It’s official: Hero to keep Queens home

A retired detective with severe 9/11related anxiety and his wife breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday as Wells Fargo confirmed it had postponed the foreclosure and sale of their beloved Queens home.

The Astoria house of George and Kristie Bender was slated to be sold by the bank at an auction Friday on the steps of the Queens courthouse on Sutphin Blvd.

Bender suffers from an extreme form of post-traumatic stress disorder triggered, he says, by the emotional strain of working at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island where the debris from the towers was searched for human remains and personal effects, and the city morgue. As a result of the illness, he rarely leaves his home.

When the Daily News first contacted Wells Fargo, a spokesman initially said it was going ahead with the sale.

On Tuesday, the bank said it was planning to postpone the sale. That postponement became official Wednesday.

“We want to thank the Daily News for bringing this to people's attention. Without The News we would be losing our house in two days,” Kristie Bender said. “We are very grateful to Wells Fargo for giving us another chance.

“We're also very thankful to the DEA and the Siller Foundation for immediately getting involved.”

Meanwhile, the Detectives Endowment Association said it would help Bender go through the process to get an NYPD disability pension. Benson currently has a service pension. The disability pension is larger, but the Benders didn't think they could get one after he retired.

“Our detective's health and financial issues were never communicated to the union until the Daily News called us about it,” DEA President Michael Palladino said. “Under the law, Detective Bender is entitled to refile for a World Trade Center-related disability pension which will ultimately help him meet his obligations.”

In addition, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation quietly reached out to the bank to see if the charitable organization could help with restructuring the Benders' mortgage.

"It breaks our heart every time a 9/11 responder suffers — no matter what the cause,” said John Hodge, chief operating officer. “I am greatly heartened by Wells Fargo's response .”

In more good news for the Benders, the Center for NYC Neighborhoods invited them to apply for a no-interest loan through a program it has to help them catch up on their payments.