PHILADELPHIA, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The law firm of Berger & Montague, P.C. has filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on behalf of all New Jersey homeowners whose mortgage loans have been serviced by CitiMortgage, Inc., and who, since April 13, 2009, (1) have entered into a Trial Period Plan ("TPP") contract with CitiMortgage and made all payments required by their TPP contract, but (2) have been denied a permanent loan modification agreement that complied with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Home Affordable Modification Program ("HAMP") rules.

If you believe that you have been improperly denied a permanent loan modification by CitiMortgage, Inc., after April 13, 2009, please contact plaintiff's counsel, Eric Lechtzin of Berger & Montague , P.C. at 888-891-2289 or 215-875-3000, or by e-mail at elechtzin@bm.net. A copy of the Complaint can be viewed on Berger & Montague, P.C.'s website at www.bergermontague.com or may be requested from the Court. The docket number is 11CV1432.

The Complaint alleges that CitiMortgage accepted billions in government bailout money under the Troubled Asset Relief Program ("TARP") earmarked to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. CitiMortgage, like other TARP-funded financial institutions, is contractually obligated to modify mortgage loans it services for homeowners who qualify under HAMP, a federal program designed to abate the foreclosure crisis by providing mortgage loan modifications to eligible homeowners.  

According to the lawsuit, CitiMortgage systematically slows or thwarts homeowners' requests to modify mortgages, depriving borrowers of federal bailout funds that could save them from foreclosure. The bank ends up reaping the financial benefits provided by TARP-funds and also collects higher fees and interest rates associated with stressed home loans.

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Berger & Montague, founded in 1970, is a pioneer in class action litigation. The firm's approximately 70 attorneys concentrate their practice in complex litigation, including consumer protection, securities fraud, whistleblower and false claims actions, antitrust, labor and employment rights, and environmental and mass torts, and have recovered several billion dollars for consumers and investors.

SOURCE Berger & Montague, P.C.