Homeowners threatened with foreclosure are increasingly finding that a simple legal tactic is stalling the process.
The mortgage mess is largely the result of lenders packaging and selling off their debt -- to the point where many banks are now unable to produce the original mortgage documents proving who owns the debt.
A homeowner rebellion is now taking advantage of this fact by demanding the original mortgage note when threatened with foreclosure. And in many cases, the banks can't do it. According to the Huffington Post:
"The chaos is a sign of how far the mortgage business has come since people commonly took out a mortgage from their neighborhood banker, who kept the relevant documents locked away until the house was sold or paid off. During the securitization boom, millions of mortgages were sold and packaged into bonds -- often many times over, metastasizing into esoteric financial instruments -- for sale to investors. Each time, the paperwork should have been changing hands and the homeowner should have been notified that someone new held the note. But just as deciphering the true holder of the mortgage has become more and more difficult for homeowners -- Is it the servicer? Investor? Trustee? Original lender? -- the paperwork has also become difficult to track."
FULL STORY: Who Owns Your Mortgage? "Produce The Note" Movement Helps Stall Foreclosures

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.
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Planning for Universal Design
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