Some Free/Low Cost Prom Dress Events in 2014

It's the midst of the prom dress hunting season.  While some events have passed already, there are still some events in the future.  I'm still waiting for the annual Raising Awareness event (we hope) at Owens Community College, which is generally in early April.  Here's a roundup of some events and opportunities around the country:

Check out this national listing of stores for donated prom dresses at Donate My Dress.  Another regional operation, Operation Prom, which operates events in New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey and Philadelphia, has prom dresses and tuxedo vouchers for low-income students.

Project G.L.A.M. has a listing of a couple of pop-up events in New York City.  In other local events, there's a prom dress resale event in the downriver suburbs of Detroit on March 22nd and 23rd.  The Macomb County Michigan Department of Human Services is hosting a Dress to Remember Event on April 2nd, 2014.

In northeast Massachusetts, there are some Priceless Prom events for dresses in late March and early April.

Got a Countrywide Mortgage? You May be Eligible for Help.

Bank of America, the new parent company for Countryside, has settled the suits against it by the governments of: Illinois, California, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Washington and Connecticut. The states of North Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan were also in settlement talks. They involve accusations of deceptive mortgage practices by Countryside in the last few years. Among the charges by various state's attorneys-general, Countryside offered "teaser" rates that were short-lived and then jumped significantly. It's alleged that they also offered loans to people who could not adequately document their incomes, knowing that they would be unable to pay in the future. The total amount of money under the state settlements could run up to $8 billion dollars, and affect 400,000 borrowers.

What does this mean for you? If you had a mortgage from Countryside, depending on the settlement struck by your state, you may be eligible for a renegotiation of your mortgage, or foreclosure relief. It's earmarked for customers who have been foreclosed on or are in serious risk of foreclosure. In Ohio, eligible mortgage holders should soon start getting letters, telling them about their options. For more information, call 1-800-669-6607.

If you are in one of the other states affected, and have gotten a loan from Countrywide in the past few years, contact the attorney general's office in your state to see if you may be eligible for assistance.