Monday, October 27, 2008

Call for sponsors for TAM Conference



I received an email this morning from the organizers of the Texas Association of Mediator's 2009 Conference. The email is reprinted below.

Dear TAM Member:
As you know, TAM will hold its Annual Conference "Mediation at Union Station – All Aboard!" in Dallas, Texas at the Hyatt Regency on February 27 – 28, 2009. We are looking forward to a dynamic conference with renowned speakers and expect a record number of attendees from across the state.

Sponsorship, contributions and donations not only reflect your ideological commitment to TAM and the field of mediation, they help TAM keep registration fees and membership dues affordable while continuing to present an outstanding conference and provide educational resources to members and the public. TAM is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. Signs listing the Sponsors will be on display in the main area of the conference and we will acknowledge the Sponsors in the conference program and throughout the two-day event. TAM also gladly accepts in-kind donations.

We hope that you will consider getting "on board" and becoming a sponsor for this
important conference. A sponsorship form that includes more information about sponsorship opportunities is attached or you can complete the form and pay by credit card on the TAM website at http://www.txmediator.org/.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Doug Skierski at dskierski@lockelord.com or 214-740-8756 or Melanie Grimes at mgrimes@mgmediation.com or (214) 369-3690.

Changes in Texas Foreclosure Law

The Dallas Business Journal is reporting that the Texas Attorney General is proposing sweeping changes to the state's foreclosure law. Greg Abbott asked state legislators to enact the Texas Foreclosure Deferment Act. The act requires mortgage loan servicers (those are the companies that act on behalf of lenders to collect payments, issue demands, and institute litigation, if necessary) to provide homeowners with 45 days to cure loan defaults before a foreclosure sale can be noticed. This extends the current cure period (20 days) by an additional 45 days.

Lenders must also attempt to contact the borrower by telephone or in person before filing for foreclosure. Homeowners, once foreclosed, will have 30 days to vacate the property.

You can view a link to the Attorney General's press announcement here.