance, the more options they have to address their mortgage issues and potentially avoid foreclosure,” UNA Executive Director Bob Horton said in a news release.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service is among agencies certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that are available to counsel homeowners who call a toll-free hotline, (888) 995-4673.

Counselors will serve as mediators between borrowers and lenders. They can help homeowners develop a plan of action with lenders, and assistance can include face-to-face counseling, bridge loans, refinancing education and rehabilitation loans.

The national foreclosure rate on mortgage loans has increased by more than 50 percent since 2000, according to the release. In Greene County, foreclosures have risen by more than 79 percent in the same time period.