Thanks to the hard work and persistence of a broad cross-section of Sound Alliance leaders, we have secured a major victory in our foreclosure intervention campaign: Bank of America in a Feb. 25 letter to Sound Alliance announced that it will open its first-ever permanently staffed customer assistance center in Washington state to assist financially distressed homeowners.
In the letter, a top executive at Bank of America said the establishment of the customer assistance center is in response to Sound Alliance and Washington State Treasurer Jim McIntire, who has been a firm ally in the Sound Alliance campaign. Leaders from UA Local 32, IBEW Local 46, University Unitarian Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia and other member institutions have been central in bringing the foreclosure issue to light and spearheading the campaign to demand in-person, timely and meaningful assistance to troubled borrowers.
Located at 800 Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle, the Bank of America customer assistance center is scheduled to be fully functioning by the end of March.
Appointments can be made by calling the Bank of America Customer Assistance Center at (206) 358-4338.
Sound Alliance has long called for a dedicated facility to assist people trying to avert loss of their homes. If properly operated, the center would provide borrowers with an opportunity to resolve problems through face-to-face meetings with their loan servicers rather than be diverted to call centers, where our members report longs waits, multiple transfers, and inaccurate or misleading information—obstacles that can jeopardize their homes.
The Bank of America's written commitment comes on the heels of discussions with Sound Alliance and Treasurer McIntire, who both had criticized the bank for its inadequate response to the foreclosure crisis in the Puget Sound region. With your support, Sound Alliance leaders will continue to hold Bank of America accountable to ensure it follows through on this recent promise, and we also will monitor the effectiveness of the bank’s customer service center.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
• Participate in the next Housing Team meeting on Monday, March 14, 6:30 to 8 p.m., to keep moving the campaign forward. The meeting will be take place at UA Local 32, Seattle Area Pipe Trades, 595 Monster Road S.W., Renton.
• If you are a Bank of America borrower at risk of losing your home, call the bank’s customer assistance center at (206) 358-4338 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (206) 358-4338 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Please report your experiences, good or bad, with bank representatives by contacting Sound Alliance, info@soundorganizing.org, (206) 575-2252 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (206) 575-2252 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
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