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Officials Fighting For Foreclosure Reform

LANSING (WWJ) - State and local officials are calling for an overhaul of Michigan's home foreclosure process.

Curtis Hertel, the Register of Deeds in Ingham County, says current law exposes struggling homeowners to fraud and a variety of scams.

He says there's no judicial review to verify documents.

"Under current Michigan law, in order to foreclose on somebody, you put their name in the paper twice, you put a posting on their door, and then you get to go ahead with the foreclosure," said Hertel. "That is a way too simple process and could very easily lead to error."

"We're talking about somebody losing their most important asset. They deserve due process in that system. And, right now, Michigan citizens have none of it," said Hertel.  "It is always assumed, in Michigan, that the banks are right. We need to stop that."

Hertel said his own investigation has uncovered hundreds of cases in which foreclosure documents were "robo signed".

He said a third-party review would prevent mistakes and illegal foreclosures.

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