It’s Not Really a Foreclosure Moratorium, But It’s Close Enough

It looks like the state of Massachusetts apparently is the first in the nation to attempt to declare a foreclosure moratorium for troubled borrowers in the Bay State:

Homeowners will now be able to submit a complaint to the Division of Banking.

The division will then call the lender and ask them not to forclose.

The move comes after dozens of homeowners marched on the State House last week, demanding a meeting with Gov. Deval Patrick.

The state secured 60-to-90-day freezes on foreclosure for most of the protesters. Homeowners having trouble will also be provided with housing counselors.

I’m not sold that this qualifies as a true moratorium, however — for one, the state has to call the lender to ask them to stop. The state can’t really force the lender to stop, because it most likely doesn’t have jurisdiction over the lender processing the foreclosure (there was a little Supreme Court ruling on this matter, perhaps you saw it?).

Trouble also is that I can’t tell if the above link is news or really just a really well-masked advertisement for the counseling services of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America — whose services are advertised at the end of the story.