Foreclosures continue to rise in Florida and other U.S. states hit hard by the real estate crisis. Several Florida counties are trying to fight back against the problem by bringing banks and homeowners together to find a way to save troubled mortgages from foreclosure.
在美国佛罗里达和其他受到房地产危机重创的各州，丧失房屋赎回权的案件还在继续上升。佛罗里达的一些县正在采取措施，努力阻止事态的恶化。他们组织调停，安排银行和房屋拥有人会谈，希望找到办法解决有问题的房贷，避免房主丧失住房赎回权。
Real estate experts say now may be a great time to buy a home in south Florida, if only because so many cheap foreclosed homes are available.
房地产专家说，现在可能是在佛罗里达南部买房的好时光，即便是仅凭市场上有大量便宜的止赎屋这一点。
The flood has created chaos for local judges, who must rule on every foreclosure case. But another option is to avoid the courtroom and order both the bank and the home owner into a mediation room.
止赎屋的大批出现给当地的法官带来了麻烦， 因为他们必须对每一个案件进行判决。不过，现在可以有另外的选择，不用让法庭裁决，对银行和房主进行调停，让他们自己谈判。
Rod Petrey, head of the Collins Center which organizes out-of-court mediation programs, says that option has been ignored in Florida until now.
科林斯中心就是这样一个组织庭外调解项目的机构，罗德.彼德雷是该中心的负责人。他说，直到目前为止，佛罗里达一直没有重视这个办法。
"One thing we are missing is for the two parties to talk to each other," Petrey said. "When a lender calls a borrower, a lot of the language has been: 'Pay up, deadbeat.' Is that the best way to have a conversation with the borrower?"
“我们一直没有做到的是让双方会谈.....银行或是其他借贷机构给贷款者打电话时，通常的说法是‘付钱吧，到期了。’我不认为这是与贷款者谈话的最好方式。”
Some borrowers also complain that banks or lending firms do not return their calls or that it is too hard to get in touch with the right person in charge of their mortgage.
一些贷款者抱怨，银行或是其他借贷机构不回复他们的电话，或是要与真正负责他们的房贷的人取得联系非常困难。
Petrey says some of those communication problems can be avoided with court-ordered mediations, which the Collins Center is helping to organize in several areas. The non-profit group recently held a training session for about 200 trained mediators in the Miami area.
彼德雷说，沟通上的一些问题确实可以通过法庭下达的调停令解决，科林斯公司在好几个地区组织这样的调停会。这个非盈利机构最近在迈阿密地区为200多名受训的调解人提供培训课程。
One of the trainees, Joan Bickerstaff, said a mediation session may provide a number of alternatives not available in a foreclosure trial.
琼.比克斯塔夫参加了这样的培训项目。她说，调解可能比法庭的止赎案件审判提供更多的选择。
"The court system is overwhelmed and probably does not provide the best solution. The discretion that the court has in a foreclosure proceeding is fairly limited," she said.
“法庭有太多的案子要处理，很可能不会提供最好的解决办法。法庭的处理权在止赎案的过程中有相当的局限。”
Courts have no authority to order a bank to change the terms of a loan or compel a homeowner to continue making payments on a home. But at a mediation the two sides can agree to adjust the loan, reduce the monthly payments or decide to sell the house at a lower price and terminate the mortgage.
法庭没有权力下令银行更改贷款的条款或是强迫房主继续支付贷款。但是，在调停时，双方可以同意对贷款条款作出调整，减少月付款，并决定以一个稍低的价格出售房屋或是终止房贷。
Experts say the process will not work for every homeowner in trouble, especially people who have lost their jobs or those who borrowed way too much in the first place.
专家们说，这样的做法并不适用于所有遇到麻烦的房屋拥有者，特别是那些失去工作，或是一开始借钱太多的人。
Rod Petrey says the key to mediation is a credit counseling session, to determine what a home owner can afford.
彼德雷说，调停的关键是贷款咨询，这个过程帮助确定房屋所有者可以支付多少贷款。
"A lot of lenders say we have not seen information from that borrower in years, we do not even know if they have a job or not. Plus for the borrower, it really forces them to add up what they got and what they do not have," Petrey said.
“很多银行和贷款机构说，他们很多年得不到贷款人的消息。我们甚至不知道他们是否有工作。而且对贷款的人来说，这样的办法会迫使他们弄清楚自己的经济状况。”
The Collins Center has organized 15 mediations in Miami. Former judge Tom Bateman, who advises the center, says the sessions are confidential, but the results have been encouraging.
科林斯中心已经在迈阿密组织了15个调停会。该中心的顾问，曾经担任法官的汤姆.贝特曼说，这些调停会议是机密的，但是会议的结果令人鼓舞。
"Nine had reached what we call a successful resolution, ... and they agreed to adjourn and continue negotiating after the mediation session," Bateman said.
“其中有九个会面取得了我们认为的成功解决办法。他们现在同意暂时休会，在调停之后继续谈判。”
Similar mediation programs have been operating for months in states like Ohio and New Jersey, where they are credited with limiting new foreclosures.
在新泽西和俄亥俄州类似的调停项目也在进行。因为他们的调停，新的房屋止赎案件得到控制。
But Miami realtor Enrique Lopez doubts whether it will work in Florida, where home prices have plunged in the past two years. He says there is no incentive for home owners to negotiate a deal to remain in a house worth far less than the mortgage on it a situation known as being "upside down".
但是迈阿密的房产经纪人恩里克.洛佩兹怀疑这样的办法在佛罗里达会产生效果。过去两年来，佛罗里达的房屋价格直线下跌。他说，对房主来说，和银行达成某种协议以便继续居住在价值远远低于当初贷款的房子里，实在是没有任何吸引力。
"If you are an attorney or realtor, why would you advise your client to remain in a property that as an investment makes no sense to do any more? How many years before a property that is $50-60,000 upside down will recover its value?" Lopez asked.
“如果你是律师或是经纪人，为什么你要建议你的当事人继续保留一个从投资角度来看已经毫无意义的房产？要让一个缩水了5到6万美元的房子恢复到原来的价格需要多少年？”
Lopez says home owners may be better off accepting a foreclosure in that type of situation. He says many people can find a similar house for a lot less money, now that real estate prices have fallen so far.
洛佩兹说，在这样的情况下，对于房主来说，接受房屋止赎可能会更好一些。他说，房地产的价格下跌幅度如此之大，很多人可以花更少的钱找到类似的房屋。 |