Last summer, Melinda, a single mom, started to panic. She was behind on her mortgage payments, and every envelope in the mail from the bank seemed more frightening and more confusing. Her home was her stable, peaceful base to raise her two young sons, and she knew she was on the verge of losing it.
When she called PRG to speak with an advisor, she wasn’t sure that anything at all could be done to save her home.
Melinda met with Dawn, an advisor at PRG. Together, they looked at the stack of frightening envelopes and statements, along with information about her monthly income and expenses.
Dawn discovered a major reason for Melinda’s difficulty making her monthly payments: this homeowner, who had a ninth grade education, had been “sold” a homeowner’s insurance policy with an annual premium of $4,900—about four times what it ought to be. This premium had increased her escrow and subsequently her mortgage payment by over $300 per month.
Dawn advocated for Melinda with the insurance company, obtaining a refund on the exorbitant policy. Melinda’s new insurance premium is now $1,200 per year.
With PRG’s help, she also submitted a hardship package to her lender, and is currently under review for a modification to reduce her loan payment further. She’s current on her payments, and with a monthly budget to keep tabs on her spending, she’s confident she’ll be able to stay in her home.