Sharpening Your Toolbox:
Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation Strategies
Approximately 200 housing counselors, lawyers, government leaders, funders, and other interested practitioners gathered at the Tremont Grand Hotel on April 21 to learn about and share information about foreclosure prevention and mitigation strategies. Speakers focused on local, state and national initiatives. Chief Judge Robert M. Bell provided the keynote speech describing why the growing foreclosure crisis moved him to launch an unprecedented effort to recruit pro bono lawyers to help homeowners in trouble. Julia Gordon, Senior Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, was the luncheon speaker. She described the impact of national legisation and program on foreclosure prevention activities.
Supporting materials and power point presentations where available are included as links under each workshop topic.
Baltimore REO Acquisition Workshop
Moderator: David Cramer, Principal, Cramer Crystal
Stephen Janes, Assistant Commissioner, Research and Compliance, Baltimore Housing
David Sann, Director, Housing Development, St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
David Sann Power Point Presentation
David McIlvaine, President, Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors
Liz Glenn, Chief of Community, Planning and Development,
Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation
Local Impact of National Policies and Programs Workshop
Moderator: Tracey Barbour, Program Officer, Abell Foundation
Lee Bowman, National Coordinator Community Affairs, FDIC
Harry Spikes, Staff Assistant, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
R. Andrew Bauer, Regional Economist, Baltimore Office,
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Christine Eldarrat, Executive Advisor, Federal Housing Finance Agency
Christine Eldarrat Power Point
Enforcement Best Practices and New Scams Workshop
Moderator: Rob Strupp, Director of Research and Policy, Community Law Center
Wallace Merriman, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, HUD Office of Inspector General
April Richardson, Assistant State's Attorney for Prince George's County
William D. Gruhn, Chief, Consumer Protection Division,
Maryland Attorney General's Office
Suzanne Sangree, Chief Solicitor, City of Baltimore Law Department
Best Practices in Foreclosure Prevention Workshop
Moderator: Felix Torres Colon, Executive Director,
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore
Michelle McKiver, Senior Homeownership Advisor, Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore
Vicki White, Broker, Anchor Realty
Tracy Gross, Senior Business Developer, Housing and Community Development, Fannie Mae
State Policy and Programs Workshop
Moderator: Carol Gilbert, Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Vicki Schultz, Senior Advisor for Consumer Protection,
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Josh Silver, Vice President of Research and Policy,
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Delegate Dana Stein, Maryland House of Delegates (11th District)
Legal Responses to the Mortgage Crisis Workshop
Moderator: Phillip Robinson, Executive Director, Civil Justice
Jason Hessler, Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal, Baltimore Housing
Geoffry Walsh, Staff Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
Anne Norton, Director, Foreclosure Prevention, St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Inc.
Language Barriers to Foreclosure Prevention
Bankruptcy and Foreclosure Prevention
Nonprofit, For-Profit and Government Refinance Products Workshop
Moderator: Monica Copeland, Asset Development Program Manager,
Baltimore CASH Campaign
Cassandra Robb, Lending Manager, Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore
Edith Jenkins, Community Outreach Liaison, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Edward J. Achtener, Esq.
Vice President, Manager, Greater Chesapeake Region, Bank of America
Loan Servicer Partnership and Outreach Workshop
Moderator: Roy Miller, Senior Homeownership Coordinator
Belair Edison Neighborhoods, Inc.
Paul Koches, General Counsel, Ocwen
Allen H. Jones, Senior Vice President, Default Management Policy Executive, Bank of America