Faculty: Chris Odinet, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oklahoma College of Law
Moderator: Christopher Bradley, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Kentucky College of Law
Professor Chris Odinet’s recently published book from Cambridge University Press, Foreclosed: Mortgage Servicing and the Hidden Architecture of Homeownership in America (Cambridge Univ. Press 2019). From the publisher’s website: “In Foreclosed, Christopher K. Odinet gives voice to the stories of homeowners that have been neglected, particularly those facing foreclosure and deep financial distress. The book reveals the powerful and often invisible mortgage servicing industry, the tremendous discretionary power it wields over the housing lives of most Americans, and the servicing problems that still persist today. In doing so, it unveils a quiet and dangerous market shift in mortgage servicing - namely, an ongoing move toward a shadow banking sector where regulation is weak - that threatens the stability of our housing finance system. Ultimately, the book demonstrates how the law does not afford homeowners the protection most think and how regulation of these mortgage middlemen remains weak. Foreclosed should be read by anyone concerned with the state of housing and home ownership in the United States.”