Attorney General’s Office & 
Washington State Department of Financial Institutions
 (The AGO & DFI)

What are these and why do they matter?

THESE INSTITUTIONS ARE IN PLACE FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION! OUTSIDE, UNBIASED SOURCES WHO WILL WEIGH IN ON YOUR MORTGAGE SITUATION.

Bellevue Short Sale Experts can’t stress enough how significant it is for you –the homeowner facing pre-foreclosure to be informed! You need to read up, talk to people and become an expert on the foreclosure process. This is the only way you can be certain that you are making the best decision for your situation. If you are a real estate agent- it is equally important that you are staying on top of the laws and regulations regarding short sales and the foreclosure process.

It’s important for you to become familiar with the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Financial Institutions because they are set up to help protect you and your interest. While they don’t replace the council of an attorney, they will help you understand the concepts of what you’re facing.

Below, I’ve briefly described what the AGO & DFI are and what they do. In addition I’ve shared some links they have available as resources on their websites. Bellevue Short Sale Experts highly encourage you to check out the sites for yourself. With so much junk available to you on the Internet you will find it refreshing to learn about the AGO & DFI. They are an invaluable place to start your research.

AGO-
ABOUT: The Attorney General is the top legal officer for state government, elected by the public for a four-year term. Attorney General Rob McKenna is Washington’s 17th state Attorney General.  He was sworn into office in January 2009 and is serving his second term.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) touches the lives of people all across Washington. As chief legal officer, the Attorney General leads a team of attorneys who represent state clients and the public interest as directed under state law.

AGO Mission Statement:  As an independent constitutional office, and legal counsel to state government, we serve the citizens of Washington with the highest standards of excellence, ethics and effectiveness.

LINKS ON AGO SITE:

‘Safeguarding Consumers’

‘Consumer Issues A-Z- including Foreclosure’

‘What to do if you are facing foreclosure or can’t pay your mortgage’

CHECK THEM OUT!

DFI-ABOUT: The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) regulates and examines a variety of state chartered financial services. The Department also provides education and outreach to protect consumers from financial fraud. Contact us at 1.877.RING DFI (746-4334).

The DFI website has links for consumers that allow people to read up on several issues and topics. One of the most relevant in this case, foreclosures help. It is here that the DFI has an entire page devoted to helping you understand what to do if you are facing a foreclosure.

LINKS ON DFI SITE:

‘Foreclosure Programs’

‘Loan Modification Services’

‘Avoiding Fraud’

‘Top 10 Investment Schemes in Washington’.

As you can see there are a variety of helpful links at the DFI as well!

Now that you have a better understanding of the AGO & DFI it will be much easier to know what your options are and more importantly help you filter through the different services available to you. 
(Which ones you should take advantage of and which are likely to be scams.)

Our goal as Bellevue Short Sale Experts is to help you understand the foreclosure process and use our leading short sale services as needed. Once you’ve identified what services/people you need, we’re confident that we have the best services in place- bar none.