Nevada Judiciary

LAS VEGAS – The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Access to Justice Initiative has identified the State of Nevada Foreclosure Mediation Program as a model program for initiating foreclosure mediation programs across the United States.

In a report released in December 2011, the DOJ highlights the efforts of state foreclosure mediation programs to facilitate an alternative to foreclosure in circumstances where such an outcome is feasible. The report cites Nevada’s program as an effective program offering help to homeowners facing foreclosure in the nation’s highest foreclosure state.

FMP Deputy Director Verise V. Campbell was invited to the White House in November 19, 2010 to participate in a panel hosted by the Access to Justice Initiative and Vice President Joe Biden. Following this event, the DOJ began evaluating the success of state foreclosure mediation programs and looking for best practices. Nevada’s program was identified for developing policies and procedures that can be shared with other states. Recently, planners in Hawaii and Washington consulted with Nevada’s program in implementing foreclosure mediation programs in those states.

 “As one of the first statewide non-judicial foreclosure mediation programs, we felt it important to develop a model that could easily be duplicated by other programs. As we built our program, we engaged other state programs to glean viable information and to share our successes and challenges,” said Deputy Director and Program Manager Verise V. Campbell. “We continue this effort with input from the program’s Advisory Committee made up of representatives from homeowners, lenders, trustees, mediators and real estate professionals.”

The Nevada State Legislature created the State of Nevada Foreclosure Mediation Program in 2009 by to address the foreclosure crisis in Nevada. Between September 2009 and September 2011, a total of 13,813 homeowners participated in the program with 11,674 mediations resulting in no foreclosure. During this period, 3,868 homeowners were able to remain in their homes through loan modification. Another 2,034 homeowners agreed to other alternatives to foreclosure, such as a short sale agreement.