Elizabeth, a self-employed immigrant from Peru, was having issues with her mortgage . . . until MEDA came to her rescue. She had endeavored to have her mortgage modified at a Bank of America servicer event, despite a previous denial; unfortunately, she was denied for a second time because the bank did not want to accept Elizabeth’s self-employment income, even though it was the same income the lender used to originate the loan. At the event, a foreclosure counselor from MEDA advised Elizabeth to not give up and agreed to resubmit the application because she was making sufficient income to support the modification. Elizabeth worked with her counselor, who coached her to prove her business income by making consistent deposits and helped her prepare a profit-and-loss statement. After 10 months of struggling with the bank, Elizabeth was finally granted a loan modification, with a principal reduction under the Attorney General’s settlement. Throughout the process, Elizabeth was willing to speak out at events and with the media to pressure lenders to comply with the AG settlement and encourage others to keep fighting for their homes. Elizabeth’s next step is to rebuild her credit and savings after attending MEDA’s Financial Capability workshop. She is taking advantage of MEDA service integration model, including Business Development and Free Tax Preparation. She continues advocating for her community by encouraging friends and family to get informed about their rights as consumers.
