State judicial officials have started reducing the number of foreclosure ads required to be published in The Courant after CtWatchdog disclosed that the nation’s oldest newspaper was charging victims of foreclosure higher advertising rates than they do for anyone else.
Hartford Superior Court Judge Julia Aurigemma has already directed some lawyers to use the Manchester Journal Inquirer for foreclosure auction advertising in towns East of Hartford where the JI circulates. The JI charges $126 for a foreclosure ad while it charges $209 to $319 to others for the same size ads. The Courant charges $758 for a foreclosure ad while it charges $698 to others for the same size ads (not including discounts to real estate agents).
And according to court spokeswoman Rhonda Hebert, Judge Aurigemma is reviewing new publishing rate documents and is considering newspapers like the New Britain Herald for auctions west of Hartford.
Court officials require that foreclosure ads be published twice. The ads are paid for by lawyers handling the foreclosure auctions. If there is money left after the debts and expenses (including newspaper ads), those funds are then turned over the person of family that lost their home.
Prior to my column on foreclosure rates the judicial department had already started reducing advertising costs by setting up an Internet site where the properties could be seen and they reduced the size the advertisements in newspapers.
However, until a reader tipped my off about The Courant charging a higher price for court mandates ads, the judges were not aware of that practice.
The judges then requested a survey from the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association about how much different newspapers charged for foreclosure ads and how much others were charged for similar advertising. The Courant was only one that took advantage of foreclosure victims by charging a higher rate. Several other newspapers, including the New Haven Register, gave substantial discounts to foreclosure victims.
