Roberto Quercia, Ph.D., professor of city and regional planning in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Center for Community Capital in the Kenan-Flagler Business School, is an expert on preventive counseling for persons at risk of mortgage foreclosures. He is available for interviews on his research on the national mortgage lending crisis.
Quercia testified before the N.C. House of Representatives Select Committee on Rising Home Foreclosures on Feb. 26, recommending counseling to buyers soon after they purchase a home and early intervention when home owners lag on mortgage payments.
“Overall, the research indicates that quality counseling reduces default and foreclosure risks,” Quercia said in his testimony. “This means that with counseling, borrowers are more likely to be able to stay in their homes and financial institutions are likely to resolve problems faster and with a lower incidence of borrower relapsing.”
Note: Josh Levy can assist with media requests for Quercia at (919) 962-4782 or jwlevy@email.unc.edu.
Quercia’s department Web site: http://www.planning.unc.edu/facstaff/faculty/quercia.htm .
College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid, (919) 843-6339, deereid@unc.edu
News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093, lisa_katz@unc.edu