In this progress report, the Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program details data collected from the first two years of the program and identifies program goals for the coming year. From its inception in June 2010 to April 30, 2012, the program has given legal advice to 57,000 borrowers, held 53,000 housing counseling sessions, and referred 4,000 cases to mediation. Of those referred to mediation, 42% reached agreement and 75% of those agreements allowed the borrower to remain in the home.

After providing a general overview of foreclosures in Cook County and the foreclosure mediation process, the report articulates program goals. General goals include encouraging homeowners to appear in court to resolve their cases and reaching mutually acceptable agreements between a homeowner and lender. Changes the program implemented in 2011 to achieve these goals included: hiring nine case managers to triage and follow up on cases in which the borrower is self-represented; funding housing counseling community workshops to connect more borrowers to the program in fewer contacts; enacting a reimbursement payment system for housing counselors to maximize quality of work; and creating a folder so borrowers have all documents with them throughout the multi-step mediation process. Changes anticipated in 2012 include more funding for borrower legal counsel and improved efficiency in the case management process.

Appendices include participation numbers broken down by program partner (e.g., outreach workers, housing counselors, legal services, and mediation services), budget details for each partner, and court forms used for case management.