New Law Provides Help for Homeowners, Says Gillen
HARRISBURG — Rep. Mark Gillen (R-Berks) voted in favor of legislation that was signed into law on Friday and directs funding to the Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) to aid Pennsylvanians facing home foreclosure.
“I am pleased this program will help more Pennsylvanians remain in their homes,” Gillen said. “During these economic times, some families have run into unforeseen circumstances and could use a helping hand. My goal in this and other efforts has been to help homeowners to be secure in their houses.”
Act 70 of 2012 was unanimously approved by the state House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett. Under the new law, the Pennsylvania Treasury is directed to use most of the funds acquired through the Homeowner Assistance Settlement Agreement to fund HEMAP.
The Homeowner Assistance Settlement Agreement refers to an accord established in February between the Pennsylvania attorney general and leading U.S. mortgage servicing companies.
In addition to providing funding for HEMAP, the new law also provides homeowners with additional time to challenge certain foreclosures and clarifies other aspects of the process.
Nearly all of the funding from the payments made pursuant to the agreement directly aid consumers, with 90 percent of funding going to HEMAP, 5 percent to the Office of the Attorney General for housing consumer protection programs, and 5 percent for legal assistance involving housing programs.
“Homeownership is one of the bedrocks of our society,” Gillen said, “I am committed to keeping people in their homes, whether that means eliminating property taxes or aiding families in staving off foreclosure through programs such as HEMAP. If you are struggling, I encourage you to contact the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to see if you qualify.”
For more information about the Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, or to learn if they are eligible, residents should contact the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency at 717-780-3800 or visit its website at
www.phfa.org.
State Representative Mark Gillen
128th District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Dan Massing
dmassing@pahousegop.com
717.772.9845