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Foreclosures continue to rise in US
美國喪失房屋贖回權的案件持續増加
Foreclosures continue to rise in Florida and other US states hit hard by the real estate crisis. Several Florida counties are trying to fight back against the problem by bringing banks and home owners together to find a way to save troubled mortgages from foreclosure.
在美國佛羅里達和其他受到房地產危機重創的各州,喪失房屋贖回權的案件還在繼續增加。佛羅里達的一些縣正在采取措施，努力阻止事態的惡化。他們組織調停、安排銀行和房主進行協商,希望找到辦法解決有問題的房貸,避免房主喪失住房贖回權。
Real estate experts say now may be a great time to buy a home in south Florida, if only because so many cheap foreclosed homes are available.
房地產專家稱，現在可能是在佛羅里達南部買房的好時機,即便是僅憑市場上有大量便宜的止贖屋這一點。
The flood has created chaos for local judges, who must rule on every foreclosure case. But another option is to avoid the courtroom and order both the bank and the home owner into a mediation room.
止贖屋的大批出現給當地的法官帶來了麻煩,因為他們必須對每一個案件進行判決。不過,現在可以有另外的選擇了，即不用讓法庭來裁決而是對銀行和房主進行調停，讓他們自己協商。
Rod Petrey, head of the Collins Center which organizes out-of-court mediation programs, says that option has been ignored in Florida until now.
科林斯中心就是這樣一個組織庭外調解項目的機構。該中心的負責人羅德.彼德雷稱，到目前為止佛羅里達一直沒有重視這個辦法
“One thing we are missing is for the two parties to talk to each other,” Petrey said. “When a lender calls a borrower, a lot of the language has been: 4 Pay up，deadbeat. Is that the best way to have a conversation with the borrower?”
他說我們一直沒有做到的是讓雙方互相交流。銀行或是其他借貸機構給貸款者打電話時，通常的說法是‘付錢吧,賴債人’。我認為這不是與貸款者談話的最好方式。
Some borrowers also complain that banks or lending firms do not return their calls or that it is too hard to get in touch with the right person in charge of their mortgage.Petrey says some of those communication problems can be avoided with court-ordered mediations, which the Collins Center is helping to organize in several areas. The non-profit group recently held a training session for about 200 trained mediators in the Miami area.
一些貸款者抱怨，銀行或其他借貸機構都不回復他們的電話或是與真正負責他們房貸的人取得聯系非常困難。彼德雷說,溝通上的一些問題確實可以通過法庭下達的調停令解決。科林斯公司在好幾個地區組織這樣的調停會。這個非盈利機構最近在邁阿密地區為200多名受訓的調解人提供培訓課程。
One of the trainees，Joan BickerstafiF, said a mediation session may provide a number of alternatives not available in a foreclosure trial.
瓊.比克斯塔夫參加了這樣的培訓項目。她說,調解也許可以比法庭的止贖案件審判提供更多的選擇。
“The court system is overwhelmed and probably does not provide the best solution. The discretion that the court has in a foreclosure proceeding is fairly limited,” she said.
她說:“法庭有太多的案子要處理,很可能不會提供最好的解決辦法。法庭在審理止贖案的過程中所擁有的決定權受到了一定的限制。”
Courts have no authority to order a bank to change the terms of a loan or compel a home owner to continue making payments on a home.But at a mediation the two sides can agree to adjust the loan, reduce the monthly payments or decide to sell the house at a lower price and terminate the mortgage.
法庭沒有權力下令銀行更改貸款的條款或是強迫房主繼續支付貸款。但是,在調停時,雙方可以同意對貸款條款作出調整,減少月付款,或決定以一個稍低的價格出售房屋或是終止房貸。
Experts say the process will not work for every home owner in trouble, especially people who have lost their jobs or those who borrowed way too much in the first place.
專家們表示,這樣的做法并不適用于所有遇到麻煩的房主,特別是那些失去工作,或是一幵始借錢太多的人。
Rod Petrey says the key to mediation is a credit counseling session, to determine what a home owner can afford.
羅德.彼德雷說，調停的關鍵是貸款咨詢,這個過程幫助確定房主可以支付多少貸款。
“A lot of lenders say we have not seen information from that borrower in years, we do not even know if they have a job or not. Plus for the borrower, it really forces them to add up what they got and what they do not have," Petrey said.
彼雷德說很多銀行和貸款機構說,他們很多年都得不到貸款人的消息。我們甚至不知道他們是否有工作。而且對貸款的人來說,這樣的辦法會迫使他們弄清楚自己的經濟狀況。”
The Collins Center has organized 15 mediations in Miami. Former judge Tom Bateman, who advises the center, says the sessions are confidential, but the results have been encouraging.
科林斯中心已經在邁阿密組織了15個調停會。該中心的顧問，曾經擔任法官的湯姆.貝特曼說，這些調停會議是秘密進行的,會議的結果令人鼓舞。
“Nine had reached what we call a successful resolution... and they agreed to adjourn and continue negotiating after the mediation session,” Bateman said.
“其中有9個會面我們認為已找到了成功的解決辦法……他們現在同意暫時休會，在調停之后繼續談判。”貝特曼說。
Similar mediation programs have been operating for months in states like Ohio and New Jersey, where they are credited with limiting new foreclosures.
在俄亥俄和新澤西州,類似的調停項目也在進行，因為他們的調停,新的房屋止贖案件得到了控制。
But Miami realtor Enrique Lopez doubts whether it will work in Florida, where home prices have plunged in the past two years. He says there is no incentive for home owners to negotiate a deal to remain in a house worth far less than the mortgage on it a situation known as being ‘"upside down"
但是邁阿密的房產經紀人恩里克.洛佩茲懷疑這樣的辦法在佛羅里達是否會產生效果。過去兩年來,佛羅里達的房屋價格直線下跌。他說,對房主來說，和銀行達成某種協議以便繼續居住在價值遠遠低于當初貸款的房子里實在是沒有任何吸引力。
