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Maryland Joins National Mortgage Settlement

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
by Don DeHanas, Associate Broker

The state of Maryland has entered into a landmark legal settlement with the nation’s largest mortgage lenders to provide relief to homeowners who were victims of mortgage fraud.  In what is being billed as the largest-ever deal, the settlement could help over a million struggling homeowners in the United States and expects to bring in $1 billion in aid to Maryland.

The mortgage deal settles state and federal findings that the nation’s largest mortgage providers routinely signed Foreclosure documents or “robo-signed” without the presence of a notary or knowing if the facts of the documents were correct.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler told the Baltimore Sun the settlement was the “biggest thing to happen” since Maryland and other states settled with tobacco companies in 1998 over questionable marketing tactics. He also praised the mortgage settlement and said it is the right move for struggling Maryland homeowners. In exchange for the settlement, Gansler and other state attorneys general will relinquish civil liability claims.

The $25 billion settlement with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial was reached with 49 states and will bring much needed assistance to over 40,000 Maryland homeowners who lost their homes to Foreclosure or are still at risk of foreclosure. The deal will mainly focus on partial loan forgiveness but offers up to $2,000 to homeowners who were foreclosed upon during the mortgage crisis. The mortgage settlement sets up four areas of assistance for Maryland homeowners with the exact amounts still being worked out:

  • Around $800 million to reduce the principal for homeowners at risk of Foreclosure
  • $60 million to reduce interest rates for borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth
  • $60 million for the Maryland Attorney General’s office for housing related projects including 10% of that total for paying housing counselors and offering legal assistance to homeowners
  • An estimated $25 million to write checks for $1,800 to $2,000 to Maryland homeowners who lost their homes to Foreclosure

As mentioned above, in exchange for the settlement, Gansler and other states attorneys general will give up civil liability claims against banks; however, homeowners who receive a payout from the settlement will still retain the right to sue banks for engaging in inappropriate Foreclosure processes. Federal officials have noted the settlement will not prevent them from investigating the housing bust further.

For more information on the mortgage settlement, contact Contact Maryland HOPE at 877-462-7555 or click on http://www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com/

 

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Two Charles County Teachers Earn National Certification

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
by Don DeHanas, Associate Broker

Parents and politicians across the country have been concerned about the status of our schools and the quality of the teachers educating our children. This spurred the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and focused attention on teacher certification. The most respected form of certification is provided by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (NBPTS) This non-profit, non-partisan organization has been applying their rigorous testing standards to teachers nationwide since 1987.

The state of Maryland is ranked in the top ten states having teachers certified by NBPTS. In February, two teachers from the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) joined the 2,124 Maryland teachers who have achieved this prestigious certification.

Charles County teachers Cary Smith of North Point High School and Marcie Jett of Piccowaxen Middle School achieved certification after a difficult yearlong performance evaluation. The NBPTS standards are high yet both CCPS teachers were able to rise to the challenge to join the 31 of district teachers who have already met the rigorous NBPTS criteria.

Cary Smith teaches English at North Point High School and achieved her certification in language arts. Her certification was aimed at adolescence and young adulthood. Smith was first hired by CCPS as a language arts instructor at Mattawoman Middle School in 2003. She moved to North Point when the school first opened its doors in 2005.

Marcie Jett, a special education instructor at Piccowaxen Middle School, achieved her certification in working with special needs students. The certification covered children from early childhood through young adulthood. Smith originally joined the CCPS as a special-ed instructor at Dr. Thomas L Higdon Elementary School in 2001 before moving to Piccowaxen in 2007.

Both Charles County teachers Cary Smith and Marcie Jett started on their road to certification in 2010 as did the other 6,200 educators nationwide who would later be certified by the NPPTS in 2011. The yearlong certification process revolves around a teacher achieving the standard of the Five Core Propositions:

  • Teachers are committed to students and their learning
  • Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
  • Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
  • Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
  • Teachers are members of learning communities

The propositions are tested throughout the one-year assessment phase through many different methods including student work samples, reviewers observing the instructor in class or by video, and analysis of their student’s achievements and challenges. How the instructor interacts with their students and presents their material is rigorously scrutinized before a series of written exams. These exams rate the instructor’s knowledge in their field and how they are able to communicate this information successfully to their students.

There are many advantages of NBPTS certification for Charles County teachers and the school district. The certification is good for 10 years and leads to career advancement and higher salaries. It also allows teachers to move between states more easily as many states waive having to take state certification test if the teacher is NBPTS certified. The school districts benefit as studies have shown that NBPTS certified teachers have proven to produce students with higher grades and fewer in-school problems. The certification also helps a school and their district meet many of the Federal standards of the No Child Left Behind Act.

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Solar Farm in Southern Maryland

Tuesday, April 3, 2012
by Don DeHanas, Associate Broker

As demand for energy resources increases, officials in Southern Maryland have been looking for renewable and greener sources of energy. One option for renewable energy in Southern Maryland recently cleared a hurdle when the Charles County Board of Appeals granted a special exception for SMECO Solar to build the area’s first solar farm on land zoned for agricultural conservation.

Plans are in the works for a 5.5 megawatt solar farm to be built near Hughsville, Maryland by the Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative. SMECO officials say the 48.5-acre farm will generate enough energy to power 1,200 homes or enough energy to run the St. Charles Towne Center Mall.

Co-op spokesman Tom Dennison told the Washington Post the solar farm will be owned and operated by SMECO and meets state requirements for renewable energy and customer demands. The state’s utilities are currently required by The Maryland Public Service Commission to use solar power for 0.1 percent of its energy output. This level will increase to 2 percent by 2022. State law requires 3 percent of utilities’ energy output to come from renewable energies. Dennison says SMECO currently meets these requirements through energy credits, biofuels and other natural resources.

The decision to build the solar farm has the support of local landowners and government officials and is expected to cost around $20 million to build. Federal grants and loans through the Department of Agriculture will help pay for the project. The cost-effective project will eventually pay for itself as SMECO owns the land the solar farm will be built on and the utility can generate solar credits.

Ten percent of the energy produced at the Hughesville location will be used for a new operation center near the solar farm and the rest will go to customers in Charles County.

The solar panels will be mounted on the ground and face away from traffic on nearby Route 5 to prevent glare that would distract drivers. A protective wetland zone on the south end of the property will stay protected and will not be affected by construction of the solar farm.  

The decision to build the first solar farm in Southern Maryland was made by SMECO in October of last year as new sites for renewable resources were sought.

Development plans still need to be approved by county officials but Dennison says they expect to break ground this summer and have the solar farm up and running by late 2012 or early 2013.

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The DeHanas Team
DeHanas Real Estate Services
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Servicing all Anne Arundel County, Calvert County, Charles County, and Prince George's County as well as Annapolis, Bowie, Chesapeake Beach, Crofton, Dunkirk, Edgewater, Ft. Meade, Huntingtown, La Plata, North Beach, Odenton, Owings, Pasadena, Severn, Waldorf, and the Upper Marlboro areas of Maryland, all of Washington DC, and Northern Virginia, including Alexandria, Arlington, and King George County real estate advertised in this website are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap and familial status, or national origin, or any intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. DeHanas Real Estate Services will not knowingly accept any listing agreement for real estate sales in Anne Arundel County, Calvert County, Charles County, and Prince George's County as well as Annapolis, Bowie, Chesapeake Beach, Crofton, Dunkirk, Edgewater MD, Ft. Meade, Huntingtown, La Plata, North Beach, Odenton, Owings, Pasadena, Severn, Waldorf, and the Upper Marlboro, all of Washington DC, and Northern Virginia, including Alexandria, Arlington, and King George County areas which are in violation of the law. Our clients and customers are informed that all dwellings advertised on our website in Anne Arundel County, Calvert County, Charles County, and Prince George's County as well as Annapolis, Bowie, Chesapeake Beach, Crofton, Dunkirk, Edgewater MD, Ft. Meade, Huntingtown, La Plata, North Beach, Odenton, Owings, Pasadena, Severn, Waldorf, and the Upper Marlboro, all of Washington DC, and Northern Virginia, including Alexandria, Arlington, and King George County areas are available on an equal opportunity basis. All prices and finance claims appearing in this site are subject to change without notice.