Report: Foreclosures lead to evictions

By Kevin Shalvey
PBN Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE – A report released yesterday says that financial institutions who had foreclosed on properties in Rhode Island last year evicted 2,338 tenants, with the highest amount, 1,166 evictions, in Providence.

Authored by Steve Fischback, an attorney with Rhode Island Legal Services, “Move Out Rhode Island – An Analysis of 2008 Foreclosure Related Evictions” is a collection of data showing where evictions took place and which lenders filed for the evictions.

The three lenders with the most evictions made up 47 percent of all evictions. Deutsche Bank evicted 460 tenants; U.S. Bank evicted 382 tenants and Wells Fargo evicted 262 tenants, according to the report.

The report notes that there were 3,479 reported foreclosures in Rhode Island in 2008.

Rosalina Collazo, who organized the Rhode Island Bank Tenant & Homeowner Association, said in a statement that the report makes clear that there need to be legislative steps taken to protect tenants.

“It has become painfully clear that the banks are not going to operate in good faith,” she said. “Therefore, we need the General Assembly to step in and protect the citizens of Rhode Island.”

The full report, which includes maps showing where evictions took place in Providence and other municipalities, can be found on the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless Web site, www.rihomeless.org.

Rhode Island Legal Services, a law firm that helps “low-income people with civil legal problems,” is based in Providence and has a Newport office. Additional information can be found at www.rils.org.