Alliance Anniversary: Huntington, Columbus Housing Partnership Reach 2,600 Families With Home Ownership Programs

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- At the one-year mark of a three-year venture between Huntington Bank (Nasdaq: HBAN; www.huntington.com) and the Columbus Housing Partnership, the Huntington Homeownership Alliance has assisted Columbus Housing Partnership in reaching approximately 2,600 families with home ownership counseling and foreclosure prevention assistance to strengthen the local housing market, Huntington and CHP will announce at a press conference and celebration today.

With investment support from Huntington, the Columbus Housing Partnership in year one of the Huntington Homeownership Alliance launched www.homeportohio.org to increase awareness and participation in local home owner education programs that support new home ownership and help keep families in their current homes. The improved site has increased Web traffic by nearly 50 percent.

In the first year of the Huntington Homeownership Alliance, more than 2,600 families attended the Homeport Housing Advisory Center. Of that, more than 1,200 families received foreclosure prevention assistance and more than 100 families participated in new online foreclosure prevention education. Since the inception of the Alliance, 17 out of 27 homes sold by Homeport Home Ownership, the home sales division of Columbus Housing Partnership, closed with new loans created specifically for the Alliance. These loans totaled more than $2 million.

"Huntington is committed to investing in our communities so that they remain vibrant and strong," said Steve Steinour, Huntington Bank chairman, president and CEO. "By partnering with organizations like Columbus Housing Partnership, we are helping more families to own homes and to be educated about all the facets of home ownership."

Launched in 2009, the Huntington Homeownership Alliance provides a $10 million commitment from Huntington Bank to people purchasing approximately 100 homes from Columbus Housing Partnership over three years. The Alliance will also enable Columbus Housing Partnership to expand its programs to reach a total of 9,000 families through counseling over the three-year partnership.

"Simply put, our alliance with Huntington has enabled us to do more to serve the community," said Amy Klaben, Columbus Housing Partnership CEO. "With the increased resources Huntington has provided, we have been able to support more families in achieving and maintaining the dream of home ownership. We welcome more partners like Huntington to help us make an even bigger positive impact on Columbus neighborhoods. We also thank local leaders such as Columbus City Council President Michael C. Mentel for his unwavering leadership in providing affordable housing with resident programs, as well as foreclosure prevention and homebuyer education programs to our community."

"Huntington Bank is a hometown business that truly cares about Columbus," said President Mentel. "The Huntington Homeownership Alliance is a terrific example of a public-private partnership that is helping to strengthen our neighborhoods by giving families the tools they need to be responsible homeowners. This innovative relationship will continue to pay dividends for our community for years to come by supporting long-term homeownership throughout our city."

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $52 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has been providing a full range of financial services for 144 years. Huntington offers checking, loans, savings, insurance and investment services. It has more than 600 branches and also offers retail and commercial financial services online at huntington.com; through its telephone bank; and through its network of over 1,300 ATMs. Huntington's Auto Finance and Dealer Services group offers automobile loans to consumers and commercial loans to automobile dealers within our six-state banking franchise area.  

About CHP

Columbus Housing Partnership (CHP) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in the belief that a decent and affordable home is the cornerstone of family life and a healthy community. Columbus Housing Partnership takes an innovative approach to addressing the housing needs of Central Ohio, through its Homeport Programs. CHP provides quality, affordable housing and related services to low and moderate income households through four programs: Homeport Rental Living, Homeport Community Life, Homeport Housing Advisory Center and Homeport Home Ownership.

SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Incorporated