RI federal judge puts foreclosure cases on hold

A federal judge in Rhode Island has put most home foreclosure cases in U.S. District Court on hold and ordered banks to try to negotiate with homeowners.

WPRI-TV reports ( http://bit.ly/nhmOXF) the ruling by Judge John McConnell Jr. affects more than 60 foreclosure cases in Rhode Island.

Pawtucket lawyer George Babcock is handling many of those foreclosure cases. He says the judge’s decision “stops banks … in their tracks’’ and creates an opportunity for banks and homeowners to work out reasonable deals, while allowing Rhode Islanders to stay in their homes.