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Through November, 860 “foreclosure cases” have been filed in Iredell County this year. If averages and trends hold up, that number will exceed the county’s all-time high of 910, which was set last year.

It isn’t known how many of of the foreclosure cases this year involve the bottom falling out of the sub-prime mortgage market earlier this year, when lenders revealed they had made too many loans to home-buyers who were unable to afford the ballooning monthly payments.

But Foxx, who said the crisis may be more smoke than fire, wants her constituents to know there may be options.

“First of all, I don’t think this crisis is as bad as the media is making it out to be,” Foxx said. “But, certainly, it is a major crisis to those who are affected by it.”

A call-in service, provided by a group called the HOPE NOW Alliance, may be able to help, she said.

Foxx said the Alliance sent letters to more than 300,000 at-risk borrowers last month urging them to seek help if they thought they might fall behind on their payments.

“If you recently received one of the letters, open it immediately and call your mortgage lender,” Foxx said. “The folks at HOPE NOW want to help.”

HOPE NOW is a group of counselors, lenders and mortgage experts working with the U.S. Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development “to help as many homeowners affected by the recent mortgage crunch as possible,” according to Foxx’s office.

“The folks there will help people in trouble look for different ways to pay and create plans for them,” Foxx explained.

Foxx said HOPE NOW mostly involves very little governmental influence, an idea she supports.

“I think the private sector will work this out in a way best for everybody,” she said. “This is not a case of the federal government coming in to bail everybody out.”

Folks in need of the HOPE NOW service can call at 1-888-995-HOPE or go the group’s Web site at www.hopenow.com.

Working overtime

Foxx said she may not get to see her own home for another week and a half.

She said Congress had originally agreed to shut down for the holiday season this Friday, but that is not going to happen.

“There is too much work to be done up here,” she said. “None of the so-called ‘must-pass’ bills have passed and my fear is that they are going to keep us here, to work out as much of this as we can, until the 22nd. I just hope I’m home by Christmas.”