It has taken six years and dozens of lawsuits and settlements after the largest housing collapse since the Great Depression – and finally we may have a way to set up and implement local principal reduction programs in cities across the country. September has brought us what is expected to be the last of theContinue reading “Bank of America Settlement Could Fund Principal Reduction Programs”
Author Archives: Jason Collette
Starbucks’ Free College Gimmick Clouds the Real Problem
As we’ve reported here and here, the state of higher education in this country has reached a crisis. The cost of tuition has risen substantially faster than any other good or service over the past 40 years. There are many that are calling the student debt crisis the next financial bubble. Under the Starbucks plan,Continue reading “Starbucks’ Free College Gimmick Clouds the Real Problem”
‘Homeowners Bill of Rights’ Helps Fight Foreclosure in Colorado
After three years of persistent and tireless work by Colorado Progressive Coalition members, the Colorado legislature this month finally passed meaningful protections for homeowners at risk of losing their homes. For years horror stories have abounded in the press of banks that lost paperwork, homeowners never speaking to the same person twice, promises of aContinue reading “‘Homeowners Bill of Rights’ Helps Fight Foreclosure in Colorado”
Progressive Cities Can Offer a Helping Hand to Families Facing Foreclosure
Foreclosures and high numbers of underwater homes aren’t making headlines around the country the way they were a couple of years ago, but that doesn’t mean the housing market is back on solid footing – or that people are no longer suffering. Thousands of families in Seattle are still dealing with the traumatic repercussions ofContinue reading “Progressive Cities Can Offer a Helping Hand to Families Facing Foreclosure”
Families and Our Future Sinking in a Sea of Student Debt
This is the first in a three-part series by the Alliance for a Just Society, looking at the high cost of student debt for our country and for our future. Young college graduates are putting their futures on hold as they struggle under the burden of high student debt – and a weak economic recoveryContinue reading “Families and Our Future Sinking in a Sea of Student Debt”
Butte Jury Holds Bankers Accountable With $52 Million Verdict
By Sheena Rice Montana Organizing Project It’s no longer shocking to read news articles about the scandalous behavior of big banks. Readers roll their eyes when they see JPMorgan’s CEO being awarded a total pay of $20 million the same year the bank made repeated headlines for being fined millions of dollars and incurring lossesContinue reading “Butte Jury Holds Bankers Accountable With $52 Million Verdict”
Caldwell, ID City Council Asked to Move Payday Lenders Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Community and ICAN Push Council to Limit Industry From Preying on the Poor “With the average payday loan in Idaho carrying an interest rate of 350% and with the average borrower taking out 7 payday loans to pay off the initial loan”, predatory loan businesses continue to swarm into our state. Last year alone,Continue reading “Caldwell, ID City Council Asked to Move Payday Lenders Out of Sight, Out of Mind”
Will SEC order a dose of sunlight for corporate political spending?
Mary Jo White, the new Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was recently confirmed to a five-year term that secures her position until 2019. With that kind of job security, Ms. White should be able to rise above the partisan pressures of Washington politics and advance a proactive agenda at the SEC thatContinue reading “Will SEC order a dose of sunlight for corporate political spending?”
Colorado: Judge Rules that Homeowner Has the Right to Fight Impending Foreclosure…in this case.
A win for homeowners in Colorado! Alliance affiliate Colorado Progressive Coalition has been working for two years to pass “Show Me the Note” legislation, which forces banks to prove they own the deed to a home before they can foreclose on it. On Monday, U.S. District Judge, William Martinez, ruled that the unsworn testimony ofContinue reading “Colorado: Judge Rules that Homeowner Has the Right to Fight Impending Foreclosure…in this case.”
The Housing Crisis in Pueblo, Colorado
Community Rally Hits One Consistent Message: Get Rid of Ed Demarco Fred and Sophia Patterson have a mortgage that was bought from Bank of America by Freddie Mac. When Mr. Patterson had his identity stolen, he lost everything, and asked for some assistance. The Pattersons accepted a temporary loan modification and continued to payContinue reading “The Housing Crisis in Pueblo, Colorado”