NACA Blog

NACA TAKES ON SLUMLORDS’ ILLEGAL EVICTIONS PROHIBITED BY THE CARES ACT

By TTrumble | Published July 30, 2020

*****PRESS RELEASE*****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2020

CONTACT:

Tim Trumble – Media Coordinator; Cell: 617-947-2632; ttrumble@naca.com
Abriel St. Ange, Media Specialist; Cell: 857-529-3220; abriel.st.ange@naca.com

PREDATORY LANDLORDS OPENLY FILING EVICTIONS PROHIBITED BY THE CARES ACT

(BOSTON– July 30, 2020) – NACA has discovered illegal evictions being conducted by many of the country’s largest corporate landlords. These include GreyStar Real Estate, Starwood Capital, and Blackstone (former owner of Invitation Homes). NACA has found prohibited eviction activity underway against tenants in properties from Arizona to Massachusetts to Florida and Texas even though the properties have federally backed mortgages or subsidies and are undeniably protected by the CARES Act.

Predatory corporate landlords are deliberately ignoring the protections provided under the CARES Act and filing illegal eviction proceedings against mainly minority tenants struggling with job loss and other hardships that are a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic. An eviction crisis presently looms over the United States, even though the federal eviction moratorium created by the CARES Act has been extended to August 31st. Estimates say as many as 28 million renters face eviction between now and this fall, and the homes involved are disproportionately in non-white neighborhoods.

NACA is the only organization taking real action to halt illegal evictions.

“NACA is an advocacy organization that takes on predators including predatory landlords. These landlords are evicting tenants illegally while they still receive government assistance. NACA will continue to work with tenants in fighting these slumlord predators”, according to NACA’s founder and CEO, Bruce Marks.

African Americans and Hispanics are being disproportionately threatened with eviction due to the same systemic racism that prevents many minorities from owning a home of their own. These are the same people who are more likely to fall victim to the coronavirus or lose their jobs because of the pandemic. But now they are on the brink of also losing the four walls that officials have repeatedly told everyone to take refuge behind to protect themselves from Covid-19.

In many cases however, the homes from which these families are being evicted are financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, placing them directly under the protection of the eviction moratorium. Even in the 15 states where courts require an affidavit certifying the property in question is not protected by the CARES Act, the affidavit is simply falsified in many cases. The landlords know that the CARES Act provides no enforcement powers to the various federal agencies responsible for administering the provisions of the Act, and thus no accountability for the landlords.

Very few of the tenants can afford to hire a lawyer to defend them, causing 90% of tenants who face eviction to be unrepresented by legal counsel. Most have no idea how to fight an eviction action or that they even have the right to do so.

NACA has created a series of Neighborhood Action Committees (NACs) nationwide to act as the front-line defenders against these slumlords. Members of each local NAC will help tenants facing unlawful eviction file complaints with the CFPB and other agencies to halt the evictions and hold the owners responsible. Attorneys will help renters take legal action against predatory landlords and hold them accountable for their legal and moral negligence.

Bruce Marks continued, “We will be relentless in our pursuit of these predators. Just as we fought to save homeowners during the mortgage crisis and have helped tens of thousands of low and moderate income buyers reach the American Dream of homeownership, NACA will take on these predatory landlords to continue the fight for economic justice and prevent illegal evictions.”

About NACA (www.naca.com):
The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to economic justice through affordable home ownership and community action. Founded by Bruce Marks more than thirty years ago, NACA is the largest HUD certified counseling agency with more than two million members nationwide. NACA’s proven process has established the national standard for low to modest income people realize the American dream of homeownership. NACA also has an impressive track record of assisting homeowners. During the mortgage crisis, through NACA’s Save the Dream events, more than 250,000 homeowners were able to modify their unaffordable mortgages. Now, NACA’s online Achieve the Dream events provide the same extraordinary outcomes for many thousands of homebuyers. www.naca.com.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NACA SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES – MUST READ BEFORE POSTING

By TTrumble | Published July 11, 2017

The following are the guidelines for this Forum and all NACA social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Live Chat:

The following rules have always been posted near the top of the Forums page on the forum website at http://forums.naca.com, just above the links to the five forum categories:

Welcome to the NACA Forums! Please keep in mind that this is a public forum. Any derogatory, inflammatory or questionable content will be removed by administrators. Also, please DO NOT post any personal information, such as passwords, NACA ID numbers, or Social Security numbers; NACA Staff will never require this information on the Forums.

Disregard for the rules of the Forum and abuses of the Forum and other social media in general is not tolerated. Such activity hinders the effectiveness of the NACA social media efforts as tools for asking questions, sharing information and for those who are seeking help with problems in either the Home Save or Purchase programs. To prevent such abuses, the following rules apply for this Forum and all NACA social media:

F(orum) comes before E(mail):

Maybe not in the alphabet, but here in the forum, F comes before E. In other words, please post your question in the Forum rather than circumvent the system and send an Email to an address you happen to find in the forum. The forum exists for several purposes, not the least of which is the sharing of information that may be beneficial to many of our members.

Most of the questions we receive are more generic in nature than most people think. By posting a question in the Forum first, it can be most likely answered here in the Forum unless it involves specific information in your file. By handling the question or problem here whenever possible, other members experiencing a similar problem could get the answer and help they need more quickly and without making a single additional keystroke.

If responding to your post does require specific information, you will be advised on the best means of contact with us so any personal information can be communicated securely and confidentially.

The Forum Does Not Replace NACA Services:

The NACA Forum or other NACA social media are in no way a substitute for NACA Counseling and Advocacy services whether in the Home Save or Purchase Programs, and information found here should not be considered a replacement for communicating with a NACA counselor, Member Services rep or any other NACA representative. While much of the information here is general in nature and applicable to most situations, specific questions regarding your file cannot be addressed in this or any other public forum for privacy reasons. Additionally, every file has unique factors and issues of its own. Therefore, you should always attempt to communicate your questions and concerns with your Mortgage Consultant in the Purchase Program and with a Counselor, Member Services or other Member Assistance Program (MAP) representative. Our Member Services Department can be reached at 425-602-6222 from 8:30am to 5:30 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday.

Keep it Civil:

Another serious issue is the tone used in some messages. We eagerly invite anyone who is having what they perceive to be any sort of problem with the NACA process or on line system to use the NACA Forum and social media channels as a means of reaching out to us with those concerns so we can help solve them in whatever way we can. However, please remember to compose your message in the same manner in which you would like to receive the response. As noted above, “derogatory, inflammatory or questionable content” has always been grounds for posts to simply be deleted without response, and will continue to be so. Deletion of any and all messages from any individual or group of people is at the sole discretion of the Forum administrators. This includes sarcasm as well as insulting and accusatory statements. While we are in fact eager to help with any problems that may occur, if you can’t write without being cynical, you may want to hold off a bit until you can be more rational in expressing your concerns.

No Personal Information:

While this one should be common sense, it is surprising how many people will post their name, NACA ID number and even their telephone number in a forum post or even on Facebook. Please remember that what you write here can be read by anyone on the internet. This is not a membership-restricted site, so please do not post any information about yourself here that you would not announce over a microphone to a crowd of twenty thousand people. Again, that personal information starts with and includes your NACA ID number. Never post it or any other personal information in a public forum, here or anywhere else on the web.

Oh, By the Way, Who Am I Talking To?

Under other circumstances, this would actually be funny. We far too commonly receive emails from members who go to substantial effort to make sure they have provided a wonderfully detailed explanation of their problem or question to insure we have all the information necessary to address their concerns… Then forget to include their NACA ID number, leaving us in the dark or doing detective work to find out which file we are dealing with.

It’s really a simple, common sense rule. NEVER post your ID in a public place, but ALWAYS include it, every time, in private communications such as an email or the Live Chat system available through the NACA website.

One Way or Another:

While we realize you intend to be thorough by doing so, posting the same message to the Forum, our Facebook page, and emailing it to a Forum administrator is actually counter-productive. Most likely, all three messages will go to the same person, which means answering the same question for the same person three separate times. This redundancy only slows down our response time to you and everyone else we are trying to help. So please limit yourself to one method when communicating with us.

Once is Enough:

Likewise, posting the same message in multiple threads in the Forum will have the same effect as posting through several different media.

Each still has to be addressed and responded to separately, which only slows down our response time and can confuse members who may then falsely think that they have read the entire thread previously and possibly miss out on some important information that could have a bearing on their own file.

Similarly, multiple messages each day with minor or random questions bog things down too. We want to answer those questions for you, but in such a circumstance, please send them all in one daily message if possible.

By posting in this Forum, you certify that you have read and agree to abide by these rules. Failure to comply with these rules will result in the deletion of offending posts and the writer potentially being banned from this Forum and other NACA social media.

As you can see, these are really just common sense rules, largely based on common courtesy. Abiding by these guidelines will help the NACA staff help you in whatever means possible and encourage a positive, free flow of information through this Forum, which is its most fundamental purpose.

Thanks!

Posted in NACA Purchase Program, NACA Technology, Save the Dream, Uncategorized | 39 Comments

Phone Lines Open Again at Most NACA Offices

By TTrumble | Published July 7, 2020

We want to thank our members for their extreme patience over the last few weeks as we have had to close all NACA offices to the public and move to a work-from-home operational model during the pandemic.

During this time, local offices’ phone lines automatically rolled over to NACA Member Services, which became overloaded with thousands of phone calls. This caused members to have unavoidably long wait times to speak to a representative, for which we apologize.

However, we are thrilled to announce that as a first step toward getting our offices back open, our office admins and counselors are back to work in most local offices, meaning that calls to the local office will now be answered locally, eliminating the extreme wait times so many have experienced.

We invite our members to call their local NACA offices once again where applicable. This will allow you to both avoid and reduce the number of long waits to speak with a NACA representative.

Please note that all NACA appointments will still be conducted by videoconference for the foreseeable future. However, we are very happy to let you know that communicating with your local office by phone is an option once again.

Posted in Uncategorized | 33 Comments

INVITATION HOMES TENANT ABUSE

By TTrumble | Published June 3, 2020

*****PRESS RELEASE*****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release – June 2, 2020

CONTACT:

Tim Trumble – Media Coordinator; Cell: 617-947-2632; ttrumble@naca.com
Abriel St. Ange – Media Specialist; Cell: 857-529-3220; abriel.st.ange@naca.com

INVITATION HOMES EXPLOITS TENANTS DURING PANDEMIC CRISIS

AS THE LARGEST LANDLORD OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES IN AMERICA, INVITATION HOMES IS NOT PROVIDING TENANTS RELIEF AND IS RAISING RENTS

(BOSTON– June 2, 2020) – NACA, the largest non-profit HUD approved housing counseling organization, is working with thousands of Invitation Home tenants to organize and advocate for their rights. (click here for Invitation Homes Tenant website)

The tenants and others have responded to a mass mailing NACA sent to over 80,000 Invitation Homes tenants. The overwhelming response from thousands of tenants report having major issues, including extremely high rents, excessive rent increases, arbitrary high fees, refusal to make even critical repairs and other issues. This includes Invitation Homes’ shocking demand that even tenants struggling financially because of the Covid-19 pandemic must make their rental payment on time.

It is unconscionable to require rental payments and increase rents on tenants who have been impacted by the pandemic crisis, and in many states it is illegal. Instead, Invitation Homes minimizes costs and maximizes rents and fees for the sole purpose of providing the largest possible returns to investors, with no consideration of today’s unprecedented circumstances. In other words, its profits come directly from tenant exploitation.

A previous corporate loan deal should have prevented these practices. In 2017 Invitation Homes financed $1 Billion in collateralized debt, with their portfolio of houses as the collateral. The funding came from Wells Fargo, the nation’s most notorious bank, still under government sanctions for its predatory practices. In an unprecedented act, the financing was guaranteed by Fannie Mae. Under the CARES Act, renters living in a property with a GSE-backed mortgage are protected by a temporary eviction moratorium and other restrictions. While this funding opened the door for even more predatory activity against tenants, the deal also places the more than 80,000 homes owned by Invitation Homes under federal government regulation, including the tenant protections provided by the CARES Act.

Bruce Marks, NACA CEO, explains “Invitation Homes is a Wall Street predator. Every single one of their 80,000 homes was owner occupied prior to the 2008 mortgage crisis. They are now using their mortgage power in their 16 markets to exploit their tenants, add to the affordable housing crisis and raise housing prices for homebuyers.”

Francisca and husband Steve Bello, are one of many Invitation Homes tenants who have complaints about Invitation Homes. They say, “Invitation Homes has increased our rent from $1,705 to $2,005. I am pregnant and both my husband and I have lost our jobs due to the pandemic. We were hoping for some assistance from Invitation Homes but they still required payment and they were only willing to not charge us any late fees.”

With the help of NACA, thousands of Invitation Homes tenants are now reaching out within their community to involve other tenants in advocating for their rights. If Fannie Mae, Wells Fargo and Wall Street investors can enable Invitation Homes to profit from tenant exploitation and worsen the affordable housing crisis in this country, then the tenants, NACA and other advocates will take action to fight this exploitation. The tenants have the power to protest, withhold rent and work with political and community leaders to hold Invitation Homes and its executives accountable. This turns the tables on Wall Street and other investors who thought they could generate massive returns by creating a dominant, greed focused single-family landlord.

NACA (NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORPORATION OF AMERICA (www.naca.com)
Started in 1988, NACA is the largest HUD-Certified nonprofit, community advocacy and homeownership organization in the United States. NACA has been the forefront in fighting predatory lending and has been the most effective organization in providing affordable solutions to over 250,000 homeowners. NACA provides the best mortgage in the country through its 48 offices nationwide. NACA’s founder and CEO Bruce Marks was named Bostonian of the Year for 2007 because of his work in getting the major lenders and servicers to modify home loans. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions including September 12, 2000—being one of the few to sound the alarm of the pending mortgage crisis. For more information, please visit www.naca.com.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

THOUSANDS ATTEND FIRST EVER VIRTUAL HOMEOWNERSHIP EVENT TO ACCESS NACA’S BEST IN AMERICA MORTGAGE

By TTrumble | Published May 23, 2020

*****PRESS RELEASE*****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2020

CONTACT:

Tim Trumble – Media Coordinator; Cell: 617-947-2632; ttrumble@naca.com
Abriel St. Ange – Media Specialist; Cell: 857-529-3220; abriel.st.ange@naca.com

NACA IS PROVIDING EXTRAORDINARY HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW-TO-MODERATE INCOME AND MINORITY HOMEBUYERS

(BOSTON– May 20, 2020) – NACA, the largest non-profit HUD approved counseling organization, is making mortgage history in overcoming the obstacles of this pandemic. Over ten thousand low-and moderate-income and minority homebuyers participated in NACA’s first-ever virtual Achieve the Dream event over four-days this past Thursday through Sunday. As a result of the massive demand, additional four-day events are scheduled every week through June.

During this virtual four-day event, homebuyers throughout the country received comprehensive counseling and education to access NACA’s Best in America Mortgage: no down-payment, no closing costs, no fees at a below market fixed rate (3.125% 30-year and 2.375% 15-year as of 5/20/20). By making use of webinars, videoconferencing and electronic document submission, homebuyers complete NACA’s qualification process in one day. The homebuyer attends a Homebuyer Workshop, meets with a housing counselor, and then has their file underwritten to be NACA Qualified to begin the housing search.

NACA Founder and CEO Bruce Marks said, “The online Achieve the Dream events are going to change the mortgage industry as we know it and make affordable homeownership available to more people than ever before. Nothing like this has ever been done before in the history of mortgage lending, especially at this scale. Even during the pandemic, NACA is continuing to create new homeownership opportunities on a massive scale while still protecting the health and safety of the participants and staff.”

NACA, with $15 billion in mortgage funds, $10 billion from Bank of America, dedicated to this one extraordinary mortgage product. It overcomes the four major obstacles to homeownership for working people:

Obstacle: Significant Savings
Obstacle: Unaffordable Terms
Obstacle: Restrictive Underwriting
Obstacle: Racism & Biases

Comments from just a few of the many people qualified at the virtual Achieve the Dream Event:

Shanetta Little, New Jersey: https://vimeo.com/419429758

Michelle Gutierrez, California: https://vimeo.com/419332120

Robyn Arcangel, North Carolina: https://vimeo.com/420357755

Nyeisha Morris, North Carolina: https://vimeo.com/419150194

Information and registration for Homebuyer’s Workshops and the Achieve the Dream Events are on www.naca.com.

Media links:
Fox 4 Dallas: https://youtu.be/0yYV3AODw7A?list=PLOKHTNNOOuimIC1fm8sxnjg4OzHIIeY5B
CBS 3 Philadelphia: https://youtu.be/-Bfbjdui0_A
Maria Lara Testimony: https://youtu.be/L2uUrtDVBhU?list=PLOKHTNNOOuimIC1fm8sxnjg4OzHIIeY5B
CNBC at Miami Event: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=564349637328357

NACA (NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORPORATION OF AMERICA (www.naca.com)

Started in 1988, NACA is the largest HUD-Certified nonprofit, community advocacy, and homeownership organization in the United States. NACA has been the forefront in fighting predatory lending and has been the most effective organization in providing affordable solutions to over 250,000 homeowners. NACA provides the best mortgage in the country through its 48 offices nationwide. NACA’s founder and CEO Bruce Marks was named Bostonian of the Year for 2007 because of his work in getting the major lenders and servicers to modify home loans. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions including September 12, 2000—being one of the few to sound the alarm of the pending mortgage crisis. For more information, please visit www.naca.com.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

THOUSANDS ATTEND FIRST EVER VIRTUAL HOMEOWNERSHIP EVENT TO ACCESS NACA’S BEST IN AMERICA MORTGAGE

By TTrumble | Published May 20, 2020

*****PRESS RELEASE*****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2020

CONTACT:

Tim Trumble – Media Coordinator; Cell: 617-947-2632; ttrumble@naca.com
Abriel St. Ange – Media Specialist; Cell: 857-529-3220; abriel.st.ange@naca.com

NACA CREATES NEW MORTAGE LENDING STANDARDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

(BOSTON– May 20, 2020) – Mortgage industry history was made over the past weekend as thousands of homebuyers were counseled in the first of a series of massive virtual homebuying events. NACA, America’s largest HUD certified counseling agency, conducted the entirely online event in which buyers were given access to NACA’s extraordinary mortgage: no down-payment, no closing costs, no fees at a below market fixed rate (3.125% 30-year and 2.375% 15-year as of 5/19/20).

More than 7,500 people were counseled during NACA’s first-ever virtual Achieve the Dream Event over four days, May 14-17. NACA made use of its state-of-the-art technology to allow thousands of primarily low- and moderate-income homebuyers to access NACA’s Best in America mortgage program to buy a home with the best terms in the country. Many were NACA Qualified (i.e. pre-approved) the same day, all without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes.

By making use of webinars, videoconferencing and electronic document submission, homebuyers were able to complete NACA’s process to be qualified for NACA’s unequaled mortgage product. The virtual Achieve the Dream event used the same four basic steps as their live Achieve the Dream events conducted across the country the past two years. During the virtual event, homebuyers:

Attended an online version of NACA’s Homebuyer Workshop to learn how the NACA program works and to learn how to become NACA members.
Uploaded required documents to their NACA file.
Met with a NACA counselor by videoconference to review readiness for homeownership and an affordable payment.
Met with a NACA underwriter by video conference or phone to be NACA Qualified (i.e. pre-approved) or their next steps.

NACA, with $15 billion of this outstanding mortgage, uses character-based underwriting instead of credit scores to qualify buyers. As a result of the phenomenal success of the first event, additional events are scheduled through May with more coming in June to meet the greater-than-expected demand.

Comments from just a few of the many people qualified at the virtual Achieve the Dream Event:

Shanetta Little, New Jersey: https://vimeo.com/419429758

Michelle Gutierrez, California: https://vimeo.com/419332120

Akele Gause, North Carolina : https://vimeo.com/418986325

Nyeisha Morris, North Carolina: https://vimeo.com/419150194

NACA Founder and CEO Bruce Marks said, “Just as with our live events, our counselors and underwriters were staying until one o’clock in the morning to make sure every single person was helped. Nothing like this has ever been done before in the history of mortgage lending, especially at this scale. Even during the pandemic, NACA is continuing to create new homeownership opportunities on a massive scale while still protecting the health and safety of the participants and staff.”

Registration for the second and third virtual Achieve the Dream Events May 21-24 and May 28-June 1 is already full, and the series will be continued well into June.

Bruce Marks continued, “The online Achieve the Dream Events are going to change the mortgage industry as we know it and make affordable homeownership available to more people than ever before. Even more homebuyers will now have the opportunity to take advantage of the unbeatable terms of the NACA program and do so on a scale never seen before.

Media links:

Fox 4 Dallas: https://youtu.be/0yYV3AODw7A?list=PLOKHTNNOOuimIC1fm8sxnjg4OzHIIeY5B
CBS 3 Philadelphia: https://youtu.be/-Bfbjdui0_A
Maria Lara Testimony: https://youtu.be/L2uUrtDVBhU?list=PLOKHTNNOOuimIC1fm8sxnjg4OzHIIeY5B
CNBC at Miami Event: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=564349637328357

Information and registration for Homebuyer’s Workshops and the Achieve the Dream Events are on www.naca.com.

NACA (NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORPORATION OF AMERICA (www.naca.com)

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

NACA Launches Largest Nationwide Virtual Homeownership Event

By TTrumble | Published May 16, 2020

*****PRESS RELEASE*****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2020

CONTACT:

Tim Trumble – Media Coordinator; Cell: 617-947-2632; ttrumble@naca.com
Abriel St. Ange – Media Specialist; Cell: 857-529-3220; abriel.st.ange@naca.com

DESPITE PANDEMIC, THOUSANDS ATTEND HOMEOWNERSHIP EVENT TO ACCESS NACA’S BEST IN AMERICA MORTGAGE

COUNTER TO “CONVENTIONAL WISDOM”, WORKING PEOPLE IN HUGE NUMBERS ARE ENGAGING IN THE HOMEBUYING PROCESS

(BOSTON– May 16, 2020) – Starting Thursday May 14^th NACA, America’s largest HUD certified counseling agency, is conducting a series of massive four-day virtual homebuying events. NACA is changing the face of mortgage lending nationwide by counseling thousands of homebuyers each day and providing access to an extraordinary mortgage: no down-payment, no closing costs, no fees at a below market fixed rate (3.0% 30-year and 2.375% 15-year as of 5/14/20). While lenders are tightening their underwriting, NACA, with $15 billion of this outstanding mortgage, uses character-based underwriting to qualify buyers instead of credit scores.

These virtual Achieve the Dream Events will take advantage of NACA’s state of the art technology to allow thousands of primarily low and moderate income homebuyers to access NACA’s Best in America mortgage program to buy a home with the best terms in the country. Many will get NACA Qualified (i.e. equivalent of pre-approval) the same-day, all without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes.

NACA’s technology allows homebuyers to submit all necessary documents electronically and meet with a NACA counselor via teleconference creating a virtual environment. NACA provides comprehensive counseling and access to the NACA mortgage to thousands of homebuyers over the four-day event. Additional events are scheduled through May with more coming in June to meet the tremendous demand.

NACA Founder and CEO Bruce Marks said, “The virtual Achieve the Dream Events allow us to maintain the unprecedented success we created with our live Achieve the Dream events and transfer it into an entirely online environment. This not only allows NACA to continue to create new homeownership opportunities on a massive scale, but to also make every event a nationwide event instead of a local or regional one, all the while protecting the health and safety of the participants and staff. It’s all hands-on deck for our team. Nothing like this has ever been done before in the history of mortgage lending, especially at this scale.”

NACA’s will have more than 250 counselors from coast to coast participating in the events, which means homeownership counseling will be happening on a scale not seen since NACA’s historic “Save the Dream” events during the mortgage crisis. Advance registration for the first week’s event is already at capacity of over 7,500 homebuyers, and the following weeks are filling rapidly.

The virtual Achieve the Dream events will have the same four basic steps:

Attend an online version of NACA’s Homebuyer Workshop to learn how the NACA program works and to learn how to become NACA members.
Upload required documents to their NACA file.
Meet with a NACA counselor to review readiness for homeownership and an affordable payment.
Meet with a NACA underwriter to be NACA Qualified (i.e. pre-approved) or their next steps.

Bruce Marks continued, “These events will not only give homebuyers the continued opportunity to take advantage of the unbeatable terms of the NACA program but do so on a scale never seen before in American history. The online Achieve the Dream Events are going to change the mortgage industry as we know it and make affordable homeownership available to more people than ever before.”

Media links:

Information and registration for Homebuyer’s Workshops and the Achieve the Dream Events are on www.naca.com.

NACA (NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORPORATION OF AMERICA (www.naca.com)

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

NACA OPERATIONS COVID-19 UPDATE

By TTrumble | Published May 1, 2020

Here is a quick update on how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting NACA operations and how you can continue to move forward toward your American Dream of homeownership during this time.

While nearly all NACA offices are open and running at this point in time, they remain closed to the public during the pandemic to protect the health and safety of our members and staff.

All counseling appointments are being conducted as scheduled, but continue to be done online as a videoconference through the GoToMeting app. Members will be advised by email a few days before the appointment on how to access the appointment online.

Many of our staff members are working from home. This does make communications with them somewhat more difficult as they are not at their office desk and therefore cannot answer their office phone. Therefore, please communicate with your counselor by email whenever possible, unless specifically instructed by your counselor otherwise.

Likewise, please do not email your counselor more than once per day with a specific topic or question. Doing so only serves to further clog up an already full mailbox and will likely result in only delaying the response you are seeking.

We have developed new techniques for helping you get through the process as completely and efficiently as possible during the remainder of the pandemic. One example is the ability for our members to now sign their bank application electronically, saving one more trip and helping to maintain social distancing.

While closings still require an in-person meeting, our offices and partnering title firms and closing attorneys have devised some effective and sometimes very creative ways to conduct the closing while maintaining the safety of all concerned.

While some cities, counties and states are starting to announce plans to begin phased reopenings of their economies, there are no dates set as of yet for any NACA offices to reopen to the public. Likewise, there are no dates yet for the return of our Achieve the Dream events, though it is clear it will be August at the very earliest , if that soon, before it will potentially be safe for our staff to get back on the road.

In lieu of the live ATD events we are developing the idea of a series of virtual ATD event in the weeks ahead. We hope to combine the best elements of the live events with the advances we have made in virtual workshops and video-conferenced counseling sessions to conduct large-scale pre-approval events. We will provide more information as we develop the concept and begin to make plans.

With many NACA staff members presently working from home, many local office phones are automatically rolling over to NACA Member Services. This is creating a very large backlog on the Member Services lines, resulting in abnormally long wait times. Please remember as noted above to contact your counselor via email wherever possible. This will reduce the number of unnecessary calls rolling over to Member Services, thus reducing their backlog and enabling them to better assist all of our members.

Like so many of you, we are more than ready for our lives to return to something close to normal but understand that we must continue to practice social distancing and other safety procedures to ensure that we beat the COVID-19 virus for everyone’s sake. In the meantime, we must all find an extra measure of patience and tolerance, understanding that this crisis affects us all, whether or not we come into direct contact with the virus. Be assured that NACA is continuing to work every day, continuing to fight for economic justice and helping you reach your American Dream of affordable homeownership.

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

TAX FILING DEADLINE APRIL 15 OR JULY 15 FOR NACA MEMBERS?

By TTrumble | Published April 15, 2020

Today, April 15^th, is if course the traditional income tax filing deadline in the United States, which also makes it the day copies of your tax return for the year must be submitted to your NACA file. We have received several questions regarding whether the extension to July 15^th granted because of the pandemic also means the deadline to submit the return to NACA has also been extended.

Technically, yes, the NACA deadline has also been extended. Waiting to file and submit though is absolutely NOT a good idea.

Here’s the 4-1-1. Nobody ever deliberately waits to get their refund, so that means anyone who is taking advantage of the new deadline to delay filing is almost certainly someone who knows they are going to have to pay the IRS this year, just like the people who file a Form 4868 (Automatic Extension of Time to File).

Therefore, the same thing applies as if you filed a 4868. If you owe the IRS money, your file will be suspended until such time as the tax debt is paid. Waiting to file in hopes of “slipping it past us” is a disastrous idea for several reasons. Realistically, there is no excuse for everyone to not get filed right away if you haven’t done so already. If you owe the IRS, get your return filed and get them paid in full or set up payment arrangements (understanding that payment arrangements will cause you a 12-month setback) so the sooner you get started the better.

Don’t forget that your W2’s and 1099’s had to be in your file by January 31^st, so finishing up and filing should be a top priority if you haven’t done so already.

In short, the July 15^th extension is not a gift where your NACA file is concerned. Get your return filed and submitted so we can continue working with you toward your goal of becoming a homeowner.

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NACA COVID-19 Operational Update 3/31/20

By TTrumble | Published March 31, 2020

Here’s updated information on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected NACA operations and what actions we are taking to continue helping you become a homeowner with NACA’s Best in America Mortgage.

First and most importantly, MOST of our offices across the country are still open. While some of our offices have had to close as a result of shelter-in place orders or similar directives, the majority of our offices, including the NACA National Counseling Center in Charlotte, NC are open and conducting counseling sessions as scheduled.

Presently, all NACA offices are open with the exception of the following:

California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Upland

Connecticut: Hartford

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia

Massachusetts: Lawrence

New York: Buffalo, Queens, Rochester

However, please be aware that it is NOT ENTIRELY business as usual. To comply with social distancing, there have been a few changes.

All counseling sessions are currently being conducted remotely by video conferencing. This allows you to speak directly with your NACA counselor and conduct a full counseling session while eliminating the need to make an unnecessary trip away from the safety of your home or workplace. This also reduces traffic through our offices and greatly reduces risk of exposure for everyone concerned. Please contact NACA Member Services at 425-602-6222 if you have any questions about how the video conferencing is done.

Likewise, submitting documents to your NACA file is presently being done entirely online. Documents can be scanned and submitted securely though your NACA web-file on any internet connected computer with a scanner, and even from some smartphones. Documents may also be submitted by email or fax from members. Again, please contact NACA Member Services for details.

NACA members who do not have access to a computer scanner may still come in to the local NACA office and scan their documents into their file using the member kiosk located in each office. However, calling to provide advance notice to the office and a specific time or arrival is required to be allowed entry into the office. After each use, kiosks will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized in preparation for future use.

We are even working on the means for our members to sign their bank application electronically to once again implement social distancing and reduce the risk of contamination.

Likewise, NACA’s workshops have also changed from local in-person workshops to virtual ones. NACA staff members are now conducting webinars in place of local workshops for both the initial Qualification Workshop and the Purchase Workshop that our members attend after becoming NACA Qualified.

Qualification Workshops for people beginning the NACA program are conducted in English three times each Saturday, at 9:00 am, 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm Eastern time, and in Spanish at 1:00 pm Eastern time every Saturday. NACA Purchase Workshops are conducted every Thursday at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm Eastern time.

Because of the huge demand, we are also conducting Qualification Workshops on Facebook Live twice per month on Saturday mornings at 9:00 am Eastern Time on the NACA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nacaofficialpage .

To register for the workshops, please go to the NACA website at www.naca.com and click on the red “Schedule” button in the upper right corner of the page.

NACA’s weekly informational webinars are also being held as normally scheduled. Webinars ranging from our NACA Program Overview to Property Qualification to our Mobilize Georgia community advocacy campaign are all available by again clicking on the “Schedule” button on the home page of the NACA website.

NACA’s Member Services team, HAND department and Real Estate Department are all open during their normal business hours as well to help you reach your American Dream of homeownership.

As you can see, we are creating new and groundbreaking ways to keep everyone safe during this difficult time. NACA is still working every day to provide you with our Best in America Mortgage, with no down payment, no closing costs, a below market fixed rate, and no need for perfect credit. The NACA staff is continuing the fight for economic justice and affordable homeownership as we all work together as a nation to defeat the COVID-19 threat.

For more information on how the NACA team is continuing to make affordable homeownership a reality, go to www.naca.com, visit any of our social media pages, or contact NACA Member Services.

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NACA Operational Update 3/24

By TTrumble | Published March 24, 2020

Here’s an update on how the corona virus outbreak has affected NACA operations and what actions we are taking to continue helping you become a homeowner with NACA’s Best in America Mortgage.

First and most importantly, MOST of our offices across the country are still open. While some of our offices have had to close as a result of shelter-in place orders or similar directives, the majority of our offices, including the NACA National Counseling Center in Charlotte, NC are open and conducting counseling sessions as scheduled.

However, please be aware that it is NOT ENTIRELY business as usual. To comply with social distancing, there have been a few changes.

All counseling sessions are currently being conducted remotely by video conferencing. This allows you to speak directly with your NACA counselor and conduct a full counseling session while eliminating the need to make an unnecessary trip away from your home or workplace. This also reduces traffic through our offices and greatly reduces risk of exposure for everyone concerned.

We are even working on the means for our members to sign their bank application electronically to once again implement social distancing and reduce the risk of contamination.

To register for the workshops, please go to the NACA website at N-A-C-A DOT COM and click on the red “Schedule” button in the upper right corner of the page.

NACA’s Member Services team, HAND department and Real Estate Department are all open during their normal business hours as well to help you reach your American Dream of homeownership.

For more information on how the NACA team is continuing to make affordable homeownership a reality, go to NACA-DOT-COM, visit any of our social media pages, or contact NACA Member Services at 425-602-6222.

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