Nevada Judiciary

Appointees to be Sworn In Friday in Las Vegas, Carson City

The Nevada Supreme Court has appointed 75 new mediators to the Nevada Foreclosure Mediation Program, nearly doubling the number available to help homeowners and lenders in the state with the nation’s highest foreclosure rate.

The appointment of the new mediators follows training sessions conducted by the program in late November and early December in Reno and Las Vegas.  The list includes Nevada attorneys, experienced mediators, and senior judges.

“The addition of new mediators will greatly expand the program’s capability to help both homeowners and lenders resolve their mutual dilemma,” said Chief Justice James W. Hardesty.

Most new mediators will be sworn in during a videoconferenced ceremony on Friday, Dec. 11 at 9 a.m.   The appointees will gather in the Supreme Court courtrooms in Carson City and Las Vegas.  They will be sworn in by Chief Justice James W. Hardesty, who will be in Las Vegas with the six other justices. 

Nevada law specifies that mediations should be conducted within 90 days of a notice of default being recorded on an owner-occupied residential property.

“The program is coming up to speed, with the number of cases ready for mediation increasing dramatically in the last few weeks,” said Program Manager Verise Campbell.  “Having additional mediators will make the process much more efficient.”

“Since the foreclosure rate in Nevada is not falling, we will be adding even more mediators in the very near future,” Ms. Campbell said.

The Foreclosure Mediation Program has operated with 95 mediators since its beginning on July 1. 

In November, 27 applicants received two-day mediation and foreclosure training in Reno and 31 went through similar training in Las Vegas.  Another 20 received the training on Dec. 1 and 2 in Las Vegas.

Since the Nevada Foreclosure Mediation Program began on July 1, nearly 3,300 homeowners who received notices of default have requested mediation as they seek to hold on to their homes. 

Five hundred twenty-two (522) mediations have been conducted and another 1,064 mediations have been scheduled.  Mediations are expected to be concluded within 90 days of the notices of default being recorded.

Homeowners who receive Notices of Default and Election to Sell have 30 days from the day they received their notice to seek mediation under the program that was created by the Nevada Legislature and made effective on July 1, 2009.

The statistics are current as of Dec. 4, 2009.

In the first five months of the program (July through Dec. 4), 32,662 notices of default have been filed, but that figure includes commercial and non-owner-occupied properties that are not eligible for the Foreclosure Mediation Program.

“Processing nearly 3,300 requests for mediation is a significant task, but we will accommodate those homeowners as quickly as possible,” said Chief Justice James W. Hardesty.  “The Foreclosure Mediation Program is still at an early point in its operation and the staff is working diligently to ensure compliance with the statute and court rules.”

“The program’s computerized case management system is just being brought on line so the staff is still working with stacks and stacks of paper, which is very time consuming,” Chief Justice Hardesty said. 

• Notices of Default filed:                 32,662 (July through Dec. 4)
• Requests for mediation:                 3,272
• Mediations conducted:                  522
• Mediations scheduled:                   1,064

 (All statistics beginning July 1 and as of Dec. 4 unless noted)