Resources for victims of natural disasters
Legal League’s Special Initiatives Working Group (SIWG) has announced the publication of its latest White Paper titled, “National Disaster Assistance: Resources for Homeowners and the Impact Within Mortgage Default.”
The Paper takes a deeper look at the assistance available from numerous agencies across the U.S. when natural disaster strikes—ranging from funds to rebuild, moratoria on mortgage default-related actions, forbearance plans, and the availability of homeowner assistance funds to assist with household maintenance.
Legal League’s SIWG is comprised of senior representation from Legal League member firms and executive level associate members, focusing on the strategic objectives of concern to financial services legal professionals as directed by the Legal League 100 Advisory Council, Executive Director.
Assistance available to help rebuild
Among the natural disaster assistance programs discussed by the SIWG include Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offerings; disaster relief programs from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD); Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds; mortgage forbearance agreements through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; FHA-insured mortgages; VA loans; state mortgage assistance programs; and state natural disaster relief programs, among others.
“Natural disasters include all types of severe weather, which have the potential to pose a significant threat to our health, safety, property, and community infrastructure,” said the authors in the White Paper. “As we have seen an increase in the annual number of natural disasters over the last 50 years, we have also seen an increase in resources for assistance in dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster. This paper focuses on the agencies (local, state, and federal) that assist with the specific needs of homeowners related to disruptions caused by a disaster. Specifically, we provide information related to various resources available to homeowners and servicers to respond to disruptions to mortgage obligations and assistance in handling property damage.”
Expertise in the field
SIWG members responsible for collaborating on authoring the White Paper include SIWG Committee Chair Jennifer Rogers Esq. of IDEA Law Group LLC; SIWG Committee Vice Chair and Secretary David Demers Esq. of Cooke Demers LLC; Legal League Council Chair Stephen M. Hladik Esq. of Hladik, Onorato & Federman LLP; Legal League Council Member and SIWG Member J. Anthony Van Ness Esq. of Van Ness Law Firm PLC; and SIWG Members Ryan Bourgeois Esq. of Barrett, Daffin, Frappier, Treder & Weiss LLP; Brooke E. Sanchez Esq. of McPhail Sanchez LLC; David Friedman Esq. of Van Ness Law Firm PLC; and Michelle Garcia Gilbert Esq. of Gilbert Garcia Group P.A.
Click here to access Legal League’s latest White Paper, “National Disaster Assistance: Resources for Homeowners and the Impact Within Mortgage Default,” or visit the Resources page of Legal League’s website to access SIWG’s library of White Papers.
