Candidate Recalls 2010 Montgomery Village Foreclosure

Omar Lazo, a school board candidate, says a bank foreclosed on his Montgomery Village home in 2010 after he rented it out following a 2007 move.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Residential

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single pitched suburban roofline under a pale grey sky, with one bare tree at the edge. — Montgomery Village school board candidate Omar Lazo says a bank foreclosed on his home in 2010 after he rented it out, as rival Brenda Diaz faces two tax liens. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should a candidate's past foreclosure or tax liens affect your vote for school board?

In 2010, a financial institution foreclosed on the Montgomery Village home of Omar Lazo, who had bought it in 2001 and rented it out after moving to Silver Spring in 2007. Lazo, a school board candidate, has discussed the foreclosure as Capital News Service reported that his rival, Brenda Diaz, has two tax liens.

Why it matters

The foreclosure occurred during a period when Montgomery County recorded 6,744 foreclosure filings and Maryland ranked 11th-highest in homeowner default, placing one candidate's personal finances within a broader regional housing crisis. Voters weighing school board candidates in the county are being given financial history on both sides of the race.

Montgomery County recorded 6,744 foreclosures filed in 2010, and Maryland held the 11th-highest homeowner default ranking nationally in Q2 2010. Diaz's tax liens total $5,247 from 2021 and $4,659 from 2022, and the circumstances behind them are not described.

The players

Omar Lazo

A Montgomery County school board candidate who finished first in the June 2026 primary, with a 2010 foreclosure on his Montgomery Village home.

Brenda Diaz

A school board candidate who finished second in the June 2026 primary and has two tax liens totaling $9,906 reported by Capital News Service.

The details

Lazo said he had a Federal Housing Administration loan on the Montgomery Village home and attributed the foreclosure to the 2008 recession, the housing bubble's popping, and the closure of his bank, which became unresponsive. He said foreclosure was the only way the bank would listen to him.

2001: Lazo bought the Montgomery Village home.
2007: Lazo cashed out equity, moved to Silver Spring, and rented out the Montgomery Village property.
2010: A financial institution foreclosed on the Montgomery Village home.
June 2026: Lazo and Diaz finished first and second in the school board primary.
Oct. 27, 2026: Capital News Service reported Diaz's tax liens.

Housing Backdrop

Maryland's 11th-highest ranking for homeowner default in Q2 2010 places Lazo's 2010 foreclosure within a period of elevated state defaults. The county's 6,744 foreclosure filings that year show the scale of that trend in Montgomery County specifically.

Homeowners who fall behind on mortgage payments can face foreclosure, and renting out a property after a move can leave the owner responsible for the loan. Voters in the county can review both candidates' financial records when weighing the school board race.

The takeaway

Personal financial history can become part of public debate in local races, and readers evaluating candidates can look at the documented facts on each side. Housing distress in the 2010s reached many Maryland families, not only candidates.