The cities of Albany, Troy and Schenectady trumpeted a victory in a coordinated effort to address "zombie properties."

Mayors Kathy Sheehan, Patrick Madden and Gary McCarthy said a $665,000 settlement was reached in a series of lawsuits filed against Ocwen Financial Corporation and its subsidiary, PHH Mortgage.

They said the 18 lawsuits covered 18 properties across the three Capital Region cities that wracked up more than 500 state building code violations.

Zombie properties are often left abandoned and neglected, which creates an expense for taxpayers and attracts blight.

“The issues that affect Troy also affect Albany, also affect Schenectady and other cities," Troy Deputy Mayor Chris Nolin said. "But when we can work together, we can raise the visual profile of these issues and also put lenders on notice. And hopefully, this will put other lenders on notice that they address the issues with their properties.”

A spokesperson for Ocwen said in a statement, in part, “We are pleased that we were able to resolve the issues those municipalities brought to our attention. When properties are abandoned, we work closely with our property preservation partners to maintain them in accordance with local ordinances and building codes so they do not become blights within their communities.”