“Contrary to suggestions that closing HUD field offices…would make the government more efficient, such closures would undermine an important agency that actively prevents fraud.”
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Today, Orange County Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Derek T. Tran (CA-45) led a letter to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner opposing any plans to close the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Santa Ana Homeownership Center (HOC). This comes after reports that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) plans to close HUD field offices in 34 states around the country.
“In a country with a population of 340.1 million people, there are only four regional HOCs to serve and assist all the functions of mortgage lending and servicing,” Correa and Tran wrote. “[They] actively combat mortgage fraud and loan modification scams by providing free housing counseling, promoting foreclosure prevention, and partnering with law enforcement to report fraudulent practices.”
Some of the largest mortgage companies in the United States are headquartered in California and serviced by the Santa Ana HOC, including Guild Mortgage, LoanDepot, United Wholesale, American Pacific, and Sunwest. The Santa Ana HOC also insures over 120,000 FHA Single Family loans valued at over $50 billion, including nearly 9,000 Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) valued at $5.8 billion. Additionally, Santa Ana is the top rated HOC as it is related to customer service and is considered the most trusted in the industry.
“It is crucial that HUD maintains its current presence in the state, especially the Santa Ana Homeownership Center, which is only 1 of 4 HOCs in the country. The work conducted at the Santa Ana Homeownership Center cannot be understated, as its work is vital in supporting the mortgage lending industry and it is needed to keep our public-private partnerships healthy and productive,” they concluded. “We strongly urge HUD to maintain full operations of the Santa Ana Homeownership Center.”
In addition to Reps. Correa and Tran, this letter was also co-signed by Representatives Linda T. Sanchez (CA-38), Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Dina Titus (NV-01).
“NFFE 1450 appreciates Congressman Correa in leading the effort to keep the Santa Ana Homeownership Center (HOC) open and fully operational. The federal workforce employed at the HOC is vital to the health and stability of FHA,” said Roberta L. Beggs, President of NFFE-1450, the Western Regional Chapter of the National Federation of Federal Employees “Homeownership is perhaps the greatest opportunity for wealth building in the community that would not exist without the expertise of the staff and it's hard work and dedication to the mission.”
You can read the full text of the letter HERE.
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