Despite news reports of housing price increases in some markets—and the return of record profits and bonuses on Wall Street—the foreclosure crisis continues to impact many communities, especially communities of color targeted for predatory lending. One in five American homeowners are still “underwater” --owing more than their homes are worth.

Democracy Now interviewed the Home Defenders League’s National Campaign Director Kevin Whelan on the continued lack of bank accountability for the foreclosure crisis -- including a report by the Department of Justice Inspector General that demonstrated that the Department had made mortgage fraud a low priority.

In the interview, Kevin discussed the story of Lavinia Curry, an 86 year old grandmother in Irvington, NJ who fought foreclosure for three years after Wells Fargo refused to accept her family’s attempts to pay their mortgage in full after missing a single payment.

The family organized with CPD core partner New Jersey Communities United and joined a monthly national conference call of families fighting foreclosure organized by the Home Defenders League. After other families in 13 cities delivered their petitions to Wells Fargo, the bank called off a scheduled sheriff’s sale and contacted the family to negotiate a fair solution, including principal reduction.

Home Defenders League members are advocating for the new leader of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Mel Watt, to put a temporary moratorium on foreclosures and to reverse several years of destructive policies put in place by the previous administration that have driven unnecessary foreclosures in African American, Latino, and working class communities.

On March 12, Home Defenders delivered copies of petitions to members of Congress in a dozen states, asking them to support the call for a moratorium and principal reduction for families like Jaymie Kelly of Minneapolis and the Coronels of Los Angeles who have fought foreclosure with the help of HDL partners Occupy Our Homes and ACCE.

Please support the work of Home Defenders League to reset mortgages and reduce foreclosures in hard hit communities at www.fightingforeclosures.org.