Wells Fargo workshop seeks to help about 340 homeowners

About 340 homeowners in the Charlotte area registered to participate in a home preservation workshop today organized by Wells Fargo.

The event, held in the Westin Hotel's ballroom, matched homeowners struggling to make payments on their mortgage with underwriters and other bank employees who could walk them through which modification programs they could qualify for and other options for avoiding foreclosure.

This was the 48th workshop the San Francisco-based bank has organized around the country, and the first in Charlotte. Wells Fargo has participated in similar workshops in Charlotte put together by nonprofits or other organizations.

About 10,000 people in the Charlotte region who were at least 31 days late on their mortgages were invited to attend. About 340 people signed up, though walk-ins were accepted as well. A number of nonprofits also attended to tell them about government programs that help homeowners make payments after losing their jobs or facing another temporary financial hardship.

Wells Fargo services one in six U.S. mortgages, the bank said. Typically, two out of every three people who come to a workshop are able to find an answer that day.