Mortgage lenders have helped nearly 2.5 million troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure since the mortgage meltdown began in the summer of 2007.
That’s according to the latest report from Hope Now, the coalition of banks, mortgage-securities investors and housing counselors formed by the Bush administration to stem the foreclosure crisis.
Hope Now members helped 212,000 borrowers stay in [...]

Relief is on the way for some Floridians in foreclosure or at risk for it.
Bank of America is to provide $1 billion for Floridians who are recipients of Countrywide home loans considered troubled or risky.
Bank of America, which acquired Countrywide last year, is expecting about 58,000 Floridians to be eligible for its home retention program [...]

Attorney General Terry Goddard announced a multi-state settlement with Countrywide Financial Corp. Monday, relating to the company’s alleged use of deceptive practices in their mortgage lending business.
According to the settlement, Bank of America, which acquired Countrywide Financial on July 1, 2008, agreed to develop a loan modification program for up to 397,000 borrowers nationwide. The [...]

More than 120,000 struggling California homeowners could see their monthly mortgage payments lowered after Bank of America Corp. agreed to provide $3.5 billion in loan and foreclosure relief to settle lawsuits it inherited with its takeover of Countrywide Financial Corp.
The pact stems from cases filed earlier this year by California and other states, alleging Countrywide, [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sept. 18, 2008 - Short sales are a financial tactic that appears only in real estate downturns. Such sales are supposed to be a win-win that gets the seller out of a tight spot, a buyer a good deal and the bank off the hook.
But what sounds like a logical alternative to [...]

Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis on Wednesday defended the company’s recent acquisition of Countrywide Financial and expressed optimism the housing market would recover from its stubborn slump.
Lewis, speaking at a Los Angeles Town Hall meeting titled “Mending the Mortgage Market,” maintained Countrywide’s franchise and big customer base positioned BofA strongly when the housing market [...]

Bank of America Corp. has completed its purchase of Countrywide Financial Corp., making the Charlotte-based bank the nation’s leading mortgage originator and servicer.
The Federal Reserve and Countrywide’s shareholders cleared the way for the acquisition last month. As of Tuesday’s close, Bank of America controls between 20 percent and 25 percent of the country’s home loan [...]