Contact: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Consumer Action Executive Director, 301-807-1974

Jan. 16, 2024, San Francisco—Consumer Action, through an AHEAD economic development grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and member institution Desert Financial Credit Union, offers two new—free—resources focused on keeping homeowners in their homes. 

As part of Consumer Action’s ongoing work to expand homeownership access and security, the organization will present a 90-minute virtual train-the-trainer, Helping Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET). The webinar panel of speakers, including Andrea Bopp Stark, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), and Stacey Tutt, Homeowner Assistance Fund coordinator and senior staff attorney with the National Housing Law Project (NHLP), will cover, among other topics, mortgage delinquency and the foreclosure process; foreclosure prevention options; ways to mitigate the negative consequences when keeping the home is not feasible or desirable; how HUD-certified housing counselors can help; and more.

While the presentation will be geared to community-based organization staff, interested consumers are welcome to attend. Registration is open here. Accredited Financial Counselors (AFC) can earn 1.5 CEUs for attending. 

The second resource, Housing Help: Next steps and resources when you’re at risk of foreclosure, is a guide that covers generally the same topics in a reader-friendly format. The publication is available for free download from the Consumer Action website, in both English and Spanish.

There are many reasons why homeowners might find themselves facing foreclosure—a job loss, an illness, major repairs with no emergency fund to tap, financial setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, etc. Whatever the reason, homeowners armed with information about the foreclosure process and sources of help stand the best chance of saving their homes.

“FHLBank of San Francisco’s support is vital to our work to keep struggling homeowners in their homes,” said Anna Flores, Consumer Action’s executive director. “The AHEAD grant we received enables us to reach a broader audience—particularly the often-underserved Spanish-speaking community—with crucial foreclosure avoidance information that prepares them to navigate a complex and high-stakes situation.”

About Consumer Action

Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Consumer Action focuses on consumer education that empowers low- and moderate-income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper. It also advocates for consumers in the media and before lawmakers to advance consumer rights and promote industry-wide change.

About Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and AHEAD

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-driven cooperative helping local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. The tools and resources we provide to our member financial institutions—commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions—propel homeownership, finance quality affordable housing, drive economic vitality, and revitalize whole neighborhoods. Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) grants, delivered through FHLBank San Francisco member financial institutions, are aimed at advancing innovative economic and community development initiatives that bring greater opportunity to underserved populations.