Reid orchestrates tour of aid to help with home defaults

Financial guidance is on the way for Nevadans close to defaulting on their home loans.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has organized a tour of mobile resource centers that will travel to the five counties that Reid says face the highest number of foreclosures.

The resource centers will include credit counselors, mortgage lenders, officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and representatives of Reid's office.

After visits to Washoe, Douglas and Elko counties in Northern Nevada, the resource centers will come to Southern Nevada. A mobile center will stop at the Clark County Library at 1401 E. Flamingo Road from noon to 2 p.m. on Nov. 29, and at the Pahrump Community Library at 701 East St. in Pahrump from noon to 2 p.m. on Nov. 30.

The idea for the mobile resource centers came from a meeting Reid held in Reno several weeks ago to discuss the rise in Nevada's foreclosures with lenders, nonprofit agencies and state bureaus.

The Silver State has the nation's highest rate of foreclosures. One out of every 185 Nevada households, representing 5,504 homes, filed for foreclosure in September, according to California research firm RealtyTrac.

"Our intent is to provide a one-stop shopping opportunity for people to address the biggest issues they're facing," said Jon Summers, a spokesman for Reid. "They won't have to make a whole bunch of calls and spend a lot of time on the phone."

Reid's office is still working to line up lenders, so a list of participating companies isn't yet available, Summers added.

Reid's announcement is the latest in a series of outreach efforts Nevada's public officials and business leaders are making toward homeowners with problem mortgages.

Gov. Jim Gibbons met with about 35 representatives of the Nevada lending industry Oct. 4 to discuss ideas on helping mortgage borrowers in trouble hang on to their properties.

From that summit came several initiatives, including a consumer-oriented Web site with links to credit counselors and lenders, a public-service announcement to guide borrowers to organizations that can assist them and a series of "home-stay" fairs designed to connect homeowners in trouble with banks who could help them.

Gibbons also said he'd establish a task force to study the foreclosure issue, and hold additional summits with Realtors, builders and credit counselors to discuss the increase in home defaults in Nevada.

Gibbons' office didn't return a call by press time seeking an update on the plans.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4512.