As home foreclosures continue to rise across the United States, loan modification scams are increasing at an alarming rate. Loan modification scams in Oklahoma have a devastating impact on families and communities.  A free luncheon event, “Loan Modification Scam Alert Summit” in Tulsa on Friday, April 8 from 11:30 -2:00pm will shed some light on the growing problem and share tools and resources to help combat loan scams.

The summit is sponsored by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Oklahoma City Branch, NeighborWorks America, the Oklahoma Homebuyer Education Association and Oklahoma Assets.  The summit will provide you with:

• Knowledge of foreclosure and loan modification scams,
• Tools and resources to protect you and your community, and
• Opportunity to network with service providers and community leaders engaged in this effort

The hosts encourage elected officials, community and faith-based leaders and housing agency representatives to support solutions that are reducing the devastating impact loan modification scams are having in Oklahoma.  The event will be held at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in downtown Tulsa on April 8 from 11:30 -2:00pm.  RSVP to Emerson Hall at Emhall@fdic.org by Thursday, March 31. Due to space limitations, pre-registration is required.

The latest Numbers You Need, our monthly bulletin of key economic and budget trends and data, reflects continued, if modest, progress on the job front and improved state revenue collections. Previously we reported decent growth in state personal income for the first quarter of 2010.  However, even as the Great Recession starts to recede,  the stubbornly dark cloud in the economic sky continues to be  foreclosures. Read the rest of this entry »