University of Maryland law school is hosting the U.S. House committee hearing on foreclosures.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a field hearing in Baltimore Tuesday, at the request of ranking committee member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. Baltimore has seen more than 18,000 foreclosure filings since 2007, and more than one-thrid of the neighborhoods have had more than 5 percent of the homes go into foreclosure, according to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

More than 40 percent of Baltimore's foreclosures were rentals, which, Rawlings-Blake said, means more than just homeowners were affected. "People are being lied to, they are being giving false hope, and they're depending on the word of these financial institutions to the detriment of themselves and their families, and as a result to our communities and our city," Rawlings-Blake told the committee. 

Governor Martin O'Malley has called on the committee to create national servicing standards and avoid cutting funding for homeowner counseling and the Emergency Homeowner's Loan Program.

If you are facing foreclosure, please contact the Maryland Foreclosure Defense Attorneys of Chaifetz & Coyle P.C., by calling 443-546-4608.