Bob Campbell goes national

November 12th, 2007 at 09:18am Alex Gary

Bob Campbell is the head of the Rockford Affordable Housing Coalition and works hard at helping people prepare for home ownership, save their home or improve their finances.

Bob’s hard work was highlighted in USA Today last Friday. He was in a story about companies supposedly trying to help when in fact they are are just skimming a few more dollars out of people who are in dire straits.

Friday’s story centered around a Machesney Park couple who were working with Florida-based Mortgage Assistant Solutions, which runs a company called Fresh Start by its customers. Fresh Start was supposed to negotiate a new fixed-rate loan with their lender. Instead, the company kept $700 of the $1,200 the couple gave it even though it either did nothing or was unable to secure a new loan as the house got perilously close to foreclosure.

Campbell’s group was able to get the couple a new fixed-rate loan in days.

It’s important to note that the story pointed out at least one person who credited Fresh Start with helping them and that Fresh Start officials deny they are scamming people in any way.

Still, Campbell said there have been enough complaints locally about Fresh Start that he turned a file of information over to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. In September, Madigan filed suit against Fresh Start for allegedly defrauding desperate Illinois homeowners who enrolled in Fresh Start.

The lesson again is that if you are a homeowner behind on payments or staring at foreclosure, the first phone call you should make is to the Rockford Affordable Housing Coalition, 815-962-2011.

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