The state’s Division of Banks will be holding public informational hearings in late January regarding the new rules on right-to-cure foreclosure notices and reverse mortgages.

Legislation regarding the right-to-cure notices and reverse mortgages were signed into law in August in response to the commonwealth’s foreclosure crisis, according to a statement. The legislation extends the right-to-cure time period for homeowners to 150 days from 90 days. It also gives the Division of Banks the ability to create regulations regarding information about the timing of the cure period, counseling options, alternatives to foreclosure sale and the language in which the notice is printed.

The public hearings are scheduled for:

• Wednesday, Jan. 19, 10 a.m., Brockton Public Library, Main Library Multi-Purpose Room, 304 Main St., Brockton
• Tuesday, Jan. 25, 10 a.m., Lawrence Public Library, 51 Lawrence St., Lawrence
• Thursday, Jan. 27, 10 a.m., Springfield State Office Building, 436 Dwight St., Room B-43, Springfield.

The reverse mortgage regulations focus on opt-in and counseling certification requirements. The Division of Banks wants to hear about current counseling options and personal experiences in reverse-mortgage counseling, along with information about the current level of reverse-mortgage foreclosures in Massachusetts, according to a statement.

"Keeping families in their homes is important not just to individual homeowners, but to neighborhoods and communities across Massachusetts, and the Division of Banks continues to play a vital role in that effort," said Barbara Anthony, the Undersecretary of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. "These new rules will make right-to-cure notices a better tool for homeowners seeking options from foreclosure and will enhance the strong safeguards already in place on reverse mortgages."