New York Subpoenas 2 Foreclosure-Related Firms
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
Published: April 8, 2011
Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general, has issued subpoenas to the state’s largest foreclosure law firm and a related company, indicating that his office has some doubts about the effort by state attorneys general to resolve questionable foreclosure practices among the nation’s top banks.
The New York investigation appears to center on two of the state’s foreclosure industry giants: the Steven J. Baum firm, headquartered in Amherst, N.Y., and Pillar Processing, a default servicing firm set up by Mr. Baum that was spun off in 2007. Representing JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and other large banks, the Baum firm has handled an estimated 40 percent of foreclosure cases in the state. Pillar Processing provides extensive services to the firm.
A spokesman for Mr. Schneiderman declined to comment. Mr. Baum said in an e-mail: “The firm will cooperate with the attorney general in this matter. We are confident that after a full review by the attorney general they will find no wrongdoing.”
Check out the rest here…
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Answer to Tony – look at the column to the right on this page, under “Foreclosure Fraud Links”. Click on “Living Lies” and it will take you to Attorney Neil Garfield’s website blog. He has a LIST of attorneys that “get it” on his site – you might have to explore his site a bit to find it.
thanks to attorneys like Chana Lask this subpoena has been expected and long awaited, the harm Baum’s firm has perpetrated will last long after he is resting soundly in bed once again. Mr Baum owns half of the Judges and Lawyers in Rockland County and beyond. He has been filling their pockets with foreclosed listings, and the connection between Baum and Wells Fargo runs deep, deep, deep!!!! How many families in Rochester, Amherst, and upstate NY, have become RE rich thanks to dear old Uncle Baum, The well runs deep, but so does Mr Baum’s preparation for Mr Schneiderman’s little not so suprise visit. Good luck Mr Schneiderman, please overstay your welcome. You know, in all my notices from his firm, Attorney Patricia Esdinsky’s signature is not the same once. Where can I send you a copy?
HI Joni, this i Susan Chana Lask. Thank you so much your compliment—check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGArb4rKCW4
Everything is going to be fine!!! I promise that.
I filed a formal OCC Complaint against Wells Fargo. No response. They assigned a case number but nothing and that was months ago. Too ‘in the banks’ pocket, like many watchdog agenies? Worthless entity, exists for its own self perpetuation as does many agencies where structure is self-serving for those employed within.
State legislatures are busy removing individual litigation rights, capping damages against businesses. If successful the ability to bring civil suit for damages will erode due to cost to litigate with limiting caps. When corporations complete this task, remedy in the court system will fail. Much of this action is enacted in the name of “keeping business income” in a state, just passed in TN purportedly to encourage businesses to settle safely in TN. It is initiated under the guise of protecting those in the healthcare industry, physicians and others. We know it as tort reform, typically touted as protecting doctors. The underlying purpose is to cap damages for insurance carriers and other corporate entities to protect them from class actions or large awards with punitive damages for the same misdeeds now being committed in the foreclosure crisis.
Look for the AG settlement to bind those seeking remedy through the courts for the larger banks. The whole purpose in settling is to limit exposure for the banking industry. Pressure put on Congress and the administration by lobbyists for the industry.
It is amazing that those crying “big government takeover” are busy giving away the man on the street’s rights and picking his pocket all in one swoop.
baum and his company pillar need to be pilloried (put in a stockade)
for their abuses against innocent homeowners.
AG schneiderman, please throw the book at this guy and his nefarious enterprises.
he has inflicted serious damage on your constituents!
oh and the SEC, FTC, news 7 on your side, and many other media outlets!!
Bull if any Attorney general wants evidence of wrong doing I will provide it , including my own AG in the state of SC, I have contacted everyone My state Senator, AG, FDIC, OCC, FBI, IRS(remic) ombudsman,the successor trustee by way of investigation through my state Senator. the banking and commerrece commitee ( all ranking members of the board) the FRB, hell I’m sure there’s more. I sent the documents and I have not seen any results!!!
Thank you, Eric Schneiderman!
I hope you and the judges take baum and pillar down for the huge fraud that they have committed against homeowners and the courts.
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they have ruined many, many families!
baum and pillar must be held accountable for all of the financial, emotional and physical injury that they have inflictedon people by their vile deceptive practices
It’s about time the AG’s started flexing their muscles, if they don’t take legal action they would be ok with allowing the fraud to continue, there’s no one else that would take action against the banks. The OCC is not doing anything and neither the FDIC, or the FBI, etc. and they all should have taken action against the banks, even though, they allowed the crime to go on for so long! Everyone knows that all of the foreclosure mills and the bank’s attorneys have committed fraud not just on the American people but on the entire country. Hopefully the rest of the AGs around the country start doing the same thing, and look into all the other foreclosure mills like Old Republic Default Management Services out of CA. We have to look up to our leaders to do the right thing, otherwise, everyone is going to think that fraud pays, if the big industries do it why cannot I, and the circle of deceit will never end. An example have to be set in motion, and justice has to take place and the AGs are the right people to get this job done, not just because a settlement was not agreed upon, but because it’s what needs to be done.
AMEN
Why bother when the end result is the same. More pain for the homeowners. Why hasn’t any one done anything about this or put anyone in jail? This is like a bad movie that never ends. How stupid does our government and its cronies think WE ALL are? I am personally offended that they think I am unable to read. Everything is already written about the fraud and how it happened and who did it. The fraud is STILL going on so add all this fraud to that fraud and it doesn’t take an Einstein right? Why in GODS name, are there no arrests? How long can this farce go on? Seriously? Is no one going to bring up TARP when we are all broke? Where’s AIGs money? That would be a nice start to SAVE PLANNED PARENTHOOD atleast right? That’s a joke for those of you who can’t read either. Are we really going to tolerate this mass destruction using lies greed and deceit? Is this really how we want to teach our kids?? “Beware of all the fraud honey and never sign anything with the banks, or they will steal everything you have” –is that what the banks want? I tell anyone who will listen to me to take their money out of big banks now. We cannot trust one thing they say or do – especially when its the exact opposite of what they say …is there any logic left in this world? The WAR needs to be addressed. How much money have we borrowed for that fight we should have never got into in the first place. When the trade center IMPLODES I’m quite sure BIN didn’t do that. Ask the experts if you really want to know. May GOD bless America- or the ones still honest at least. Debi