Reaching Out
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May 2008 Reaching Out A publication of Southern Good Faith Fund Asset Builders Business Development Center Welcome! Career Pathways Welcome to our spring edition of the Southern Good Faith Fund (SGFF) partici- Public Policy pant newsletter. Whether you are a participant in Asset Builders, Business Development Center, or Career Pathways this newsletter offers great information about the wealth of products and services offered at SGFF. Don’t miss the great articles below about the Arkansas attorney general ordering payday lenders to close and new rules at the FHA that will help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Make sure you read page 3 about our credit counselors and how they are helping people during these tough economic times, and on page 4 our article In This Issue: on soft skills that can help you get a job. And page 6 has a great article about recession proofing your business. AG Shuts Down Payday Lenders New Rules to Help Homeowners Arkansas Attorney General Orders Payday Lenders to Close Avoid Foreclosure Arkansas Attorney General Dustin Arkansas Supreme Court that made it Upcoming IDA Classes McDaniel on March 18, 2008, ordered clear that a 1999 state law drafted by payday lenders in Arkansas to stop the payday lending industry is not a Credit Counseling Provides Happy making loans and to forgive all out- valid defense for violating the state’s 17 Ending standing loans. This decisive action by percent interest rate cap. Southern our state’s chief law enforcement officer Good Faith Fund has played a key role Strenthen Your Soft Skills is great news for Arkansas consumers, in helping educate consumers on this College Survival Tips who typically pay 372 percent to 869 issue as a member of Arkansans Against percent in annual interest to take out a Abusive Payday Lending (AAAPL), a Meet Temisha Washington two-week payday loan. The Arkansas coalition of 40 nonprofit, faith-based, Constitution limits interest on con- and military-related organizations and Hot Career: Nursing Field sumer loans to 17 percent a year. individuals dedicated to ridding our Save Money For College The attorney general based his directive state of abusive payday lending. on two recent decisions by the Recession Proof Your Business continued on page 3 Upcoming BDC Training Affordable Health Insurance FHA Says It Will Loosen Some Lending Rules New rules may help some homeowners avoid foreclosure How Will You Spend Your Stimulus Check? The U.S. Federal Housing Testifying before the House Committee Administration says it’s taking addi- on Financial Services, chaired by Rep. tional steps to help homeowners facing Barney Frank (D-MA), Montgomery foreclosure stay in their homes. FHA said FHA will permit and encourage Director Brian Montgomery has told lenders to voluntarily write down some Congress his agency is loosening some of the principal on home loans, to of its rules to head off what some see as make it easier to refinance. a looming disaster. continued on page 2 Asset Builders IDA Lending rules, continued from page 1 Do you need help with your credit? Call one of Southern Good Faith Fund’s Frank and other Congressional credit counselors: Democrats have backed legislation that would allow bankruptcy judges to take that action, without consent from the Frances Newsome Vida Fielder 870.535.6233, ext. 23 870.816.1126 lenders. In his appearance before Southern Good Faith Fund 502 Cherry Street Frank’s committee, Montgomery said 2304 W. 29th Avenue Helena-West Helena, Arkansas the FHA would also help homeowners with subprime loans transition to FHA loans, where possible. “FHA will now back loans for borrow- ers who are financially capable, but Upcoming IDA Classes who have a spotty credit record,” Montgomery said. “To qualify for a Pine Bluff 17 Homebuyer Class standard 97 percent LTV loan, borrow- 29 Financial Services Classes are held at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ers will still be eligible if they were late at Southern Good Faith Fund, 2304 W. June on two monthly mortgage payments, 29th Ave. 5 Credit Management either consecutively or at two different 12 Information Meeting *Free child care at the 6 p.m. class in times over the previous twelve 19 Renting, Leasing, Buying Pine Bluff on Jan. 22, Feb. 12, Feb. 26, 28 Homebuyer Class months.” Mar. 18, April 8, and April 22. For borrowers who can’t meet that stan- May July dard, Montgomery said FHA will per- 8 AST-Education mit up to three months of delinquency. 6 Information Meeting 17 Information Meeting But in those cases, he said, FHA will 13* Money Management 19 Homebuyer Class 20 Spending as a Habit—Saving as limit the LTV ratio for these borrowers 29 AST-Home Repair a Goal (10 a.m.) to 90 percent. 27* Financial Services August “We will permit and encourage lenders 7 Information Meeting June 12 Money Management to voluntarily write down outstanding 3 Information Meeting principal,” he said. “Lenders will also 10 Credit Management (10 a.m.) Mississippi be allowed to make other arrange- 17* Renting, Leasing, Buying Classes are held at 6 p.m. at the ments, including new subordinate liens, 24 AST-Education (10 a.m.) Workforce Center, 510 Sunbelt Dr., to fill the gap between an existing loan July Clarksdale. Information meetings balance and the new loan amount, be it 1 Information Meeting are held at 5:30 p.m. a 97 percent or a 90 percent LTV 8* AST-Home Ownership loan.” 15 AST-Home Repair (10 a.m.) May He also said the administration strongly August 22 Information Meeting 22 Spending as a Habit—Saving opposes a proposed $10 billion in loans 5 Information Meeting as a Goal and grants for the purchase and reha- 12 Money Management (10 a.m.) bilitation of vacant, foreclosed homes. 19* Spending as a Habit—Saving as June The plan was advanced as a way to pre- a Goal 26 Information Meeting 26 Financial Services vent real estate values from falling fur- 26 Financial Services (10 a.m.) ther, but Montgomery maintains the Helena-West Helena July principal beneficiaries of this type of Classes during the week are held at 24 Information Meeting plan would be private lenders, who are 5:30 p.m. Saturday classes are from 10 24 Credit Management now the owners of the vacant or fore- a.m. - 2p.m. All classes are held at First August closed properties. Bank of the Delta, 502 Cherry St. 21 Information Meeting 21 Renting, Leasing, Buying From Consumeraffairs.com, April 9, May 2008. 8 Information Meeting (AST—Asset Specific Training) 15 Spending as a Habit—Saving as a Goal 2 Southern Good Faith Fund Credit Counseling Provides Happy Ending One of Asset Builders’ credit counselors clients requiring approximately could not get it, the mortgage compa- recently worked with clients to avoid $15,000 to avoid foreclosure. ny’s loss loss mitigation department foreclosure on their home. To complicate matters, the loan was told them they would research the file After a member of the family died who sold to another company during this and get back to them. didn’t have life insurance, our clients time. Our clients contacted the new Loss mitigation contacted our clients fell behind on their mortgage payment. mortgage company but were told they with good news. The family only need- We helped them structure a repayment had not yet received their file and told ed to pay $2000 by April 15 to rein- agreement for their fixed-rate mortgage to call back in two weeks. We advised state the loan and their next payment and they made their loan payment our clients to hold onto the money was reduced by $500 and not due until online. However, because their pay- they had. June 1. We are continuing to work ment took four days to process and When our clients finally talked to the with the client on credit counseling and post, their account became delinquent new mortgage company, they were told setting up a budget. and was turned over to an attorney for they would need to pay $3000 by April If you’re having financial troubles, give foreclosure. The attorney contacted our 5 to reinstate the loan. Because our us a call and let our credit counselors savingsclients didn’t have enough money and help. Public Policy Payday lenders, continued from page 1 Michael Rowett, research and commu- in a quicksand of debt, nications manager for SGFF’s Public these businesses and Policy program, currently serves as their triple-digit inter- chairman of AAAPL and was among est rates will, in the the AAAPL coalition members who near future, be con- stood behind the attorney general at his signed to the dustbin March 18 news conference in Little of history. SGFF’s mis- Rock announcing his directive ordering sion is to increase low- payday lenders to close. income families’ Many payday lenders have already incomes and assets, and complied with the attorney general’s the debt trap of payday lending certainly repre- directive, while some likely will resist, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel held a news obliging the attorney general to file sents a tremendous bar- conference on March 18, 2008, in which he announced lawsuits to shut them down. Still others rier to asset- and he was ordering payday lenders in Arkansas to stop mak- have signaled that they will attempt to income-building. ing loans and to forgive all outstanding loans. disguise their payday loans as products Southern Good Faith Participating in the news conference were, left to right, designed to evade the crackdown. Fund is proud to have State Representative David Johnson, who sponsored legis- lation during the 2007 session to crack down on payday Attorney General McDaniel has noted played a role in lenders; Matthew Hass of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers that because of this expected resistance, AAAPL’s ongoing cam- paign against abusive Association, Chairman of Arkansans Against Abusive shutting down every payday lender in Payday Lending (AAAPL)’s Policy Committee; Michael Arkansas likely will be a long-term payday lending.