JOSH CLAIMS: Under Sherrod Brown, Foreclosures Are Up.

THE TRUTH: Foreclosures are down during Sherrod’s time in the Senate, and Josh Mandel opposes legislation Sherrod has introduced to help the housing market and reinvestment in communities.

1. Foreclosures are down since Sherrod joined the Senate. [Supreme Court of Ohio, 2/10/11, 3/4/12]

2. Sherrod Brown introduced the Project Rebuild Act to get rid of vacant housing stock and vacant commercial properties while helping to improve housing. [Warren Tribune Chronicle, 4/11/12]

3. Josh Mandel opposes the Project Rebuild Act. [Youngstown Vindicator, 4/11/12]

4. Sherrod Brown has sponsored legislation that would require banks to consider modifying homeowner loans before proceeding to foreclosure. [Portsmouth Daily Times, 5/9/12]

In 2010 Ohio Foreclosure Filings Were Down For The First Time In 15 Years.  In February 2011, The Ohio Supreme Court reported “For the first time in 15 years, Ohio foreclosure case filings declined compared to the previous year, according to data released today by the Supreme Court of Ohio.  For 2010, common pleas courts across Ohio reported 85,483 new residential and commercial foreclosure case filings to the Supreme Court. The Court began collecting foreclosure data in 1990.”  [Supreme Court of Ohio, 2/10/11]

The Number Of Foreclosure Filings Dropped 16% Between 2010 And 2011.  In March 2012, The Ohio Supreme Court reported “After experiencing a drop in the number of Ohio foreclosure case filings for the first time in 15 years in 2010, that number declined even further in 2011 by 16 percent, according to data released today by the Supreme Court of Ohio.  For 2011, common pleas courts across Ohio reported 71,556 new residential and commercial foreclosure case filings to the Ohio Supreme Court, or 13,927 fewer foreclosure cases than 2010.”  [Supreme Court of Ohio, 3/14/12]

Supreme Court of Ohio

Ohio Courts Statistical Summary

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Bill Championed By Sen. Brown – The Project Rebuild Act – Will Get Rid Of Vacant Housing Stock And Vacant Commercial Properties.  In April 2012, The Warren Tribune Chronicle reported “Presley Gillespie said he believes the city is at a crossroads and a bill championed by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown may be key to helping them go down the right road. At a news conference Tuesday morning in front of an abandoned South Side bakery, Gillespie, Brown and others said the Project Rebuild Act would help cities get rid of not just vacant housing stock, but also vacant and blighted commercial properties. Gillespie, who heads up the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., said cleaning up neighborhoods is important because it leads to more private sector investment when they see that work is being done to improve neighborhoods, and that could be enough to turn the tide back to reinvestment.”  [Warren Tribune Chronicle, 04/11/12]

Project Rebuild Act Would Mean 191,000 Jobs Across The Country.  In April 2012, The Warren Tribune Chronicle reported “Supporters claim Project Rebuild would give jobs to 191,000 people and deal with 150,000 properties across the country.”  [Warren Tribune Chronicle, 04/11/12]

Mandel Criticized The “Project Rebuild Act” As “More Borrowing And Spending At Home.”  In April 2012, The Youngstown Vindicator wrote “State Treasurer Josh Mandel, Brown’s Republican opponent in the Nov. 6 election, responded quickly to Brown’s visit.  ‘This is another instance of Sherrod Brown hiding from his failed record in Washington by talking about more borrowing and spending at home. Sherrod Brown has borrowed and spent like there is no tomorrow, and the national debt has increased by $11 trillion since he went to Washington two decades ago,’ Mandel said in a news release. ‘Instead of pushing another partisan bill that spends too much, Sherrod Brown should have voted for the bipartisan JOBS Act the president signed into law last week that helps create an environment for the private sector to grow and create jobs.’”  [Youngstown Vindicator, 04/11/12]

Headline:  “Brown’s Bill Would Help Struggling Homeowners.”  [Portsmouth Daily Times, 5/9/12]

Sen. Brown Sponsored Legislation That Would Require Banks To Consider Modification Before Proceeding To Foreclosure.  In May 2012, The Portsmouth Daily Times wrote “Since the start of 2012, 190 homes in Scioto County have been foreclosed on. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says Ohio homeowners are facing stonewalling and silence from banks, so he has sponsored the Foreclosure Fraud and Homeowner Abuse Prevention Act, which would require banks to consider modification before proceeding to foreclosure and ensure adequate procedures and staffing levels to modify loans.”  [Portsmouth Daily Times, 5/9/12]