Monday, October 14, 2013

NACA's FREE LOAN MODIFICATION ASSISTANCE..... COMES TO LA!!! October 31 - Nov 4 & Nov. 14-18, 2013

https://www.naca.com/nacaWeb/index_main.aspx


Oct 24-28
Oct 31-Nov 4
Nov 7-11
Nov 14-18
The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America ("NACA") is a non-profit, community advocacy and homeownership organization. NACA’s primary goal is to build strong, healthy neighborhoods in urban and rural areas nationwide through affordable homeownership. NACA has made the dream of homeownership a reality for thousands of working people by counseling them honestly and effectively, enabling even those with poor credit to purchase a home or refinance a predatory loan with far better terms than those provided even in the prime market. 

SAVE THESE DATES FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER


Investing in working people
The NACA homeownership program is our answer to the huge subprime and predatory lending industry. NACA has conclusively shown that when working people get the benefit of a prime rate loan, they can resolve their financial problems, make their mortgage payments and become prime borrowers. NACA’s track record of helping people who have credit problems become homeowners or refinance out of a predatory loan debunks the myth that high rates and fees are necessary to compensate for their "credit risk." 

Started in 1988, NACA has a tremendous track record of successful advocacy against predatory and discriminatory lenders as well as providing the best mortgage program in America with $10 billion in funding commitments. NACA is the largest housing services organization in the country and is rapidly expanding by growing its existing 30+ offices, headquartered in Boston, MA, opening many new offices nationwide, and expanding the services it offers its membership. NACA’s confrontational community organizing and unprecedented mortgage program have set the national standard for assisting low- and moderate-income people to achieve the dream of homeownership. 

NACA – America’s Best Mortgage Program
The incredible NACA mortgage allows NACA Members to purchase or refinance homes with:

  • no down payment,
  • no closing costs,
  • no fees,
  • no requirement for perfect credit,
  • and at a below-market interest rate.

Everyone gets the same incredible terms, including the below-market interest rate, regardless of their credit score or other factors. NACA also provides free, comprehensive housing services. NACA counsels Members into the extraordinary NACA mortgage using character-based lending criteria that takes each Member’s circumstances into account to determine whether they are ready for homeownership and what they can afford. This is in contrast to risk-based pricing where people are often given loans they cannot afford while brokers and others make tremendous fees and profits. 

Friday, September 27, 2013

"Liking" something on Facebook and being Fired for it..... NOT SO FAST!

"Bland et al. v. Roberts, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 19268 (4th Circuit, September 18, 2013), Daniel Ray Carter, Jr., was employed as a deputy sheriff in Hampton, Virginia. During the election season when his boss, Sheriff B.J. Roberts, was running for reelection, Carter (and some of his co-workers) expressed support for Robert's political opponent by "liking" his campaign Facebook page. Upon learning of this, Roberts terminated the employees who had "liked" his opponent's page claiming the terminations were based on budget cuts and disruption of office dynamics."
Sheriff Roberts believed that his firing was in retaliation for supporting his boss' rival.  Roberts and his co-workers sued stating that they were being fired for expressing their free speech rights under the First Amended.  Well the district court did find that "Liking" something on Facebook could be protected speech, but merely liking something didn't make it "protected speech" warranting constitutional protection.  Roberts appealed and the 4th Circuit reversed this determination.  
The Appellate Court held that on a "most basic level, clicking on the 'Like' button literally causes to be published the statement that the user 'likes' something, which is itself a substantive statement," of approval or support.  Because this was a political campaign, the "like" button became like a campaign sign in front of a person's front lawn which is purely political speech.  This sort of speech has always been protected by the first amendment.
The importance of this decision is significant because it creates First Amendment protections for employees who use social media and their use of "likes" and "emoticons."  This means employers need to be very careful when investigating or taking disciplinary action against employees who exercise their First Amendment rights in this fashion.  If you fired an employee for this sort of use of social medium you could find yourself sued.
Good luck out there!
PS:  I know this doesn't have as much to do with bankruptcy and loan modification.  However, I did find it interesting.