Court Intervention Leads To People Avoiding Home Foreclosures

ROCK COUNTY, Wis. (WTAQ) - Many financially-troubled Wisconsinites are getting a chance to ward off home foreclosures, thanks to court intervention in several counties. In Rock County, homeowners are told about their right to mediation when a landlord files a foreclosure request. If the homeowners agree, a mediator hooks them up for talks with their landlords. Circuit Judge Ken Forbeck says Rock County has had about 50 successful mediations since its program began last September.

Mediator Karen Dunn of Alternative Resolutions in Menasha says it’s not easy to get the two parties together. She says borrowers often don’t want to admit they have a problem – and some homeowners say they have trouble finding someone to talk to on their own. Dunn is the mediator for Outagamie County’s new program, which is run with the help of the Marquette Law School. Dane, Iowa, Milwaukee, and Waukesha counties also have foreclosure mediation programs.