Hon. Annette M. Rizzo (Ret.) appeared on an episode of "What the M," a podcast hosted by mortgage default servicing attorneys Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik that delves into challenges and trends affecting mortgage servicers, law firms and homeowners.

Judge Rizzo is renowned for her pioneering work in developing the Philadelphia Courts’ Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program, a model that aimed to prevent foreclosures and keep residents in their homes. She testified about the program before TARP, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the U.S. House of Representatives. She continues to speak nationally about the program at trainings for the judiciary, mortgage finance companies, public interest entities, lender servicers and government agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the FTC, the FDIC, the CFPB, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, NeighborWorks America and many others. Internationally, she participated in a European Union conference and CLE program in Italy regarding the merits of alternative dispute resolution, the foreclosure diversion program and international mediation systems.

With a rich background that includes a distinguished 16-year tenure on the Pennsylvania judiciary and a profound commitment to public service and education, Judge Rizzo offers her account of how the program was developed for the courts, how similar programs were implemented across the United States and the success rates of these programs.