Tim Collette Isn’t Alone

Across the country, homeowners are battling with America’s banks for mortgage loan modifications. As of May of this year, less than 750,000 U.S. borrowers had received permanent loan modifications, far below the original goal of helping 3 - 4 million borrowers. The big banks – including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo – have come under harsh criticism for preventing millions of eligible homeowners from receiving loan modifications, resulting in unnecessary (and in some cases, illegal) home foreclosures.

Tim Collette is one homeowner who's fighting back. While his son serves in Iraq, Tim is fighting to stay in his home.

More than 120,000 people on Change.org have joined the Collettes in asking Chase bank to stop the foreclosure and find a permanent solution for the family.

Because of your advocacy, things are moving in the right direction. Chase bank recently asked us to share the following statement:

"We granted Mr. Collette’s request to stay in his home through his son’s leave and communicated this in early June.  All of the options that we have been discussing with Mr. Collette honor his request. We are in constant contact with Mr. Collette and his attorney and very much hope to work through a permanent option that keeps him in his home.”

But Tim says that’s not true. After reading the statement from Chase, Tim wrote to us:

"Chase, so far, has not granted me anything. In June they offered me a deed in lieu of foreclosure - which would not keep me in my home - to happen at the end of September. I asked for that offer to be in writing and sent to me for my attorney to look over. As of yet, I have received nothing, and no calls or correspondence regarding that offer. The modification I'm now working on was at their request and has been just as frustrating as all the others. They have lost paperwork and have also asked for paperwork I've already given them again on several occasions. To me, it seems the same as what many of us homeowners have been going through for the last couple of years."

And Tim would be right. It’s happening to petition creator Lucy McKernan in Ohio. To Vera Johnson's nursery business in Seattle. And to petition creator and single mother Patricia Malone. These homeowners were inspired by Tim Collette's campaign to launch their own petition. If you're a homeowner facing similar obstacles with an unresponsive bank, consider launching a petition to your bank.

The countdown for the Collette family has begun. In just six days, Chase bank is scheduled for foreclose on their home and sell it at auction. We hope that doesn't happen, but Tim has yet to receive any official word from Chase announcing they've stopped the foreclosure. If you haven’t already, sign the petition to Chase asking them to stop this from happening. You can also follow Tim Collette's campaign on Facebook.