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Free Nonprofit Tax Prep for Low-Income Families (WHAM)

Last year, C.A.S.H. filed 13,000 returns with the help of 500 volunteers. Read More


Foreclosure Prevention Services Funding Campaign Rally & Press Conference

On January 31st, advocates from across New York gathered in The Well of the Legislative Office Building to rally for funding for the vital services they provide to homeowners facing foreclosure. Read More


Groups seek to help stressed homeowners (Democrat and Chronicle)

Nonprofit groups that provide counseling and legal services to homeowners are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to include $25 million in the state budget to continue the Foreclosure Prevention Services Program. Read More


Non-profits, lawmakers want foreclosure-prevention funds in budget (Politics on the Hudson)

Non-profit groups that provide counseling and legal services to homeowners at risk of foreclosure and a number of lawmakers are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to include $25 million in the state budget to continue the statewide Foreclosure Prevention Services Program. Read More


Rally against Foreclosure Prevention cuts (YNN)

Homeowners in crisis were looking for a little help at the state capitol on Tuesday. Some fear proposed state budget cuts could trigger more home foreclosures. Read More


Old mortgages rise from the dead, haunt homeowners (Reuters)

This is an epic problem that the economy hasn't even begun to digest Read More


NEIGHBORHOODS: Little-noticed cuts may hurt neighborhoods (City Newspaper)

The state's Foreclosure Prevention Services Program provided grants to legal aid groups and housing organizations to assist homeowners facing foreclosure. The program's out of money, however, and Cuomo's proposal doesn't include new funding. Read More


‘The Capitol Pressroom’ with Susan Arbetter (WNYC- The Empire)

Listen to Kirsten Keefe, our senior staff attorney with the Consumer Housing, C.A.S.H. and Community Development Unit in the Albany office as well as Hilary Lamishaw, housing counselor at TRIP/ NeighborWorks Alliance NYS react to the Governor's budget proposal. Read More


Rivals See Chance for Growth With Baum Firm's Collapse (New York Law Journal)

New York's largest and most controversial foreclosure law firm may be going out of business, but two former high-ranking attorneys at Steven J. Baum P.C. are picking up cases that were handled by their old employer in a new firm that includes other Baum alumni. Read More


Winners, losers react to funding in governor's budget plan (WNYT Newschannel 13)

Zip, as in zero, said Kirsten Keefe of the Empire Justice Center. That's what was in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget plan when it comes to foreclosure prevention help in next year's budget. Read More


Empire Justice IDs key issues for 2012 (The Daily Record)

One of Empire Justice Center’s top issues of 2012 received Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s support when, in his state of the state address earlier this month, the governor announced he wanted to stop the practice of fingerprinting those who apply for food stamps. Read More


Foreclosure services seen at risk in budget (Newsday)

Homeowner advocates said Tuesday that an array of counseling and legal assistance programs for people facing foreclosure is endangered by cuts in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's proposed state budget. Read More


State Money Will Help Replace U.S. Funds for Foreclosure Aid (New York Law Journal)

Legal service providers apparently have made up approximately $2.3 million of the $22 million that they expect to lose for their foreclosure prevention programs as the federal stimulus money that has financed the work dries up. Read More


Schneiderman’s Foreclosure Program Wins Plaudits (Capital Tonight)

As New York braces for what’s expected to be a new wave of foreclosure this year, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a $1 million program designed to stem that potential tide. Read More


NY judge: Sloppy service has legal consequences (Thomson Reuters News & Insight)

A process server working for a once-prolific foreclosure law firm in upstate New York broke the law by failing to keep any record of papers served in a 2008 foreclosure case, a Long Island judge has ruled, giving defense attorneys a new angle to explore in foreclosure cases as they seek to buy time for their financially beleaguered clients to modify or refinance their mortgages. Read More


Assemblyman Mark Johns announces free tax prep programs for seniors (PenfieldPost.com)

Assemblyman Mark Johns, R-Webster, has announced that free tax preparation services are available to seniors in his district, courtesy of the AARP and the Empire Justice Center's Creating Assets, Savings and Hope program. Read More


Some Lenders to Students Face Greater U.S. Scrutiny (The New York Times)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is stepping up its scrutiny of nontraditional lenders to students at profit-making colleges and trade schools that have high rates of default, the newly appointed director of the bureau said Thursday. Read More


Consumer bureau chief looking into Buy Here Pay Here auto dealers (Los Angeles Times)

Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, says he is concerned about the practices of auto dealers who lend money directly to buyers at interest rates that can top 30%. Read More


Bringing the Mayor to Heel (City & State)

Choose your metaphor: When Gov. Andrew Cuomo roused a crowd in Albany last week by promising to stop fingerprinting food stamp applicants, was he stepping on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s toes or kicking him in the shin? Read More


Big Banks Face Inquiry Over Home Insurance (The New York Times)

A New York State financial services agency is investigating several large banks to see whether they fraudulently steered homeowners into overpriced insurance policies. Read More


Battle over generic drugs leaves doctors, drug companies at odds (Democrat and Chronicle)

Although the nation has been moving toward greater use of generic drugs, progress has been slowed by the profit-minded pharmaceutical industry and a public that is slow to abandon old habits. Read More


Seniors’ drug costs likely to spike under new rules (Daily Gazette)

Drastic changes to the state’s supplemental drug program for seniors will result in higher out-of-pocket costs for enrollees, warn advocates for elderly and low-income state residents. Read More


Opinion: NY must keep helping homeowners (Newsday)

After the nation's housing bubble burst in 2008, New York State took action to address the foreclosure crisis crippling housing markets and devastating low-income communities. The state invested in an innovative, collaborative web of programs to provide housing counseling and legal services to New Yorkers confronted with the loss of their homes. But now that funding is set to expire. Read More


Cuomo Urged to “Clear Red Tape” for New Yorkers Seeking Food Help in 2012 (Public News Service)

Not quite the holiday spirit. That's what a new report says about New York's fingerprinting requirement for food stamps, which it says is causing the wrong people to go hungry. Read More


NYS Dept. of Financial Services Press Release: Superintendent Lawsky Protects Homeowners In Foreclosure From Delays Caused By Abusive Law Firm’s Closing (New York State Department of Financial Services)

Benjamin M. Lawsky, Financial Services Superintendent, today said homeowners facing foreclosure should not have to pay additional costs or penalties because of the closing of the largest foreclosure law firm in New York. Read More


Consumer Advocates Praise FDIC Settlement to End RALs from Republic Bank & Trust (PRNewswire)

Advocates at the Community Reinvestment Association of North Carolina (CRANC), the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) applauded the FDIC's settlement with Republic Bank & Trust which requires the bank to terminate its refund anticipation loan (RAL) program after the end of the next tax season. Read More


Consumer Financial Protection Bureau releases initial report on credit card complaints

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report on its first three months of collecting credit card complaint data while also asking the public for feedback on a proposed policy for releasing consumer complaint data in the future. Read More


Locals assist with immigration laws (Times Union)

Local, state authorities sometimes drive immigration arrests Read More


Listen to our Kirsten Keefe on Capitol Pressroom with Susan Arbetter (WCNY)

A Senior Staff Attorney at Empire Justice Center's Albany office, Kirsten Keefe will discuss the Attorney General's fight against a mortgage settlement with banks, voters growing outrage at being refused mortgage refinancing by banks that took bail outs any why municipalities across NY are moving their business to smaller banking institutions. Read More


Freddie Mac bans Baum from N.Y. loan service (Buffalo News)

National mortgage servicing giant Freddie Mac has barred its loan servicers from referring any new foreclosure or bankruptcy cases in New York State to Steven J. Baum PC, delivering a severe blow to a firm that depends on such work Read More


Senate Stalemate Over CFPB Nominee is Hurting Consumers (Consumer's Union)

The continuing stalemate in the Senate over Richard Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is leaving seniors, students, servicemembers and other consumers at risk to costly financial scams, according to Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports. Read More


Banks Quietly Ramping Up Costs to Consumers (The New York Times)

Even as Bank of America and other major lenders back away from charging customers to use their debit cards, many banks have been quietly imposing other new fees. Read More


Foreclosure Prevention Programs Urge State to Pick Up Funding (New York Law Journal)

Foreclosures have slowed to a crawl in the last year as lenders coped with accusations of slipshod procedures and the state courts imposed a requirement that attorneys and lenders attest to the accuracy of their filings. But that breathing space is about to end, court officials say. Read More


Consumer outrage targets bank fees (Democrat and Chronicle)

From Tuesday's announcement that Bank of America would join other giant U.S. banks and roll back debit card fees to Saturday's "transfer day," when social media campaigns urged bank customers to move their money to credit unions, events heralded deep dissatisfaction with fees and the banks that keep adding them. Read More


County may cut funding for lead inspections (Democrat and Chronicle)

As part of an effort to close a $51.5 million budget deficit, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has proposed eliminating the county's $440,000 annual contribution to the city's lead inspection effort when the city's fiscal year ends June 30. Read More


Wheels of Fortune: A vicious cycle in the used-car business (Los Angeles Times)

A Los Angeles Times series on how a little-known corner of the used car business is thriving in a sour economy and hurting consumers. Read More


Five myths about Dodd-Frank (The Washington Post)

After a worldwide financial meltdown — and a $700 billion taxpayer-funded bailout — the need for common-sense financial reforms was clear. But now, even though the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010...is only beginning to take effect, critics are launching false attacks against the law in an effort to undermine it. Read More


Online Banking Keeps Customers on Hook for Fees (The New York Times)

Customers frustrated by banks’ controversial new fees are finding out what industry insiders have known for years: it is not so easy to disentangle your life from your bank. Read More


Upstate Foreclosure Firm Fined $2 Million, Agrees to Overhaul Practices (New York Law Journal)

One of New York state's biggest foreclosure law firms will revamp its practices and pay a $2 million fine to settle a six-month probe by the Southern District U.S. Attorney's Office that found it had filed misleading pleadings, affidavits and mortgage assignments in state and federal courts. Read More


Charging for Debit Cards Is Robbery (The New York Times)

[B]anks’ simplistic statements [about debit card fees] are merely an attempt to rationalize and obfuscate one of the largest illegal transfers of wealth from consumers to banks in American history.... Read More


Bully for BofA: New Debit Card Fees! (Credit Slips)

Bank of America's starting charging monthly fees for debit card usage to some customers... So what does Bank of America's move tell us? Read More


For More and More Low-Income New Yorkers, Civil Legal Services Are Just Out of Reach (WNYC News)

With the impact of the economic crisis and one in five New Yorkers now living in poverty, the need for civil legal services will increase. Read More


Fair Lending and Accountability (The New York Times)

The banking industry is complaining loudly in Washington about the growing number of fair-lending investigations started by the Obama administration. Given the discriminatory policies used by lenders before the housing meltdown, the banks and mortgage companies deserve the scrutiny. Read More


Interpreter for Deaf is a Right, Not a Perk (Democrat and Chronicle)

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that businesses, government and most organizations find ways to accommodate people with disabilities if their buildings and events are generally open to the public. Read More


Student Loans Now Outpace Credit Card Obligations (Democrat and Chronicle)

Student loans can often lead to problems because typically the students never see the money borrowed - it goes right to the school — and they don't realize all the money they will suddenly owe. Read More


Judge Calls Off Eviction of Rochester Woman, For Now (YNN)

Rochester homeowner avoids eviction with the help of housing counselors. Read More


Rochester faces challenges in reducing lead poisoning (Democrat and Chronicle)

Cases of child lead poisoning, already steadily dropping, were cut in half — until an uptick last year. Read More


Help needed for grandparents caring for their grandchildren (Legislative Gazette)

AARP and kincare advocates urged Governor Andrew Cuomo, in a July 19 letter, to find funding to maintain programs they say are critical for children cared for by non-parent relatives. Read More


Initiative aims to attract primary care doctors to Rochester area (Democrat and Chronicle)

An initiative launched by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, four local hospitals and a network of community health centers is intended to attract more primary care doctors for adults. Read More


Dickerson Decision: Press Coverage from Across New York

Press coverage of the ground breaking decision. Read More


Negligent home-owning banks spur complaints (Buffalo News)

Lenders leave properties vacant and deteriorating in Buffalo. Read More


Elizabeth Warren, Champion of Consumer Financial Protection (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Banks don't trust her. Republicans won't confirm her. Yet she's already won her battle to remake how America borrows. Read More


Thousands caught in foreclosure (Times Herald-Record)

Across Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties, thousands of families have already lost their homes, and thousands more face the prospect of eviction in coming years, as the worst housing crisis in decades plays out across the region. Read More


LI foreclosure filings at twice state rate (Newsday.com)

Long Island homeowners received foreclosure-related filings at twice the statewide rate in the three years following the 2007 collapse of the subprime lending market, the state comptroller reported Tuesday. Read More


Data show debt in charity care for area hospitals (Democrat and Chronicle)

The five acute care hospitals in Monroe County performed charity care and absorbed bad debt at a rate that ranges from approximately 3.6 percent to 6.5 percent of their total expenses, according to new data required by law. Read More


Set stage for health care reform (Democrat and Chronicle)

New York needs to pass legislation establishing a state health insurance exchange in the next few days. Health insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers is at stake. Read More


Lawmakers Urge Crackdown on Business Cards (The Wall Street Journal)

A group of four U.S. Senate Democrats, including New York's Charles Schumer and Florida's Bill Nelson, urged the Federal Reserve today to crack down on the marketing of business credit cards, which don't come with many protections that are standard on basic consumer credit cards. Read More


Innovative Legislation to Preserve Child Care Subsidies (New York Nonprofit Press)

Advocates are urging state lawmakers to support an innovative legislative proposal that would preserve child care subsidies for low-income working families, despite a $55 million cut to funding in this year’s budget. Read More


Albany Bill Would Let Check-Cashers Provide Loans (City Limits)

The Senate and Assembly banking committees have both approved a bill to permit check-cashing outlets to provide short-term loans. Backers say it offers financing to those whom regular banks don't serve. Critics say it would permit exploitative “payday” lending. Read More


Tax-lien foreclosure actions pick up pace in Rochester (Democrat and Chronicle)

Two years after the city first sold a bundle of its tax liens — a move that effectively halted city tax foreclosures — ATF has to date initiated foreclosure actions on 360 properties in the city and has plans to do the same for scores more. Read More


A little help with foreclosure prevention? (Democrat and Chronicle)

The more likely you are to need a refinanced lower interest rate to hold on to your home, the less likely you are to get it. Read More


MCBA Make Recommendations for Public Defender Selection Process (Minority Reporter)

The Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA) held a press conference at the Telesca Center for Justice earlier in the week to announce recommendations of a new independent, merit-based selection process for choosing and reappointing the county's public defender. Read More


Forum at MCC addresses health exchange concerns (Democrat and Chronicle)

Health exchanges would create a competitive private health insurance market where individuals and small businesses can shop for coverage. Read More


Reduced IOLA grants still help civil legal services (The Daily Record)

The trustees of the Interest on Lawyer Account Fund announced its 2011 grants to civil legal service organizations throughout the state, totaling $21 million. Read More


Budget Cuts Imperil Legal Aid in Foreclosure Cases (The New York Times)

The state’s budget squeeze has put at risk more than 120 legal aid and homeowner-counseling agencies across the state that have provided a last-ditch legal and economic lifeline to thousands of distressed homeowners. Read More


Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman: Fix 'fundamental failure' in NY court rooms (Legislative Gazette)

New York is not living up to its U.S. Supreme Court-mandated responsibility to provide legal defense services for all, according to the state's top judge. Read More


A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining (Bloomberg Businessweek)

In the wake of the subprime implosion, the Obama Administration has stepped up its scrutiny of disadvantaged neighborhoods' credit access. Read More


Consumer protection bureau faces challenges (The Daily Record)

Victims of deceptive financial loans and products thought they finally had some federal protection with the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but the CFPB is threatened even before it is officially launched. Read More


More cuts hit foreclosure prevention assistance (The Daily Record)

Monroe County loses its foreclosure settlement conference referee due to court budget cuts. Read More


Soldier who served in Iraq falls victim to Mattydale used car dealer (The Post Standard)

A soldier’s routine car trade-in and used car deal has become a life-altering nightmare, ruining his credit score and sabotaging his job search. Read More


Cuomo vetoes pay for foreclosure prevention services (The Business Review)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s veto of $1.5 million to pay for foreclosure prevention services in New York shocked housing advocates who say the program is vital to help struggling homeowners. Read More


Proposed federal rules would drive many out of market for home loans (The Washington Post)

You may have seen reports that the federal government is proposing new mortgage finance rules under which only home buyers who can afford a minimum 20 percent down payment on a conventional loan would get a shot at the best available interest rates and terms. Read More


New CRL Research: Payday Loans are a Gateway to Long-Term Debt (PR Newswire)

Although payday loans are marketed as quick solutions to occasional financial shortfalls, new research from the Center for Responsible Lending shows that these small dollar loans are far from short-term. Read More


Advocacy group laments loss of foreclosure services funds (Daily Gazette)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to cut funding for foreclosure prevention services at a time when data indicate the number of homes in foreclosure will greatly accelerate in coming months, according to an advocacy group. Read More


Cuts in N.Y. foreclosure aid opposed (Democrat and Chronicle)

A group of agencies that provide legal counseling to homeowners to help prevent the loss of their homes to foreclosure warned today of dire economic consequences if the state cuts the $25 million budget for this service. Read More


69,000 NY home loans at risk of foreclosure (The Business Review)

Nearly 69,000 home loans in New York are at imminent risk of foreclosure, a situation that an advocacy group said today could lead to a “tsunami” of foreclosures over the next year or two. Read More


New Wave of Protests Fighting Banksters (The Notion: The Nation's Group Blog)

The Empire Justice Center is predicting a “tsunami” of foreclosures coming, and Bank of America is refusing to write down mortgage debt. Republicans in Congress want to eliminate the Home Affordable Modification Program, which helps people keep their homes and Democrats are flagging in their support. Read More


Foreclosure crisis entering a new phase (The Daily Record)

Dr. Barbara van Kerkhove, Research and Policy Analyst at the Empire Justice Center recently published an exhaustive report on the state’s foreclosure crisis. The report indicates the state is nowhere near the end of the foreclosure crisis, which now includes those homeowners with good credit and prime loans. Read More


Tardy loans cause alarm (Times Union)

Advocacy group seeks funds to aid homeowners facing foreclosure Read More


Groups seek to save legal aid to avert foreclosures (Democrat and Chronicle)

More than half of foreclosures are now prime loans, indicating that creditworthy borrowers, and not just high-risk borrowers, are falling behind. As of Sept. 1, Monroe County had 1,708 loans in foreclosure and 2,102 in imminent risk of foreclosure. Read More


Group: State faces 'tsunami' of home foreclosures (Ithaca Journal)

A legal aid advocacy group said Wednesday that despite the recent decline in foreclosures across the state, homeowners could face a "tsunami" of bank actions this year. Housing counselors for the Empire Justice Center were in Albany to lobby the Legislature to restore $15 million in cuts that go to fund legal assistance for homeowners whose loans are in the process of foreclosure. Read More


Fed Report Finds No Wrongful Foreclosures By Banks, Consumer Advocates Slam Methodology (The Huffington Post)

Kirsten Keefe, a member of the Fed consumer panel and an attorney at the Empire Justice Center in Albany, New York, said the Fed's report defined "wrongful foreclosures" as repossessions of borrowers' homes who were not significantly behind on their payments. Read More


New Wave of Protests Fighting Banksters (The Notion: The Nation's Group Blog)

The Empire Justice Center is predicting a “tsunami” of foreclosures coming, and Bank of America is refusing to write down mortgage debt. Republicans in Congress want to eliminate the Home Affordable Modification Program, which helps people keep their homes and Democrats are flagging in their support. Read More


717 more LI homes in foreclosure process (Newsday)

More than 700 mortgage borrowers fell into the foreclosure process on Long Island last month, according to a report released Thursday that also showed the pace of home repossessions slowing. Read More


Forecast for New York: “Tsunami” of Foreclosures (Public News Service)

Nearly 69,000 home loans statewide are at imminent risk of foreclosure in New York, and the majority of them are prime, rather than subprime or 'alt-A' loans. Read More


Foreclosure prevention group seeks $15M in state funding (The Business Review)

Housing advocates will be at the Capitol in Albany, New York, today asking legislators to set aside $15 million in the budget to continue a foreclosure prevention program that will run out of money this year. Read More


Policy planners to discuss health insurance exchanges (ROC Now by Democrat and Chronicle)

Health policy planners in the Rochester area will host a meeting Monday to gather ideas on educating consumers on health insurance exchanges Read More


Advocates for Seniors Warn About Eliminating EPIC (WAMC Northeast Public Radio)

Advocates for Senior citizens are calling on the New York State Legislature to reject cuts to prescription drug coverage by preserving the existing "EPIC" program - Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports. Read More


Advocates warn about loss of drug cost subsidy

Seniors below a $35,000 annual income for singles and $50,000 for couples face the elimination of help paying for life-extending prescriptions under Gov. Cuomo's proposed budget. Read More


Advocacy groups say seniors can’t afford proposed prescription-benefit cuts (Politics on the Hudson)

AARP, the Empire Justice Center, Selfhelp Community Services and Statewide Senior Action are urging the Legislature to reject Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to cut the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage—EPIC—program, which has been in place for 25 years. Read More


Money shortage threatens foreclosure relief programs (CBS 6)

The Empire Justice Center shared with CBS 6 results that haven't yet been released that show another 3,651 are 90+ days past due on their loans which means foreclosure is looming. Read More


A Matter of Life & Death: Advocates in New York Respond to Medical Repatriation (Harvard Civil Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review)

This article is about the response of one group of advocates to the practice of medical repatriation, also referred to as medical deportation, in which hospitals choose to send non-citizen patients, usually those in need of long-term care, back to their home countries for treatment without engaging the federal immigration process. Read More


“Perfect Storm” Threatens to Sink NY Foreclosure Fighters (Public News Service)

New Yorkers fighting foreclosure are facing a "perfect storm" as a state budget crunch could wipe out free foreclosure counseling and assistance just as the recession threatens more mortgage-holders' ability to stay above water. Read More


College to offer tax return preparation (Democrat and Chronicle)

Roberts Wesleyan College’s Students in Free Enterprise team will offer tax preparation services to working families whose 2010 household income was less than $50,000 for families with qualifying children, and less than $35,000 for childless workers. Read More


Social Services frustration: ‘There has to be a faster way’ (UTICAOD.com)

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court earlier this month claims the county department is taking too long to determine the eligibility of applications for services. Read More


Consumer Financial Protection Bureau releases mortgage origination examination procedures (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced a key initial step in implementing its Nonbank Supervision program — the publication of the Mortgage Origination Examination Procedures. Read More


Making Sense of Mandates: Special Education's Burden of Proof (WXXI GoPublic)

Every year new mandates are added to an already extensive list that school districts throughout the state are required to follow. But some educators say the real issue, when it comes to mandatory requirements in education, lies with Special Education. Read More


Lawsuit: Oneida County ‘delaying access to public assistance’ (UTICAOD.com)

Legal Services of Central New York and Empire Justice Center have filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the county is not processing residents’ applications for benefits in a timely manner. Read More


Feds to County: explain why services are so hard to get (Utica Daily News)

A federal court has ordered Oneida County to show cause for why the county doesn't provide social services more efficiently and within federal guidelines. Read More


New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State speech impresses listeners (The Oneida Daily Dispatch)

Though the annual speech is normally given at the Capitol, Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved it to the Empire State Convention Center venue as a metaphor to get more non-elected officials involved. Read More


JUSTICE: More Legal Help for Low-Income New Yorkers? (City Newspaper)

In Rochester, the Empire Justice Center and the Legal Aid Society are turning away more than half of the people seeking services, simply because they don't have the necessary staff, says Bryan Hetherington, chief counsel for Empire Justice Center. Read More


Online Medical Records System Planned for N.Y. (Democrat and Chronicle)

Bryan D. Hetherington of Empire Justice Center, a consumer advocate who's vice chairman of the Rochester RHIO board, said he's glad that funding has gone to local clinics that serve lower-income people... Read More


C.A.S.H. Aims to Help Financial Health of Families (ROCnow by Democrat and Chronicle)

Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (C.A.S.H.), a coalition led by the Empire Justice Center and the United Way of Greater Rochester, is amassing a team of hundreds to help more people take advantage of such credits and of other asset-building resources. Read More


`Twilight Zone' Foreclosure Law Firm Draws Fine, Suits in New York Courts (Bloomberg)

Rebecca Case-Grammatico, staff attorney at Rochester, New York-based Empire Justice Center, which represents poor people in foreclosures, said in a phone interview. A complaint in one lawsuit against Baum’s firm says it is “believed to be the largest foreclosure mill in the State of New York.” Read More


Advocates: What Cuomo Could Get Done In 100 Days (Politics on the Hudson )

Good-government and environmental protection groups want Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo to issue a series of executive orders in his first 100 days as a way to get the ball rolling on changing the state. Read More


IOLA Fund Hits New Low (The Daily Record)

Legal providers say Campaign for Justice takes on new meaning. Read More


Empire Justice Center Receives Federal Grant (The Daily Record)

The Internal Revenue Service announced the award of more than $11 million in matching grants to support its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Read More


Getting Blood from a Stone: High Fees, Fines Imposed on Criminals Often Perpetuate the Cycle of Poverty and Crime (The Dolan Company)

One of the biggest detriments to criminal offenders’ successful reentry into society is the amount of debt imposed on them through state fees or other fines related to their crime. Read More


Fed Advisory Council Debates New Reverse Mortgage Protections Proposal (Reverse Mortgage Daily)

The Fed recently published new reverse mortgage disclosures to improve communication of terms with borrowers and the council said the new forms were a positive step in the right direction. Read More


Tenants do have rights if foreclosure looms (Times Union)

Tenants are the invisible victims of the mortgage crises, with very few advocates. Read More


Need a Lawyer? Good Luck (New York Times)

New York’s Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman’s call for adequate stable funding for civil legal services gets support from the New York Times. Read More


Foreclosure Mess Hits Home (YNN)

It happens almost every day of the week on the front steps of the Monroe County Office Building: properties – most of them homes – go up for bid in foreclosure auctions. Read More


NY Joins National Foreclosure Work Group (The Daily Record)

New York is joining the rest of the nation in a bipartisan mortgage foreclosure working group being led by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Read More


Officials: Help poor in civil cases (Times Union)

Top officials from the Capital Region's legal and political worlds told the state's most powerful judge Tuesday more money is needed to fund legal representation of the poor in civil cases, calling it a cost-saving measure. Read More


Tell it to the Judge – NY's Top Jurist on a Mission (Public News Service)

Giving new meaning to the term "judicial activism," the chief judge of New York state is heading an unprecedented effort to help those who can't afford to hire a lawyer in civil cases. Read More


Local Residents Explain Need for Legal Services (WXXI )

New York's Chief Judge is traveling the state, trying to find out what people do when they need a lawyer -- but can't afford one. Read More


Legal Aid for the Poor in Dire Shape (City Newspaper)

New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman hasn't been shy about his desire to increase the availability of civil legal services to the poor. He's formed a task force and is holding public hearings to gather testimony to bolster his plans. Read More


Advocates Call on Fed to Put a Stop to Discriminatory Lending (CNBC)

Community Coalition Calls for Increased Transparency in Mortgage Lending. A coalition of community groups called on the Federal Reserve Board to overhaul a 35-year old law that requires lenders to report vital information on their mortgage lending practices. Read More


Governor Paterson Names Advisory Committee to Help Health Care Reform Cabinet (Governor David A. Paterson)

Governor David A. Paterson today named 37 organizations to the Health Care Reform Advisory Committee, which will provide input to the Governor's Health Care Reform Cabinet on the implementation of federal health care reform in New York State. The Advisory Committee includes organizations representing health care providers, consumers, businesses, organized labor, local governments, health plans and health insurers, and health policy experts. Read More


State's Finance Score Above Average (Democrat and Chronicle)

Consumers in New York are faring better than those in 30 other states, though New York is still considered distressed by a nonprofit credit counseling firm. Read More


Rent-to-own law worries consumer advocates (Buffalo News)

Imagine a special retail business where management can legally mark up their prices on consumer goods by almost 500 percent, and people still readily shop there for big-screen TV's. Read More


Katie Courtney Selected by NY Daily Record as 2010 Up & Coming Attorney

Empire Justice Center's Katie Courtney selected as 2010 Up and Coming attorney by The Daily Record. Read More


Both sides weigh in on rent-to-own bill: Governor must sign or veto bill by Friday (Buffalo News)

David A. Paterson is reviewing a bill that supporters say would protect consumers by providing more structure and disclosure for “rent-to-own” contracts. Critics, however, say the law would legalize predatory pricing and practices. Read More


EPA Recognizes the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning for Outstanding Community Leadership (United States Environmental Protection Agency)

The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning has been selected as a winner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Achievement Award for its leadership in community-based efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in the city of Rochester, New York. Read More


Rochester-area anti-lead fighters honored (Democrat and Chronicle)

Calling the community effort to reduce and try to eradicate the problem of lead poisoning a model for the country, a representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented an award recognizing health improvements and a sense of justice. Read More


The Case of the Disappearing NY Legal Services? (Public News Service)

The providers of civil legal services for those who can't afford a lawyer to fight such things as foreclosure, eviction, and denial of benefits say they are in trouble. They say the public protection budget bills passed by the New York Legislature this spring include a devastating 70 percent cut in funding. Read More


Evaluating Self Sufficiency Standards (The Record)

The number of New York families failing to meet everyday living costs differs drastically from the federal government’s definition of official poverty, and several state agencies have released a study examining those differences. Read More


New Report Finds More Families in Need (YNN)

Many of New York's families are struggling to make ends meet. That's according to a new study by the Fiscal Policy Institute and Community Action Association, which calculates the cost of living for working families all over the state. Read More


Neighborhoods Feel Mortgage-Credit Crunch (Democrat and Chronicle)

While mortgage lending declined in the Rochester area as a result of the recent recession, neighborhoods where people of color are the predominant residents suffered a precipitous drop, according to a report due to be released today by the Empire Justice Center. Read More


Report Shows Prime Mortgages Dropping (Rochester Business Journal)

Prime mortgage lending declined dramatically between 2006 and 2008, with low-income communities and minority neighborhoods the hardest hit, a report released Wednesday by the Empire Justice Center in Rochester shows. Read More


Lenders Slighting Minority Neighborhoods (WXXI Go Public)

A new report finds low-income communities and neighborhoods of color are having a hard time getting mortgages. Read More


Chief Judge Lippman calls for change in legal aid (The Daily Record)

New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, in Rochester on June 10, called for systemic change in the delivery of civil legal representation for the state’s poor. Read More


Late State Budget Hurting Nonprofits (Democrat & Chronicle)

Nonprofit agencies that contract with the state aren't getting paid because of the late budget, which is forcing some groups to consider suspending services temporarily or closing altogether, according to a new report from the state comptroller. Read More


Chief Judge Lippman Names 28 to Task Force to Expand Access to Legal Services (New York Law Journal)

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman has named 28 people to a task force charged with spearheading a court-led effort to secure adequate state funding for the representation of low-income New Yorkers in civil cases. Read More


The Right to, and Need for, Counsel (New York Times)

New York Times editorial on the state's constitutional duty to provide counsel as affirmed by the State Court of Appeals and Chief Judge Lippman. Read More


Is a New State Law Curbing Home Foreclosures? (Times Union)

New York’s tough new foreclosure law might be cutting the number of foreclosures in the state — at least temporarily. Read More


Legal Aid Pinched: Civil Law Advocates are Vulnerable to Boom and Bust Cycles (Syracuse Post Standard)

For too long, civil legal services in New York state have been vulnerable to boom and bust cycles. Read More


The Price of Justice for All (Times Union)

Captial District attorney Paul Harding pens Op Ed in support of civil legal services and the critical need for funding in the state budget. Read More


Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys President's Message (Dolan Media)

Empire Justice Attorney, Amy Schwartz, good-bye message. Read More


Top New York Judge Urges Greater Legal Rights for the Poor (New York Times)

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman calls for greater access to justice for New York's poor. Read More


Funding Needed for Legal Services (Democrat and Chronicle)

Reaching correct and fair results for all in our adversary system of justice is very difficult when all parties are not represented by lawyers. Read More


Crackdown Sought on Debt Scams and Foreclosure Abuse (Legislative Gazette)

New Yorkers are needlessly losing money and families are being devastated, according to New Yorkers for Responsible Lending, a coalition of representatives from more than 150 groups fighting what they consider abusive debt collection and unfair home foreclosure practices. Read More


Legal Services for the Poor at Risk (Democrat and Chronicle)

Cutbacks will force legal aid programs to slash staff and reduce services at a time when the economy continues to shed jobs. Read More


Study Examines Relationship Violence in Deaf Community (WXXI)

The RIT study compares incidences of relationship violence between Deaf and hearing students, and also delves into the experiences of gay and lesbian students. Read More


Consumer Advocates Tout Financial Protection Agency (WXXI)

Consumer advocates across New York State are lining up behind a bill now making its way through the United States Senate, to enhance consumer protection in the financial services industry. Read More


Banking on Hypocrisy (Politico)

While American families have made clear that they overwhelmingly support the reforms that a new consumer financial protection agency will produce — like clear, understandable terms and conditions for consumer credit products and accountability for the big banks — the lobbyists have made equally clear their plan to kill the agency. Read More


Mayor Bloomberg Announces New NYC Service Initiative to Provide Free Legal Services to Homeowners in Danger of Foreclosure (New York RealEstateRama)

The free legal services program is a component of Mayor Bloomberg’s 2010 State of City pledge to launch the most ambitious home foreclosure prevention effort of any city in the nation. Read More


City to Offer Legal Aid to those Facing Foreclosure (crain's new york business.com)

Mayor launches program to train and dispatch 300 volunteer attorneys; vows “no family facing the loss of their home should be without representation." Read More


Commissioners Call for Audit of Rochester Housing Authority (Democrat and Chronicle)

Two Rochester Housing Authority executives will temporarily forgo their salaries from a nonprofit corporation that has done business with the authority and will be the focus of an audit... Read More


CPB Warns about Mortgage Scams (Legislatie Gazette)

“Loan Modification Scam Alert” campaign was launched by the New York State Consumer Protection Board last Thursday as a part of its annual Consumer Action Day. Read More


Budget options aplenty (Legislative Gazette)

The "Better Choice Budget Campaign," a series of options for raising state revenues and savings costs, was unveiled Feb. 22 by fiscal watchdog, environmental, education, civil legal service and poverty advocacy groups. Read More


Consumer Protections Hung Up in Senate (WXXI GoPublic)

When you ask Democratic Congressman Dan Maffei what's going on in the Senate, he takes a deep breath, and then speaks very carefully. Read More


Congressman Maffei Praises New Consumer Protections (Congressman Dan Maffei)

Today Congressman Maffei joined with representatives from the Empire Justice Center in Rochester to address the provisions of the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights and consumer protection. Read More


New Law Protects Credit Cardholders (YNN Rochester)

Signed into law by the President, the Credit Card Bill of Rights will ban certain unfair and deceptive fees and rate increases. Read More


Fate of $15 mil. for Civil Legal Services in Lawmakers' hands (Legislative Gazette)

It is now up to the Legislature to decide whether the state will provide a fiscal crutch for a diminishing fund that helps New Yorkers pay for civil legal services they might otherwise be unable to afford. Read More


Bar Association wants justice for all in 2010 (Legislative Gazette)

On the top of the Bar Association's list of state legislative priorities is a call for the governor and state lawmakers to ensure adequate resources are provided for the justice system so that the courts will be able to adequately serve New Yorkers, especially those living on low incomes. Read More


Jack O'Connell, Special Advisor to NuHealth President/CEO Gianelli, Elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Empire Justice Center (NuHealth)

Impressive recognition for leader with vast experience in the fields of health and human services organizations. Center provides legal services for low-income persons in New York State. Read More


New Law Mandates Settlement Conferences in All Foreclosure Cases (Nassau Lawyer)

New laws now require all lenders seeking to foreclose mortgages to participate in a settlement conference in court. Read More


Fund that Pays for Low-Income Legal Services Spirals Downward (Legislative Gazette)

This year's economic crisis and historically low interest rates have reduced by 75 percent a fund that assists organizations that help New York's less affluent residents pay for legal services in civil proceedings. Read More


One in Every Seven (Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson)

Senator calls for New Yorkers to pay attention to IOLA crisis and the need to invest in civil legal services. Read More


New Justice Center is Tribute to Team Work (Democrate and Chronicle)

There will soon be a new sign on what was known for decades as the Four Corners Building in downtown Rochester, now the Telesca Center for Justice. Read More


CHILD CARE: Lawsuit targets co-pays for subsidized day care (City Newspaper)

The legal aid group Empire Justice Center has filed a class-action lawsuit against the state to change the co-pay system. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate the state's current policy and to force the state's Office of Child and Family Services to develop a new policy with a statewide rate. Read More


The Good We Do: Access to Justice (The New York Law Journal)

This is no exaggeration: legal aid for the poor is in a state of crisis. According to the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC), it is estimated that one in two low-income Americans seeking legal help will be turned away this year. Read More


New Agency Could Offer Financial Protection (ROCnow by Democrat and Chronicle)

Currently, there is no single federal agency responsible for regulating financial services such as mortgage lending, credit cards, bank fees or car loans. Instead, we have a confusing system of at least seven agencies, each watching some part of the system, but none looking at the big picture or focused on preventing harmful or deceptive features in consumer financial products. Read More


New Law Expands Protections for Domestic Violence Survivors (examiner.com)

A new civil rights law will provide domestic violence survivors even greater protection and confidentiality. Read More


Respect your credit and your financial future (Democrate and Chronicle)

Learn to live within their means. We as a society have been living on credit and we can see where that has gotten us … We need to go back to our roots or our grandparents’ roots where you saved and bought what you could afford. Read More


Steuben County New York sued because of its incompetence in processing food stamp applications (Markham's Behavioral Health)

It's hard to believe that people in Western New York are going hungry because of incompetent county level social services bureaucrats in Steuben County where the county seat is Bath, NY where I was born, but that appears to be the case according to the Western New York Law Center. Read More


Study Suggests Insurance Access Not Equal (WXXI Public Media for Rochester)

A study by the Empire Justice Center raises the possibility people living in neighborhoods with significant minority populations or high vacancy rates might not have adequate access to homeowner's insurance. Read More


Attorney General Cuomo Sues Debt Settlement Compaines for Deceiving and Harming Consumers (Office of the Attorney General)

Cuomo Files Suit against Credit Solutions of America, One of the Nation’s Largest Debt Settlement Companies, and Nationwide Asset Services for Fraud and Deceptive Advertising. Read More


As More Apply for Welfare, Concern for Those Denied (New York Times)

Even as the welfare rolls in New York State dropped steadily over the last decade, the number of applications in the state increased by 35 percent from 1999 to 2007, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. Read More


Bank development program is being evaluated (The Buffalo News)

Support for maintaining and even expanding the state’s Banking Development District program appeared strong at a public hearing in Buffalo Monday, but those testifying just couldn’t agree on how to do it. Read More


Demand for Legal Services Outpacing Available Service (The Record)

With unemployment and poverty on the rise amid an economic downturn, a growing number of poor New Yorkers will find that funding for legal services they may need is not increasing to compensate for demand. Read More


Refinancing your house could save you money, now or in the future (Democrate and Chronicle)

Refinancing, which is achieved by taking out a new mortgage to replace your current one, can reduce the amount of interest you pay on your home loan over the course of the agreement. Read More


Cutbacks Could Leave Thousands of New Yorkers Alone in Court (Public News Service)

The courtroom soon could become a more lonely place for many New Yorkers, if budget cutbacks leave hundreds of thousands of people without the lawyers once provided by the state for civil cases. Read More


Legal Aid Cuts: State funds don't go far enough, and may shrink further (Syrcause.com)

According to some estimates, no more than one out of five eligible people in Central New York receives legal aid services that can mean the difference between self-reliance and indigence. The others are left on their own to deal with evictions, wills, child custody and support, domestic violence, immigration issues and navigating the parole system and appeals process. Read More


Disclosure of Coverage Data Could Benefit All (The Buffalo News)

These are the very claims that were made by mortgage lenders more than 30 years ago when the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act was passed. Today, however, annual public disclosure of mortgage lending data by census tract is just part of doing business. Read More


Raw Deal: Overdraft protection (CNN Money)

Automatic overdraft loans can look like a consumer's best friend, but they can come at a steep cost. Read More


Group Discusses Mortgage Crisis (YNN Your News Now)

Think the mortgage crisis isn't affecting the Rochester area? The Monroe County Bar Association and the educators it brought to the area Wednesday believe greater Rochester should think again. Read More


We Need to do More to Help Less Fortunate (The Record)

There have been many examples over the past few decades of New York falling behind other states in various areas. One more is the lack of proper funding for civil legal services for the indigent. Read More


Legal Aid Society Helps Locals get Back on their Feet (Press Republican )

Melissa Deno and Alta Weeks both found themselves in dire financial trouble recently when their bank accounts were frozen by creditors. Living on public assistance and unable to work, neither woman could afford to hire an attorney. But to their relief, the women could rely on the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York. Read More


Legal Aid Optimistic that Spitzer will Fatten Coffers (The Record)

Public funding of legal representation for the indigent in Civil Court cases was largely pioneered in New York state, supporters say, but the concept has largely stalled out in recent years, leaving the state far behind many others that help the poor pay to have their cases heard. Read More


An Investment In Legal Services (New York Times)

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley is grateful for your strong editorial supporting inclusion of adequate funding for statewide civil legal services in Gov. Eliot Spitzer's budget (''Justice for the Poor,'' Jan. 7). Read More


Justice for the Poor (New York Times)

Government has a critical obligation to provide adequate civil legal services for the poor, who would otherwise lack access to lawyers to resolve problems that could easily upend already tenuous lives, in areas like spousal and elderly abuse, child support, housing and disability issues. Read More


N.Y. banks want to rip you off (Drum Major Institute for Public Policy)

Banks chartered in New York want permission to offer courtesy overdraft protection, whether customers want it or not. The industry says this will be great for customers, but in fact depositors will be whacked with huge fees. Read More