HOME Alliance - Homeowner Protection
Legislative Alert
Colorado Homeowner Protection Act of 2007
April 20, 2007 -
HOMEOWNER PROTECTION ACT SIGNED
INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR
HB07-1338, the Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 was singed into law this afternoon by Governor Ritter. The Governor had faced serious lobbying from the homebuilder community and other members of the business community who are easily swayed by the sheer size of the monetary muscle the Homebuilders can flex.
Conngratulations to every member of the Alliance whose help was critical in the past two months. Your phonecalls, emails and testimony was critical to every stage of the process.
As a final act, we would ask that you contact the Governor and voice your support and thanks that he resisted the pressure from unscrupulous homebuilders and did what was the "right" thing for every Colorado homeowner.
All the Governor's contact infromation can be found HERE.
April 9, 2007 - HOMEOWNER PROTECTION ACT PASSES 2nd READING IN SENATE
Despite heavy lobbying and pressure from the Homebuilder Lobby, HB07-1338, The Homeonwer Protection Act of 2007, passed second reading in the Coloado Senate.
Third reading and final passage out of the Senate is scheduled for TOMORROW, April 10, 2007.
The fight on this bill is still not over. PLEASE, make your final calls and send emails before the vote tomorrow morning.
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
If you don't know who your Representative is, Click Here.
April 4, 2007 - SECOND READING POSTPONED
NOW SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, APRIL 9th!
Due to an administrative snafu, the 2nd Reading of HB07-1338, The Homeowner Protection Act will not be heard until Monday morning.
This gives our opposition 3 extra days to get into mischief with our supporters. PLEASE, this weekend, make a point of calling or writing your Legislator and requesting their support for this important bill!!
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
If you don't know who your Representative is, Click Here.
April 3, 2007 - ANOTHER STEP TAKEN !!
HB07-1338, The Homeowner Protection Act passed out of Senate Business Affairs Committee on a straight partyline vote of 4-3.
We expect 2nd Reading of this Bill on the floor of the Senate to be this coming Thrusday, April 5th.
We are on the home stretch, please don't loose focus. It is imperative that the Senators get as much constituent input as ossible.
Also, once again, phone calls and emails are desperately needed.,
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
If you don't know who your Representative is, Click Here.
April 1, 2007 - NO APRIL FOOLS JOKE!!
HB07-1338, The Homeowner Protection Act has been scheduled for hearing in the Colorado Senate on Tuesday, April 3rd in Hearing Room 353. The bill will be heard upon adjourment of the full Senate, so sometime around 9:30.
Please contact HOME Alliance if you intend to tesitfy so we can get you on the list for testimony and work you into our strategy.
Also, once again, phone calls and emails are desperately needed.,
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
If you don't know who your Representative is, Click Here. Once again, thanks to COPIRG, our ally in this fight, for the use of their Legialtive Locator!
March 29, 2007 - STEP ONE COMPLETE-
PASSAGE OUT OF THE HOUSE!
With very little fanfare, HB07-1338, The Homeowner Protection Act passed out of the Colorado House of Representatives this morning. The final vote, was 41-24.
Thank you to all who helped on this effort. But remember, we are only half way there!
The Bill moves to the Senate next week. Stay tuned for exact times and assigments.
March 28, 2007 - A LONG HARD FIGHT
After what many seasoned observers said was the most lobbying they had seen in years, The Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 pased in the House this morning. At least 5 Republicans broke Party lines to support the bill.
Third and Final reading in the House Tomorrow.
PLEASE call your Representative tonight!!
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
March 26, 2007 - 2ND READING SCHEDULED
2nd Reading of The Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 will be on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives on March 28th. Please call your legislator and ask them to support this bill.
To get the phone number or email of your Legislator: Click Here
If you don't know who your Representative is, Click Here. Thanks to COPIRG, our ally in this fight, for the use of their Legialtive Locator!
March 23, 2007 - COMMITTEE SUCCESS
The Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 passed out of House Judicial this morning, with some minor amendments, by a 7-3 vote (Rep. Gardner, King and Stephens voting "no" and Rep. Roberts abstaining because of personal conflict of interest).
The hearing on the bill went over 5 hours on Wednesday. Our thanks to ALL the HOME Alliance members and other homeowners who not only had the courage to tell their stories, but also the resolve to come down and spend from 1:00 til after 8:00 waiting for their turn.
WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU!!!
To see the most recent version of the bill Click HERE:
We expect the bill to move to the floor of the House for debate sometime next week.
The battle has just begun. YOUR HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.
Email us to volunteer to help keep this important piece of legislation on track. Contact HOME Alliance
March 10 , 2007 - The Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 has finally been introduced!!
The introduction was postponed a couple of weeks as the bill's sponsor (Rep. Jack Pommer D-Boulder) worked with HOME Alliance and the Homebuilders to see if there were issues that could be resolved before the bill was formally introduced, and to see if we could reach common ground.
We had a meeting in the office of Speaker of the House Romanoff with the Speaker also in attendance. Not surpsingly, but disappointing just the same, it was very clear that the homebuilders will oppose ANY legislation that might curtail their ability to steal away homeowner's legal rights.
For a copy of the introduced bill: Click This Link!
The hearing on The Homeowner Protection Act of 2007 will be held Wednesday, March 21st at 1:30 p.m. in front of the House Judiciary Committee.
PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING!!
If you want to participate, please Contact HOME Alliance
February 23, 2007 -Homeowner Protection Act legislation will be introduced next week. Please check back for full details on: The introduction of this important piece of legislation; Press conferences surrounding the introduction; Timeline of legisltive hearings!
HOME Alliance has been working with Rep. Jack Pommer (D-Boulder) to pass new legisliation that will protect new home buyers. This Act will stop the wholesale taking of YOUR legal rights through waiver provisions that are incorporated into new home contracts. These waiver provisions take away the legal rights that you are guaranteed in the Colorado Consumer Protection Act as well as the Construction Defects Reform Act of 2003.
To learn more about this important piece of legislation, Read the HOME Alliance Postition Paper
To help HOME Alliance pass this important piece of legislation, PLEASE,
Contact HOME Alliance Directly!!!
On Sunday, February 18, 2007, The Denver Post wrote the first article on this issue. Read what the Denver Post says about this issue
FORECLOSURE NEWS SUMMARY
10 Cities Where Housing Prices Will Slump the Most - Denver is #8 Nationwide
December 18 , 2006 - Economists and analysts are trying to predict which areas will be hardest hit by a real estate decline … and how far prices will tumble. Here are some of the sobering predictions.
http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Article_busweek.aspx?cp-documentid=1097574
Facing Foreclosure? 9 Options
December 18 , 2006 - If you're in danger of falling behind on your mortgage, or if you're already delinquent, it's important to know what's ahead and what your options are. Usually, the faster you move, the more choices you'll have about your financial future.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/HomeFinancing/FacingForeclosure9Options.aspx
U.S. Home Lenders Brace For Bad News & Legislation
December 11 , 2006 - "One way or another, the industry is going to get a black eye," said John Taylor, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, which promotes equal access to credit. "There will be questions about tricks, fraud and whether these loans should have been made in the first place."
Masked Mortgages
December 11 , 2006 - With the housing boom over, its dark side is coming to light, including fraud. Government data show more criminals – and more consumers – lied to sell or buy expensive homes.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/abox/article_1378235.php
Foreclosures Nip Colorado's November Home Sales
December 8 , 2006 - Rising foreclosures as well as typical seasonal forces took their toll on homes sold in the Denver area by Realtors last month. Median price falls for single-family homes in metro area
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5198416,00.html
Home Sales in Denver Drop in November
December 7 , 2006 - There were 4,139 homes in the Denver area sold by Realtors in November, a 4.9 percent drop from the 4,350 sold a year earlier and a 12.2 percent drop from October.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5197100,00.html
Shuttered Homes, Blighted Blocks
December 6 , 2006 - In Colorado, the state with the nation's worst foreclosure rate, some neighborhoods have been spared the wave of house auctions. Others have been deeply wounded, and it is not just those losing their homes who get hurt.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4719353
Denver-Area Foreclosures Set a Record
December 5, 2006 - It's official. A record number of real estate foreclosures have been filed in the Denver area this year. Number tops 1988's oil industry bust - 17,782 and counting
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5191248,00.html
Shabby Home More Proof of Loan Fiasco
November 24 , 2006 - Real-estate records make one thing clear: Irresponsible lending created this blight, as it increasingly has in Denver, Colorado and the country.
http://www.denverpost.com/foreclosures/ci_4740911
Denver Area Nears Foreclosure Record
November 22, 2006 - Almost 16,000 real estate foreclosures have been filed in the Denver area in the first 10 months of the year, 30 percent more than during the same period last year.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5161274,00.html
More Suspects Arrested in Mortgage Fraud
November 21, 2006 - Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey today announced that seven more suspects have been arrested in the continuing state and federal investigation of mortgage fraud that involves hundreds of homes and million of dollars of federally-insured mortgages.
http://denver.yourhub.com/GOLDEN/Stories/News/Crime/Story~153027.aspx
Complaints Mount Against Altus Real Estate
November 19, 2006 - Some customers say they were misled about terms, but the company says borrowers signed detailed agreements.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4682769
Foreclosures spike in October
November 17 , 2006 - Up 42% over a year ago; Colorado, Nevada and Georgia lead
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/17/real_estate/october_foreclosures_up_again/index.htm
Foreclosures Lead to Auction
October 31 , 2006 - Once-common event resurfaces as state's rate again tops U.S.
http://insidedenver.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5105820,00.html
Steal of a Deal
October 29 , 2006 - The cast of characters in this foreclosure tale includes drug dealers who went straight from prison to the home-acquisition business, a developer with ties to an international Christian group, a state-licensed real estate broker who saw nothing peculiar and an appraiser who has disappeared.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4567736
Foreclosure Continues to Rock Denver
October 27 , 2006 - metro Denver's foreclosure rate is on track to hit 1.7 percent of all homes this year
http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_4557484
Foreclosure Hotline Hopping
October 23, 2006 - Less than two weeks after launching, the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline has received more than 3,000 calls, which state officials believe makes it the busiest network of its kind in the nation.
http://insidedenver.com/drmn/real_estate/article/0,1299,DRMN_414_5087805,00.html
Foreclosure Hotline Hums
October 23, 2006 - 3,000 calls in first 2 weeks
http://www.denverpost.com/foreclosures/ci_4539051
Option ARMs: A Ticking Bomb?
October 1 , 2006 - Experts say the risky home loans could fuel a future wave of foreclosures
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4421584
Mortgage Amnesia Hits Home
September 27 , 2006 - Mortgage amnesia hits home
http://www.denverpost.com/foreclosures/ci_4740861
Senators: Borrowers Don't Understand Mortgage Risks
September 21 , 2006 - Better, clearer disclosure of the risks of "exotic" mortgages such as interest- only loans is needed to protect consumers who increasingly are choosing high-risk financing that can lead to foreclosure, members of a Senate panel said Wednesday.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4371489
Help For Struggling Homeowners
September 20 , 2006 - Colorado, which leads the nation in foreclosures, will soon launch a hotline to provide struggling homeowners with valuable help.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4364444
Foreclosing on the American Dream | Fourth in an Occasional Series
September 17 , 2006 - No money down: a high-risk gamble
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4347686
Foreclosing on the American Dream | Third in an Occasional Series
August 24 , 2006 - FHA program key in surge of foreclosures - "I just can't make it. The mortgage is too big. It's so far behind now ..."
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4228048
Foreclosing on the American Dream | Second in an Occasional Series
July 16 , 2006 - On False Foundations - the steep price of mortgage fraud hits one Denver neighborhood
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4058172
Foreclosing on the American Dream | First in an Occasional Series
June 18 , 2006 - Heartbreak along Mockingbird Lane - The house-building boom and loose lending practices that ended disastrously for so many people here mirror a pattern stretching across Adams County, which has the worst foreclosure rate in a state with the worst foreclosure rate in the nation.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3950960
Foreclosures Piling Up
April 20 , 2006 - Colorado rate nation's highest during March
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_3729034
Foreclosures Piling Up
April 20 , 2006 - Colorado rate nation's highest during March
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_3729034