Asset Protection Hotline

New Health Care Law Overview

2010-04-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Health Care Reform: Client Impact

With the approval of the new health care bill, there has been a great deal of discussion, both positive and negative, about the proposed legislation. The Law Offices of Richard D. Seward would like to take a moment and attempt to summarize the content of the bill, and provide an easy understanding of the implications of the proposed legislation.

Proponents point out the following:

• The Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan body, estimates that the new legislation will cut the deficit by $143 billion over the next 10 years by cutting government overspending and reigning in waste, fraud and abuse.
• Uninsured and self-employed will be able to purchase insurance though state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families whose income is between 133% and 400% of the poverty level.
• Though the bill will cost taxpayers $100 billion each year, the cost savings from altering the health care system are estimated by the CBO to be more than twice the yearly cost.
• Small businesses would receive a tax credit for up to 35% of the money they pay to purchase health insurance for their employees. By 2014, that percentage would increase to 50%.
• Under the plan, 95% of Americans will be insured.
• Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions.
• Health insurers can no longer cap coverage for individuals. This should reduce medical bankruptcy.

Opponents point out the following:

• Starting in 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face up to a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.
• Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2,000 per worker, excluding the first 30, each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance.
• Health care bill will cost the American taxpayers $100 billion each year.
• Government regulation of the health care industry and insurance industry. That government regulation will likely make it more expensive for insurers and health care providers to operate. That added cost will likely be passed on to the consumer.
• 0.9% increase in Medicare payroll taxes for Americans who earn more than $200,000 annually individually and $250,000 for couples. This amount will rise to 3.8% if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts.
• Americans will be forced to buy a health insurance plan that is all inclusive, including services that might not be needed. Single men with no children must buy pediatric services. Women who can’t bear children must still buy coverage that includes maternity services.

Health care reform bill, HR 4872 is designed to take effect over a ten year period. The following timeline breaks down what we can expect to see each year if the health care reform bill is passed.

In 2010:

• Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing illnesses.
• Children will be able to stay on their parent’s health plan until age 26.
• A 10% excise tax on indoor tanning will be put into effect.
• Small business with fewer than 25 employees that offer health insurance will be eligible for a tax credit of up to 35%.

In 2011:

• Nonprescription drugs cannot be reimbursed tax-free though a health savings account (HSA).
• Tax on HSA withdrawals for non-medical expenses will increase by 5-10%, raising the total tax to around 20%.
• Employers will have to start including the cost of health care on employee’s W-2 forms.

In 2013:

• Medicare payroll tax will rise from 1.45% to 2.35% for individuals earning more than $200,000 per year and married couples making more than $250,000 per year.
• The Medicare payroll tax expands – 3.8% tax on unearned income for families making over $250,000 in investment income.
• Annual contributions to tax-sheltered flexible spending accounts for medical expenses will be capped at $2,500
• 2.3% sales tax will apply to medical devices other than vision and hearing aids.

In 2014:

• Exchanges will be created. These exchanges will benefit individuals without employer-provided health care, so that a small business can shop for health care coverage.
• Insurance companies will be barred from denying people based on pre-existing conditions.
• Waiting periods for coverage will be limited to 90 days.
• Employers can offer employees rewards of up to 30% of the value of coverage for participating in wellness programs and meeting certain health-related standards.
• Plans cannot have annual dollar limits.
• Small business will receive a tax credit to help them provide coverage to their employees.
• Insurance companies will be required to pay an annual fee to help pay for the exchanges that will cover all citizens that cannot otherwise receive insurance.
• Mandates kick in this year: individuals who do not have insurance and cannot prove hardship will pay a $95 fine, which rises to $695 in 2016.
• Employers with more than 50 employees that have any employees enrolled in subsidized coverage will pay a penalty of $2,000 per employee (excluding the first 30 employees).
• Employers that offer coverage must offer low-income employees a “free choice voucher.” The employee can use the voucher to apply the value of the employer-provided coverage to the cost of enrolling in a state-based Health Benefit Exchange.

In 2016, 2017, and 2018:

• 2016: Penalty for individuals who do not purchase health insurance will rise to a $695 minimum.
• 2017: Businesses that have more than 100 employees will be allowed to participate in the state insurance exchanges.
• 2018: Excise tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans: plans that provide more than $10,200 in coverage for an individual and $27,500 in coverage per family. Tax will be equivalent to 40% of the value of the plan that exceeds the threshold amount.

The Law Offices of Richard D. Seward invite you to contact our office with any questions about the how the changes in our health care system might affect you.

IT IS ALL ABOUT ASSET PROTECTION

2010-02-22T14:29:00.001-08:00

To many individuals and small business owners think you have to be bankrupt to file bankruptcy. They deplete their retirement savings and borrow against their home to prevent a bankruptcy filing. The banks and credit card companies want you to believe that this is the right and honorable thing to do.

It may well be the worst thing you can do, especially if you are in default on any debts. In today's credit climate, the slightest default can destroy your credit. Lenders will not lend to you or will reduce your credit limits for fear that you will file bankruptcy. Under those circumstances, bankruptcy can actually help your credit score repair chances because you have to wait 8 years to file for another discharge in bankruptcy and this makes you a better credit risk.

Another fallacy is the 70% discount for a full payoff. Say you owe $100,000 on a credit card. They offer to accept $30,000 for a full settlement. You get all your available cash and pay them. Then they send you a 1099 for $70,000 and you owe the IRS $24,000 in taxes on this debt forgiveness. You now have a much bigger problem because the IRS becomes a non-dischargable priority debt and the IRS can lien assets and bank accounts.

People need to realize that you can have good cash flow, significant retirement assets and equity in your home and still file for protection under the bankruptcy code to protect these assets if buried in onerous credit card debt or other liabilities that threaten to consume your "protectable" assets.

Seek the counseling of a bankruptcy attorney if you find yourself in such a situation and take their advice. In too many cases, I find that the biggest mistake is NOT filing bankruptcy by believing what the banks and credit card companies are telling you.
RDS

Protect Your Wealth - Tax Increases Are Coming

2009-10-19T10:28:00.001-07:00

Many of us have forgotten that tax rates when Ronald Reagan came into office were at 70% for unearned income (primarily interest and dividends) and 50% for earned income (primarily wages).

When you realize that the budget deficit has TRIPLED in the last 12 months, from one half trillion to 1.5 trillion dollars, it becomes apparent that tax increases are inevitable. How else will the government pay for these bailouts?

Earlier this year, HR 436 was introduce in the House of Representative to eliminate family entity gifting discounts for entities holding liquid assets. This is one example of a "window of opportunity" for wealthy families to protect family wealth from estate taxes that will soon be gone.

Consequently, I have been increasing efforts to communicate the importance of asset protection planning. If you are interested in more information, please visit my website at www.richardseward.com.
RDS

Guide For The Virtual Law Office

2009-09-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

The Rise of the Virtual Law Firm

Tough economic times have sped up a trend that was already in the works for the legal industry: the virtual office. Advances in technology allow attorneys to work remotely, an important, cost-effective convenience in an increasingly globalized and cost-conscious market.
Before tearing up the lease on the fancy Class A office space, however, attorneys need to carefully consider what it will take to create a successful virtual firm.

Get wired.

An efficient communication infrastructure is vital. Part of the appeal of virtual lawyering is the opportunity to work from any location. In addition to a professional telephone with conferencing and call forwarding capabilities, attorneys working from a virtual office need to have a high quality handheld device to take calls and access email from anywhere.
File sharing systems allow the user to store electronic files remotely and grant access to those files to clients and colleagues. Rather than tugging a rolling briefcase to an in-person meeting, attorneys with file sharing systems can set up cost-saving phone conferences where everyone can access all necessary documents from their own computers. Additionally, attorneys in several different locations can all access and edit the same files as if they were working off the same server.

If their file sharing systems don’t already act like an offsite server, attorneys may consider securing a remote server service so that their files are stored in a secure location and they have access to the computing power they need. Google is one of the best known providers of “cloud computing”, which allows access to as much server space as needed, regardless of growth and contraction.

Video conferencing may be important, so having access to a video conferencing facility or setting up a voice and video calling technology like Skype is helpful.
Paperwork can easily take over a home office. Cut storage costs by investing in and using a high-quality scanner for paperless storage.

Use Online Resources

Attorneys operating a virtual law firm often lack a dedicated marketing professional. Marketing or public relations consultants can be helpful if the budget allows. If not, marketing and business development can be daunting for a novice, but many online resources have made the process easier.

LinkedIn is an easy-to-use social networking site for professionals. After creating a profile, attorneys should consider joining or starting a LinkedIn interest group within their field of expertise. By asking and answering questions from members of the group, an attorney may find the members come to trust him or her and even send business leads.
Avvo is a legal industry social networking site. Anyone can use the site to ask legal questions, and attorneys who have set up a free profile can answer those questions. Again, the right “conversation” could lead to a new client, but be prudent by using a standard disclaimer in all cases.

Another way for an attorney to market to the outside world is through a blog. Many services offer easy ways to set up a blog that can be linked to an attorney’s website. Blogs should be updated regularly and should contain useful information. Twitter is a popular free micro blogging site and can be used in much the same way, though the content of a Twitter message is limited to 140 characters.

Charge less

Without the overhead of a fancy office space, attorneys can charge less. A virtual office won’t hinder an attorney if the service and cost savings meet or exceed the clients’ expectations. Help clients understand how to keep costs low and avoid charging more than the value-added.
Provide Stellar Service

An attorney practicing out of a virtual office should strive to offer service a client would expect when walking into a marble tiled, Class A office building.

If operating from a home office, an attorney should expect the need for occasional in-person meetings and furnish the office tastefully. Many choose to work from a home office in order to spend more time with family or helping the community. Share these values with clients. These values may resonate with the client much more than a fancy office.

Let People Help You

Don’t let the information above diminish the importance of face time. Networking is extremely important. Consider joining and volunteering with an organization that allows access to target clients. These groups provide great connections, but also a way to break up the monotony of working alone.

Bar associations also offer great resources. The American Bar Association has even set up the eLawyering Task force. Local and state bar associations offer great educational and networking resources too.

Job Training Help for the Displaced Worker

2009-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

The Trade Act - A client of mine whose business we sold last fall benefited from this obscure law. Some of their employees qualified for Federal funding of educational costs to learn a new trade, because they were displaced due to the fact that their manufacturing operations were being transferred out of the country by the Buyer, and in this case, to Mexico. Interestingly, it was passed in the 1970's during the Nixon administration. If anyone is interested in this law in more detail, please contact me via my website at www.richardseward.com.
RDS

Asset Protection Tip for Business Buyers

2009-06-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Without question, over the past few months, the most disturbing calls I have received have been from individuals that purchased businesses without legal help. Invariably, they did not receive what they thought they were purchasing. In one case, the individual paid $90,000 and received worthless documents. To make matters worse, the seller was dishonest,uncooperative and kept the money as what he justified as "liquidated damages".
Today's asset protection tip for buyers of businesses is to always seek legal help BEFORE you pay the money, even if just to review the closing documents before signing. Never sign documents without legal counsel's prior review.
RDS

Survival Tips for the Financially Challenged Business

2009-05-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

I received many comments on my "Survival Tips" article that was published in the Kitsap Business Journal last week. Most of the comments were positive. All of us know of someone who has been impacted by the economic situation. The article gives them a place to start - a strategy to protect the assets that the current laws protect. Reach out and share the article with a friend.
RDS

Survival Tips for the Financially Challenged Business

2008-12-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

Surival Tips for the Financially Challenged Business

The Challenge - So you’ve done everything you can as a small business owner to reverse the negative cash flows, such as extending the terms on your payables and accelerating your receivables. You’ve downsized your fixed costs and other expenses, increased marketing and staff production. You have even raised prices where you could, but your business is still “under-water”. You do not have any asset sale/leaseback opportunities as a source of cash. You maximized your credit lines while times were good, but available credit has been exhausted. Defaults on your loans and the possibility of lawsuits are looming. You are faced with the reality that your business might be a casualty of the current economic downturn if something is not done quickly.

NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?

Do you “dip” into your retirement accounts? Should you sell or refinance your home to access the equity to fund cash shortfalls? Answer – Probably Not – You don’t throw good money after bad. Your business is dysfunctional - IT S TIME TO FIX IT!

PROTECT YOUR CORE ASSETS

YOUR HOME - YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - YOUR BUSINESS.

Protect Your Home – State legislators increased the homestead exemption last year to $125,000, which means that creditors that do not have a security interest in your home cannot force a sale of your home if you have net equity in your home of $125,000 or less. By “net” equity, that means net proceeds after you pay off the home loan(s) and other costs of sale. If you have more equity than this, consider a refinance to reduce your “net” equity. But be careful - make sure you can make the payments.

Protect Your Retirement Accounts – State law also protects these accounts from creditors. The protection extends to annuities and life insurance. The adverse tax consequences on withdrawal should be enough of a deterrent to avoid accessing funds in these accounts.

Protect Your Business – In your current situation, your Business is the most important asset to protect because it generates the income that you and your family depend on for support and maintenance. For that reason, you should consider hiring a lawyer specializing in asset protection to develop a Plan of Reorganization – one that makes the recently revised small business reorganization rules under Chapter 13 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code your friend and ally. The realistic threat of a well-conceived, court approvable Plan of Reorganization is the key to achieving positive gains for the small business owner during the negotiation process.

Many times, Bankruptcy can be completely avoided. Positive results may include:

- new capital through a renegotiation of your existing debt
- lower monthly debt payments
- extensions of loan maturity dates
- a period of forbearance with no debt payments
- confidentiality with respect to credit reporting agencies
- credit score management and repair
- bankruptcy avoidance

The net result is that you have protected and improved your Business and your income stream. You still have your home and your retirement savings. Your good credit has been maintained which is extremely important in today’s world. You have addressed the problem at its core and can consider yourself a survivor of this economic downturn. Be proactive. Take steps today to protect your core assets.

About the Author - Richard D. Seward
Mr. Seward is an asset protection attorney with offices in Port Orchard and Seattle. Visit www.richardseward.com for more information. All rights reserved ©.

23 Important Tips for Foreclosure Victims

2008-09-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

23 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR FORECLOSURES VICTIMS

Presented by The Law Offices of Richard D. Seward, PC.
Visit the “contact” page at http://www.richardseward.com/ if you
have additional questions on this or any other topic.

1) What is foreclosure? If you are a homeowner currently in default on a loan secured by your home, your lender might choose to foreclose against your home, which is a remedy available to them. It means that they start the process of providing notice to the public that your home will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. The proceeds from this sale would go to pay off the indebtedness secured by your home. The difficult truth is that if you do not pay your home loan, or any other loans secured by your home, then you could lose your home and bankruptcy will only delay the inevitable.

2) Who usually is the highest bidder? It is usually the Lender unless there is significant equity in the Property. They just bid their loan amount, plus default interest and other costs of the sale.

3) What happens then? The Lender then has the trustee deed the property to them. With all of the foreclosure documentation in place, the Lender has a local title company insure the title in the Lender. The Lender then can sell the Property to pay-off the loan and pursue other legal remedies against you for any amounts still owed after applying the sale proceeds.

4) Does foreclosure damage my credit? Yes.

5) What can I do as a foreclosure victim? There are several options available to you – See Tips 6 through 12.

6) Stay for Free. One benefit is that you can live in the home without making loan payments for up to 9 months or even 18 months. Foreclosure usually does not start until you have missed 3 monthly payments and it takes 6 months to complete the foreclosure process in Washington. That time can double if you file for personal bankruptcy. The bankruptcy damages your credit for up to 10 years, but you can keep non-defaulted credit cards and other leveraged assets if you chose to keep the loan current on these assets.
7) Negotiate a Short Sale. You can go to your Lender and negotiate a “short sale.” If the fair market value of your home is less than the loan amount, you can ask your Lender to take less. They will take the property immediately and the loan is deemed to be “satisfied.” This does, however harm your credit rating.
8) Apply for an FHA loan. This can give you from 3 to 12 months of a break on your payments, with the payments tacked onto the end of the FHA loan.
9) Ask for a Break. You can go to your Lender and ask for reduced monthly payments. Ask for either a downward adjustment in the note rate or an increase in the amortization term. If you have been a good paying customer for some time, they may be willing to do this to keep you as a good paying customer.
10) Offer a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure. This is a quick swap with your Lender. Your Lender forgives your Loan in exchange for title to your home. This also harms your credit rating.
11) Rent out your home. Use the rent to make the loan payments. You then can move to a smaller, more economical place.
12) Consider Contacting Homeownership Preservation Foundation - a group partnered with NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit created by Congress by calling (888) 995-HOPE (or visiting HPF's Web site). For the quickest service, call rather than e-mail or visit an office. A counselor will review your financial situation, make recommendations for a course of action that best fits your needs and help communicate with your mortgage lender to work out a plan. When you call, ask about a forbearance to temporarily modify or eliminate payments to be made up at the end of the forbearance period.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE:

13) KNOW AND MANAGE THE TIMELINE - 30 days: Your troubles actually start as soon as you miss a single payment. Lenders may not contact you until you've skipped a second payment, but most will report the first late payment and every subsequent delinquency to the credit bureaus. Even a single late payment can devastate your credit score, the three-digit number that lenders use to help gauge your creditworthiness. Each subsequent "late" further decreases your score, making it more difficult and expensive to get a loan or a refinance that might help your situation. In addition, lenders typically tack on late fees of 5% or so for each missed payment.
90 days to one year: Eventually, if the payments aren't made, the lender will file a "notice of default" with a local recording office for real estate notices and serve you with a letter saying that the foreclosure process will start unless you make good on the missing payments. This notice also means that the amount you owe has shot up as well, since the lender typically adds substantial fees to cover its legal costs. The notice of default is a big threshold and your options are fewer. The notice of default is generally picked up by the credit bureaus, further depressing your credit score and making refinancing the loan extremely difficult. BE WARY OF SCAMS - In addition, the notice will be seen by scam artists that you're in trouble and you can expect to be shown various "equity skimming" schemes. One common ploy to expect is where the scam artist promises to take over your payments, but instead rents out your house and keeps the rent payments as pure profit. The home goes into foreclosure, your credit is trashed and you've lost any equity you had in the home.
90 days more: Borrowers typically have 90 days from the notice of default to make up the deficit before the lender sends out a "notice of sale," which sets a sale date for the house (typically within the next 15 to 30 days). Some lenders will allow you to keep your original loan if you can make up the missing payments plus any late fees and legal charges. Others will insist you refinance with another lender. You can also halt the foreclosure, at least temporarily, by filing a lawsuit or filing for bankruptcy. For either legal option to work, you'll have to be able to come up with a payment plan to fix the deficit.

14) Know Who To Contact To Get Help - If you can work out a solution with the lender quickly enough, you can contain or even avoid serious damage to your credit. That's among the reasons housing experts typically urge you to call your lender as soon as you know you'll have trouble making a payment. But,
15) Understand that Lenders can make it tough to get to the right people. The folks you want to talk to are in the "loss mitigation" department. But many lenders don't routinely route borrowers to that department until they've missed several payments. Until then, you might be dealing with the lender's collections department, which typically offers one option: Pay up now. If you're serious about keeping your home, you may have to really push to get to right people.
16) For certain options to work you have to be able to make the payments. If you agree to a lender's "workout" or "loan modification" solution and then fail to make the agreed-upon payments, you'll have a lot fewer options the second time around and the lender will simply accelerate the foreclosure process. This can be a big problem if the financial crisis that caused you to fall behind isn't over. If you don't know where you're going to get the money to make the payments, trying to work out a solution with your lender will be tough. That's no reason to hide from your lender or ignore its letters. Even if you can't work out an agreement, keeping in contact is usually the right choice: At least you know where you stand.
17) Filing a lawsuit or bankruptcy carries similar risk: If you don't have the money to make the payments, the foreclosure can proceed, and you may have further damaged your credit score.
18) Make a budget. Sketch out a spending plan for the next several months, including expected income and expenses. See what costs you can trim to free up as much money as possible for home payments. You may need to pay the minimums, or even less, on other debts. In certain very limited circumstances -- such as when you are absolutely sure your financial hardship will be short-lived -- it may make sense to skip payments on some bills so you can pay your mortgage.
19) Consider counseling. Legitimate credit counseling services, those associated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, typically have housing counselors that can help you evaluate your options. Or you can find a housing counseling agency approved by the Housing and Urban Development Department by calling (800) 569-4287. If you have a Veterans Administration loan, you can call (800) 827-1000 to get a referral to a financial counselor.
Continue to Check your refinance options. If you have equity in your home, your credit rating is relatively intact and your lender hasn't yet filed a notice of default, you may be able to get another loan with more affordable payments. An experienced mortgage broker, preferably one affiliated with the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, can let you know your options. Be cautious about jumping into another risky loan, though: adjustable, interest-only or "option" mortgages might just put off the day of reckoning and you could find yourself facing even higher payments down the road.
20) Be realistic. Many times people struggle to hang on to a house that they simply can't afford when they'd be far better off without it. That may seem difficult and harsh, but it's far better to sell a home while you still have equity and some semblance of a credit score than to have it taken away in foreclosure.
21) Get organized. If you are going to try for a loan modification, you'll need to prepare a small mound of documentation. The lender will specify what it wants, but typically you'll need to supply the details of your financial situation, a budget, documentation of your hardship (a letter from your doctor explaining an income-reducing illness, for example, or your layoff notice from your employer) and a "hardship letter" that outlines, in heart-rending detail, the circumstances that led you to fall behind and the improved prospects that will allow you to get your financial life back on track. You may also want a market analysis of your house to document how much equity you have in your home. A real estate agent can typically prepare this for free in exchange for the chance of winning your business should you decide to sell.
22) Review and Manage Your Credit Rating - Credit ratings are much more important in today’s world as they affect other aspects of your life such as car insurance and other expenses. You may also be facing a hike in your credit card interest rates under universal default rules. Review the default provisions of the credit cards on which you carry a balance and consider closing those accounts that have universal default provisions before they raise your rates. Work on a program to repair your credit immediately.
23) If you have additional questions, visit the “contact” page at http://www.richardseward.com/.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Law Offices of Richard D. Seward, PC

Foreclosure Victims Webcast

2008-08-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

For those who missed the webcast, it was recorded and will be posted on the web for those who wish to view it. The information applies to not only victims of foreclosure but anyone who is experiencing debt problems. I will have more details on where it can be found in my next posting.
RDS

Foreclosure Victims Webcast

2008-07-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Tuesday July 29th at 6:00 pm will be a first. I have teamed up with Jim Freeman of Coldwell Banker to present a free webcast providing information to help people that are facing foreclosure and other debt related problems. You can register at my website at http://www.richardseward.com/. Hope you can make it.

RDS

Foreclosure Victims Webcast

2008-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

I recently announced by way of a press release, a free seminar that my firm was sponsoring together with Jim Freeman of Coldwell Banker, to make information available to foreclosure victims and others with debt troubles. It was to be held on July 10th. People have contacted us and have asked that we provide this information in a different forum, where the individual can maintain their privacy. In response, we are now in the process of planning a webcast, where debtors can email us or call in with their questions, and we will address them via the webcast. The viewers can participate this way from the privacy of their own homes. Stay tuned for more information on this new and exciting forum to be announced later this month.
RDS

2008-06-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

With the passing of House Bill 2791 which was signed by our governor on March 31, 2008, with an effective date of June 12, 2008, the real estate community, as well as other professional, are "UP IN ARMS". Known as the beefed up "Anti-Equity Skimming Act" it is intended to prevent further victimization of distressed property owners. It carries severe penalties for "violators" and it has a "sweeping net" to broaden the scope of potential "violators" and "deep pockets" to provide remedies for the victims. It is sure to catch some "professional" off guard. Look for my summary of this new legislation on my website Public Service page in the next few days at http://www.richardseward.com/.
by RDS

Foreclosure Victims Hotline

2008-04-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

I have a strong compassion for victims of economic hardtimes and have created this blog to provide them with a forum for sharing ideas, feelings, and emotions. Some may experience some form of healing by just sharing and knowing they are not alone. I also hope that this blog will provide a resource of helpful information for those in need. Additionally, some may have been preyed upon by fraudulent schemers and by sharing your experiences in this blog, several goals will be accomplished: 1) others might be saved from being victimized, 2) the perpetrators will be removed from the streets, and 3) their assets might be seized (by aggressive prosecutors) to provide for some victim restitution.

In this regard, I have also dedicated a page on my newly created website at www.richardseward.com that provides helpful information for foreclosure victims. There is also an interactive page for those that have questions.

By richardseward