New survey shows that improper foreclosure practices still widespread

After the banks agreed to pay billions of dollars to settle investigations into their foreclosure practices a new survey has found that abuses are still widespread.

The survey released by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the National Consumer Law Center, and the National Association of Bankruptcy Attorneys showed that despite all the media attention and investigations, banks are still foreclosing on homeowners, who have applied for mortgage modifications or are disputing fees and misapplied payments.

More than 90 percent of the attorneys surveyed said homeowners awaiting a mortgage modification have also received default notices. Another 80 percent of the attorneys surveyed reported instances of bogus property inspections and late fees, which often lead to foreclosure.

Foreclosure attorneys are able to identify abuses and may be able to prevent a foreclosure. A number of homeowners however are not aware that this widespread abuse is still going on. The recent settlement appears to give people the false sense that banks have improved their foreclosure processing when in fact little has changed.

Even though banks have agreed to revamp their mortgage servicing practices there is no real oversight or details on how they will be held accountable for continuing to use improper practices.

Improper foreclosures have plagued the housing market, but foreclosure lawyers have helped save many homes. When a person has been served with a default notice that they feel is unjust, they are urged to meet with a foreclosure attorney to help.