I just googled the phrase "parallel foreclosure" (with the quotes around the two words) and was shocked to see that there were only 1,270 total hits. On the first page of google, every hit was directly related to my posting about it either on my blogs or mentioning it on someone else's blog.
Considering that in 2009, 10,000 homes were foreclosed on every day in the United States, it makes sense to learn what parallel foreclosure is. Is it not scary that there are only 1,270 total google links for the phrase "parallel foreclosure"? If not for Sarah Buduson of KPHO-TV (CBS 5) Phoenix AZ, and google, I would not have learned about Parallel Foreclosures, either.
My goal is to see the practice of Parallel Foreclosures covered by 60 minutes, and sooner rather than later. I find it very disconcerting that public icons such as Oprah Winfrey and news outlets like 60 minutes seem afraid to take on the issue of parallel foreclosures.
To briefly recap what a parallel foreclosure is... The moment a homeowner either falls behind on their monthly payment or asks for a home loan modification, a separate division within that same bank might immediately start a foreclosure process on the home.
The problem is the bank may be working with the homeowner trying to do the home loan modification even as a separate division within the bank is processing the paperwork to foreclose on the home.
The person at the bank that is dealing with the home owner may not even know anybody from the parallel foreclosure banking division. This allows the banker in the bank to look the customer the eye and truly believe they are trying to help the customer even though the parallel foreclosure division located elsewhere may already be processing foreclosure paperwork on the home.
I am not saying this happens on each and every home, but it could be happening as fast as the banks can make it happen. This basically gives the banks the option to do whatever they feel like. They may modify the home mortgage loan, or they may foreclose, the choice is theirs unless the homeowner can catch up on the payments and all the penalties that usually have been tacked on.
In defense of the banks, there are homeowners out there that will try and milk what they know to be a hopeless situation as long as possible. The banks may have just decided to treat everybody the same. What is unfortunate is that the banks apparently don't notify the customer that a parallel foreclosure process is underway.
