§667-80 Parties; requirements; process. (a) The parties to a dispute resolution process conducted under this part shall consist of the owner-occupant or the owner-occupant's representative, and the mortgagee or the mortgagee's representative; provided that:

(1) A representative of the mortgagee who participates in the dispute resolution shall be authorized to negotiate a loan modification on behalf of the mortgagee or shall have, at all stages of the dispute resolution process, direct access by telephone, videoconference, or other immediately available contemporaneous telecommunications medium to a person who is so authorized;

(2) The mortgagee and owner-occupant may be represented by an attorney; and

(3) The owner-occupant may be assisted by an approved housing counselor or approved budget and credit counselor.

(b) No fewer than thirty days prior to the first day of a scheduled dispute resolution session pursuant to this part, the owner-occupant shall consult with an approved housing counselor or approved budget and credit counselor.

(c) The parties shall comply with all information requests from the department or neutral. No less than fifteen days prior to the first day of the scheduled dispute resolution session:

(1) The mortgagee shall provide to the department and the mortgagor:

(A) A copy of the promissory note, signed by the mortgagor, including any endorsements, allonges, amendments, or riders to the note evidencing the mortgage debt;

(B) A copy of the mortgage document and any amendments, riders, or other documentation evidencing the mortgagee's right of nonjudicial foreclosure and interest in the property including any interest as a successor or assignee; and

(C) Financial records and correspondence that confirm the mortgage loan is in default.

(2) The owner-occupant shall provide to the department and the mortgagee:

(A) Documentation showing income qualification for a loan modification, including any copies of pay stubs, W-2 forms, social security or disability income, retirement income, child support income, or any other income that the owner-occupant deems relevant to the owner-occupant's financial ability to repay the mortgage;

(B) Any records or correspondence available which may dispute that the mortgage loan is in default;

(C) Any records or correspondence available evidencing a loan modification or amendment;

(D) Any records or correspondence available that indicate the parties are currently engaged in bona fide negotiations to modify the loan or negotiate a settlement of the delinquency;

(E) Names and contact information for approved housing counselors, approved budget and credit counselors, or representatives of the mortgagee, with whom the owner-occupant may have or is currently working with to address the delinquency; and

(F) Verification of counseling by an approved housing counselor or approved budget and credit counselor.

(d) The dispute resolution session shall consist of at least one meeting lasting no more than three hours, which may be extended by the equivalent of one additional three-hour session on the same or a different day at the neutral's discretion.

The parties shall be present in person at the dispute resolution session; provided that a party may submit a written request to the department at least fourteen days prior to the scheduled dispute resolution session to participate through telephone, videoconference, or other contemporaneous telecommunications medium. A request to participate through a telecommunications medium shall be granted only for good cause and upon agreement of the neutral and the other party to the dispute resolution. For purposes of this subsection, "good cause" means an event or circumstance outside of the requesting party's control that makes in-person participation impossible. The neutral shall have the discretion to postpone a dispute resolution session in order to allow the requesting party to participate in person; provided that postponement shall not delay the dispute resolution process beyond timelines established by this part.

(e) A dispute resolution process conducted pursuant to this part shall use the calculations, assumptions, and forms established by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Loan Modification Program Guide as set out on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's publicly accessible website or a different program or process if agreed to by both parties and the neutral.

(f) The dispute resolution process shall conclude within sixty days from the first scheduled meeting between the parties to the dispute resolution and the neutral; provided that the neutral shall have the authority to extend this period. Nothing in this part shall be construed to require the dispute resolution process to take the full sixty days allotted to reach a negotiated agreement. [L 2011, c 48, pt of §1, §45(2); am L 2012, c 182, §§44, 49]