Crowds turn out for homeowner assistance

ATLANTA,None — Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Atlanta on Saturday, hoping to save their homes.

The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America held an event at the World Congress Center, where homeowners could speak to lenders.

“Remember, everything is free. You should not pay anything to anyone to save your home,” NACA CEO Bruce Marks said.

The program is free, but to qualify, homeowners are asked to bring in items including proof of income, three months of bank statements, their latest tax return, mortgage statements and a property tax bill.

http://bcove.me/76sewn7p

Attendees said they want to negotiate lower mortgage payments.

“We work hard for the place we live and to have somebody strip us from it is outrageous. And we're not going to stand for that, so we're going to fight everywhere we can go to get a result,” Coweta County homeowner Jack Jean said.

The event kicked off Friday, and nearly 300 people showed up within the first hour. NACA said banks lowered some payments by more than $1,000, with interest rates as low as 2 percent.  This year, NACA said banks are even lowering loan principals.

Channel 2’s Sophia Choi spoke to several people who had their payments lowered by hundreds of dollars, including Decatur homeowners James and Francies Mims.

“We're so happy today, because now we actually finally have a place to call home,” Mims said.

WSBTV