One More Reason to Join With Phil Ting in Support of the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights

Phil Ting has joined with state leaders like Attorney General Kamala Harris in support of a package of reforms known as the “Homeowner’s Bill of Rights.”

The need for these simple consumer protections were highlighted when Phil Ting released his groundbreaking audit of foreclosure practices. His data generated national news when he found pervasive problems with foreclosure documents.

The independent audit Ting commissioned showed 84 percent of the foreclosure files contained at least one legal violation and more than 66 percent of the files contained multiple violations.

Now new data complied by Zillow maps another pervasive challenge – underwater mortgages.

As a community that believes good policy comes from good data – we wanted to share this interactive map with you. In parts of San Mateo County for example, nearly one-third of homes are “underwater,” meaning the owners owe more to their mortgage lenders than their homes are worth.

Since getting our economy back on track takes getting the housing crisis solved – this is exactly the kind of map that policy makers should be using to help chart a course forward – starting with passing the Homeowners Bill of Rights.