White House Press Secretary Dodges "Homelessness" As Unpaid Tax Bill Paid At 11th Hour; Foreclosure Called Off; Loan Servicer Escrow Screw Up Blamed

In Washington, D.C., FOXNews reports:

• President Bush's press secretary has narrowly escaped homelessness after the District of Columbia declined to put her house on the auction block following her payment of a delinquent tax bill.

• Dana Perino's house on Capitol Hill was to be "sold at public auction to the highest bidder" next week, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Perino was first alerted by the Post in August that her home was listed as ripe for sale by the city's Office of Tax and Revenue.

• Perino told the Post that her mortgage company pays the city's property taxes, but "it was a mistake" that they hadn't paid the tab. The $1,921.86 bill was paid on Aug. 25, but as of this week the city still has Perino listed as owing $2,858.89 in back taxes. She told FOX News that the matter has been cleared up. "Both the mortgage company and the DC government have apologized to me for the inconvenience. There is no delinquency in my property taxes," Perino said.

Source: White House Press Secretary Avoids Foreclosure on D.C. Home.

Click here to read The Washington Post article on Perino's close call with foreclosure (Democratic political hotshot - and cable TV political talking head - Hilary Rosen reportedly also appeared on an official District of Columbia's Office of Tax and Revenue list published in The Washington Post on Aug. 21 citing D.C. residents who had failed to pay their property taxes and risked foreclosure).