The judicial mortgage modification amendment supported by NACBA in the House of Representatives failed on a 188-241 vote on Friday, December 11, 2009.  Oddly, similar legislation passed the House earlier this year on a 224-191 vote. Today, 50 Democrats who had voted in favor of H.R. 1106 switched their position and voted against the judicial mortgage modification amendment.  You may find that as baffling as I do, particularly given all the evidence that the voluntary loan modifiation program is not working and the escalating foreclosure crisis.  The bottom line is that some members of Congress serve the financially influential banking industry first and consumers second.

If you want to know how your Member of Congress voted today, go to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll963.xml.  If you want to compare your Representative's vote today with that on H.R. 1106, go to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll104.xml to see their earlier vote.  Of course, there were a number of variables associated with the vote that were not a factor in the earlier vote, particularly given that Members also were being asked to vote against the banks by supporting the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).  As hard as it may be to believe, some Members just could not vote twice in the same day against the interests of the financial services industry.  It is just that simple.