News & Events

Hands on Banking for Home Owners

Current and future home owners may now benefit from a new public service tool offered by Wells Fargo designed to provide personal money management guidance.

Wells Fargo has developed a free user-friendly program called Hands on Banking. This program includes informational materials, worksheets, calculators, self-assessments and interactive lessons to better manage your money. Modules beneficial to current homeowners include borrowing against your equity and protecting your home investment.

For individuals planning to someday buy a home, Hands on Banking offers a myriad of modules to help throughout the home buying process. These modules include topics such as:

Are You Ready to Buy?
Before You Shop.
The Home Buying Process
Getting a Mortgage

The Hands on Banking Program provides the money skills and reference materials to help home owners manage their money to their best advantage.  The program is free and is available on CD-ROM and at www.handsonbanking.org.

Home Rehabilitation Loans Available

Neighborhood Housing Services of Lackawanna County (NHS) is pleased to introduce its new Home Rehabilitation Loan. This income-eligible product provides funds in the form of a low-interest loan designed to address emergency repair needs and/or long-term safety, energy efficiency or livability improvements for area homes. NHS is especially committed to working with homeowners who may have difficulty obtaining financing through traditional methods.

Loans are available for:

  • Roof Repair
  • Water heater replacement
  • Furnace Replacement
  • Windows
  • Insulation

The Home Rehabilitation Loan was designed by Neighborhood Housing Services of Lackawanna County (NHS) to address the home rehabilitation needs of (primarily) low to moderate (up to 100% of HUD Area Median Income or AMI) income families in our region. However, due to the current economic climate, borrowers with a gross income of between 100% and 150% of HUD AMI will also be eligible for this product at the discretion of NHS. Specific borrower guidelines are:

Household Size 100% AMI 150% AMI
1 $39,600 $59,400
2 $45,300 $67,950
3 $50,900 $76,350
4 $56,600 $84,900
5 $61,100 $91,650
6 $65,700 $98,550

For more information on NHS’s Home Rehabilitation Loan and more specific eligibility criteria, you can download the informational PDF or call David J. Gaiardo at 570-558-2490.