U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch Proudly Serving Florida's 19th District

Contact: Ashley Mushnick 202-225-3001

Washington, Oct 4 - As news reports surface of major lenders circumventing legal standards while foreclosing thousands of homes, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-19) is calling for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on the implications that accelerated foreclosure proceedings have on the rights of homeowners. In a letter sent today to Chairman John Conyers, Congressman Deutch requested a hearing this November examining how the accelerated foreclosure proceedings adopted by several states may lack appropriate protections for due process, even in cases when families may have been wrongly evicted by lenders. 

“The court system has failed these families, and it is the obligation of this Congress to find out why. The foreclosure crisis is still very real, and too many families are learning what it means for the American dream of homeownership to become a nightmare. When they face foreclosure, they deserve to have all the protections of the law,” said Congressman Deutch. “There is a pattern here -- one that policy makers must change. If the courts have adopted a ‘trust but not verify’ approach to foreclosures, and if states are going to move forward with alternatives to traditional foreclosure proceedings, we need to ensure that appropriate safeguards remain in place to protect the rights of homeowners.”

A copy of the letter is available here.