Well it looks like we just got bumped up to the next level in the foreclosure fight.
Our meetings in DC yesterday were very productive and the contacts we made were priceless.
Some very big players in the room that have the power to get things done.
More details to follow over the coming days. I just got back home and need to spend some time with the family.
Again, thank you everyone for all the support you provided. We couldn’t of done it without you.
~
4closureFraud.org
Thank You guys for giving us a voice down here on Mainstreet!!! Michael and Lisa and everyone from this website and other websites related to this cause that are trying to help struggling homeowner’s save their homes are really great people and heroes and give all of us hope. THERE IS A WAR HERE ON MAINSTREET,. AND THE PEOPLE DOWN HERE ARE GETTING SHELLED FROM EVERY DIRECTION IMAGINEABLE. TRYING TO HANG ON TO OUR CRAPPY LOW PAYING JOBS, OR LOSING OUR CRAPPY LOW PAYING JOBS THAT DON’T PAY FOR SHIT ANYWAY, FIGHTING FRAUDCLOSURES, SOARING UTILITY BILLS, FALSELY INFLATED PROPERTY TAXES THAT DO NOT REFLECT THE CURRENT TRUE VALUE OF OUR PROPERTY, (WHICH IS PROBABLY NEAR ZERO RIGHT NOW) SKYROCKETING PRICES ON ALL GOODS AND SERVICES WE NEED, BILL COLLECTORS SENDING US BILLS FOR DEBTS THAT WERE LONG AGO PAID OFF AND TRYING TO SAY THEY WERE NEVER PAID, AND CARS BEING REPOED THAT ARE PAID FOR ALREADY!!!! PRETTY MUCH JUST WAITING FOR THE NEXT SHELL TO BE FIRED ON US AND WONDERING FROM WHICH DIRECTION THIS ONE WILL BE COMING FROM. I AM KINDA OF THINKING THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH ALREADY AND IT IS TIME WE STARTED FIRING SHELLS BACK. DEFEND YOUR FRAUDCLOSURES! DON’T PAY YOUR MORTGAGES! DON’T PAY YOUR FALSELY INFLATED PROPERTY TAX BILLS, TAKE YOUR MONEY OUT OF THE LARGE BANKING INSTITUTIONS, SCREW THE CREDIT CARD DEBT, TOO, THEY ALL GOT BAILED OUT AND WE DIDN’T. AND THEY CONTINUE TO ACT AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED IN THIS COUNTRY!! THEY DON’T FEEL ANY PAIN FROM THIS INTENTIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS THAT THEY ALL CREATED AND ARE TRYING TO DESTROY ALL OF THE REST OF US WITH TRICKLE UP POVERTY AND QE2. NOW, IF THOSE SHELLS DON’T PENETRATE,DON’T PAY YOUR UTILITY BILLS EITHER , THESE UTILITY COMPANIES CAN’T SHUT YOUR UTILITIES OFF AFTER DECEMBER ANYWAY, IT IS ILLEGAL TO DO SO. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY REF– USE TO LEAVE YOUR HOME IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN FRAUDCLOSED ON. YOU DON’T OWE THESE PEOPLE SHIT, ANYWAYS. WITH THE WAY THIS ECONOMY IS GOING AND FROM THE WAY ALL OF THE FINANCIAL EXPERTS ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CONSTANT DEVALUEING OF THE DOLLAR AND THE NEXT FINANCIAL COLLAPSE THAT IS COMING OUR WAY, I EXPECT WE WILL ALL BE WIPING OUR ASSES WITH DOLLAR BILLS AND PAYING FOR EVERYTHING WITH ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER PRETTY SOON ANYWAYS. WHAT DO WE ALL HAVE TO LOSE DOWN HERE ON MAINSTREET U.S.A.?? NOW THAT IS PRETTY DAMNED SCREWED UP!!!!!!
Welcome home Lisa & Michael 🙂
I am looking forward to some Good News. I, like the previous posting, am in the process of putting together a loan mod. with GMAC and it is scary since they have already starting to play games by claiming we did not submit papers when in fact they were given to their attorney in court. Based on the Horror that is going on and the games they play someone needs to put a complete stop to these people since many of these involve people who are willing to pay for their home’s they just need the terms adjusted or corrected. And then like another posting there could be some Wall Street Blood soon, I know many people who are ready for that if needed.
Michael and Lisa, may GOD bless you and all that you’ve done and continue to do. I’m also fighting and praying for everyone that’s going through the storm. I will say that “GOD STILL SITS ON THE THRONE” no matter what GOD has the last say…….GOD BLESS
YES HE DOES,…GOD BLESS!!
Michael and Lisa, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Look how far you’ve come! — from working tirelessly, hour upon hour upon hour, for many months at first probable feeling that you were alone, finding you way in the dark, and then slowly the layers began peeling back and more people saw what you were discovering….and how you are THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE! This is very exciting, and for once I have hope that things will change. The reason why is because you two are just regular hard-working people like us…you are truly us! We can believe in you to speak on behalf of all our suffering because you are not wealthy insiders; you are not political hacks. YOU ARE ‘WE THE PEOPLE’!
And so I eagerly hold my breath waiting to read your report. 🙂
Please also let me know if you ever need someone to write or edit blog entries for you or other form of communication from your notes if you get so busy leading us in this cause, as I am a freelance editor by profession and work from home. I will be glad to help in any way I can.
J A 🙂
..And MANY, MANY THANKS to everyone at 4closureFraud and ForeclosureHamlet for taking up the cause!
I am eagerly waiting for all the details of your trip!
work in progress…. letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (THANKS Gabor for the heads up in the hearing !!!)
(Part 1 of 3)
(note: much of the formatting is lost when pasted here)
Still polishing the words, but I will send my letter late tonight or tomorrow. WOW, this is exhausting! Suggestions gratefully accepted.
=====================================
J S
99 Anylane, New York, xxxxx
November 13, 2010
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
534 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
RE: November 16, 2010 Hearing on Problems in Mortgage Servicing From Modification to Foreclosure.
I am happy to hear that you will be conducting another hearing on the foreclosure crisis.
Clearly the issues of robo-signers and lost paperwork have the potential to invalidate most of the mortgages in America. It is also becoming increasingly hard to ignore the fact that America’s financial institutions have committed fraud; fraud so large that it nearly caused the collapse of our economy; fraud that I suspect Washington now sees from a “Too Big To Jail” perspective.
Nevertheless, I urge you not to focus only on issues of robo-signers and lost paperwork, because there is a more immediate and easily resolved problem. That is the problem of consistent and deliberate deceit by the banks in their dealing with America’s struggling homeowners. My personal experience with CHASE, and the fact that it is consistent with the experience of millions of Americans, demonstrates an indisputable pattern of deliberate deceit.
Below is an account of my CHASE loan modification saga. I urge you; no I BEG you, to ask Mr. Lowman to explain this saga, point by point.
My Personal Background:
I have worked, non-stop, my whole life. I worked in my father’s retail store since I was 8 years old. While attending college I managed two coffee shops and then worked as a counselor in an orphanage. After graduating in 1976, I joined Macy’s as a Christmas management trainee, and stayed with Macy’s for 32 years, until they laid me off, in June 2009, just after my 55th birthday.
I had never collected unemployment insurance, or any other government subsidy, other than a N.Y. State Regents Scholarship, until June 2009.
At the time of my layoff I had 2 children in college. (One has since graduated). We own a very simple 2-family home on Long Island, and I drive a 1998 minivan that I purchased used and that now has 138,000 miles on the odometer.
My wife is an English teacher in the local parochial school with a salary of $38k.
In short we were a fairly typical, hard-working, middle-class, American family, not “deadbeats”.
Our Home and Our Mortgage:
Our mortgage is not a “liar’s loan.” It is a typical predatory ARM, originated with WAMU’s Long Beach Division. (One that we were admittedly foolish to sign, not realizing that the mortgage broker was receiving financial incentives to steer us to a more costly loan.)
Our home is not underwater. We have at least $160k equity at today’s housing values.
Despite my lack of employment, we paid our mortgage on time for months. Then, just as we missed a single payment, we received advertisements from CHASE stating that they could help struggling homeowners with legitimate hardships such as loss of job.
I saw this as the “silver lining” to our difficult financial situation, a way to take advantage of the historically low interest rates, and keep our home, so I checked out the government’s “Makinghomeaffordable.com” web site, entered all my numbers, and was told that we might well qualify for a modification, and should apply with our bank.
My Indredible CHASE saga:
Following is a point by point account of the abuse we suffered since we applied for a loan modification with CHASE bank. I think it’s an unbelievable story of incompetence, dishonesty, and harassment. Please compare the published CHASE guidelines to their actual actions:
The CHASE web site
(https://www.chase.com/chf/mortgage/hrm_loanmodification)
states specifically:
“Four key steps in the loan modification timeline”
1. “Determine eligibility”
“Use our quick assessment tool to determine if you may be eligible for a loan
modification.”
====> I did, It said we were eligible and should apply, so we did.
2. “Review & Analysis”
“After we receive your package, a home retention specialist will review all the information you’ve submitted to confirm your eligibility for a loan modification. This review process may take up to 30 days.”
====> They moved our home to foreclosure status FIRST, then responded… It took MORE than 30 days.
3. “Trial Period Plan”
“If your loan modification request is approved, you’ll receive a letter from Chase explaining the terms of your loan, the amount of your new trial period mortgage payments and the next payment date. When you receive this letter, you’ll begin a three-month Trial Plan. Making your mortgage payments during the trial period is essential, because it shows us that the new loan terms will work within your budget.”
====> We did receive this letter, only the 3-month trial lasted FIVE months, and it was a CHASE rather than a regulated HAMP trial. They failed to warn us that our credit scores would be ruined while making trial payments, and that we’d be liable for late fees, and foreclosure-related legal costs.
4. “Final Modification Agreement”
“If you successfully make your payments during your trial period, and the documentation you provided supports the home retention specialist’s initial review, we will approve your request and your loan modification will become permanent.”
====> We made FIVE trial payments on time. All the required documentation was submitted, and resubmitted, and resubmitted again, on a timely basis, with accurate figures. Not one thing changed from the documents we submitted for “initial review”. Nevertheless we were rejected for a permanent loan modification.
Throughout the Loan Modification process CHASE did one despicable things after another:
Saying 2-family homes are excluded. (1-4 family homes qualify).
Saying in writing, that 31% of our income was NOT less than our housing expense. It is by a huge margin (Approx. $5,700 monthly income and $3250 monthly housing expense), and they have since conceded this fact…but only verbally, not in writing
Sending a package marked “FORECLOSURE” in large letters to my former work address, at Macy’s. even though this was not an address used with CHASE, and even though they knew the very reason for my hardship was that I was laid off from Macy’s about TEN months earlier.
After I sent a written complaint about the foreclosure package sent to Macy’s, CHASE sent ANOTHER foreclosure package to Macy’s, marked “Personal and Confidential” in an UNSEALED envelope!
Telling me that we were probably rejected from HAMP and would probably be rejected from a permanent CHASE modification because we had TOO MUCH equity in our home. When I suggested that this made us more reliable candidates for modification, and asked if they didn’t want to keep us in our home, they (Bonnie) explained that CHASE had no interest in keeping us in our home. She explained that they were a loss mitigation department, and that they could minimize their losses by foreclosing on us, since we had sufficient equity to cover the mortgage commitment.
Formally rejecting us for a permanent modification, in writing, because 31% of our income was NOT less than our housing expense. (Still not true. 31% of $5700 is $1756, clearly less than $3250.)
After I disputed the rejection, CHASE sent a new, formal rejection notice, stating the nebulous reason of “Negative NPV Result”, an essentially meaningless reason, leaving us no room for dispute.
Two days after the last formal rejection, sending us a letter stating that we would be dropped from the modification program because we failed to provide requested documents including a DEATH CERTIFICATE and proof of Social Security DEATH BENEFITS !! (No one here has died, but I must admit CHASE has forced me to consider a self-induced death, as a possible means of escape from CHASE loan modification hell !)
When I called after the final rejection notice, asking what we could do to keep our home, and offering that I might tap my retirement accounts or borrow from family, CHASE suggested we apply for a Loan Modification! When I explained that we had just been rejected after a 5 month trail, they said that we were rejected by the “Imminent Default” department and should now re-apply, from scratch, with the “Loss Mitigation” department. I explained that all the employees I had spoken with over the many months had claimed to be with the “Loss Mitigation” department, but CHASE simply insisted that we should re-apply.
I learned 2 days later that CHASE had just frozen over 50,000 foreclosures. Clearly their plan was to squeeze out a few more trial payments, while they cleaned up their paperwork mess, and could complete the foreclosure on our home.
We do NOT want our home free and clear because of paperwork errors. We are NOT deadbeats. Our loan was not a “liars loan.” Our home is not under water. We have over $160k equity. But those S.O.B.’s at CHASE handled our loan modification request in a deliberately dishonest manner. Their behavior is despicable. In essence they kicked me while I was down and out, all the while claiming they were trying to help. So, if they can’t produce the paperwork, SCREW ‘EM !!
Mr. Lowman’s CHASE bank made a commitment that we would get a trial modification if it was justified by our numbers, and permanent modification if we made THREE trial payments on a timely basis, and if our submitted paperwork proved to be accurate. We complied with all those terms. CHASE should be MANDATED, by the government, to immediately make ours a permanent modification! The falsely filed foreclosure should be reversed (not just halted), and all the related fees credited back to our account.
Every home owner who submitted an accurate loan modification request and made THREE trial payments on time, should immediately receive a permanent modification. They have met all the requirements. The very worst that could happen is that they will eventually foreclose at a later date. But millions of these hard working, honest Americans will keep their homes!
For those whose homes really can’t be saved they at least deserve humane and honest treatment, and a “soft landing”. This is AMERICA! These are our fellow AMERICANS!
Again, I BEG you to at least make Mr. Lowman (indeed a very “LOW man”) publicly explain his banks behavior point by point, rather than allowing him and the other fraudulent bank officers to falsely testify that they are trying to help!
Clearly there are some homeowners who knowingly gamed the mortgage system to get loans they didn’t qualify for, and some whose homes just can’t be saved no matter how their loans are modified, but the facts, if our government cares to expose them, show that the financial institutions knowingly created the entire economic disaster while Washington turned a blind eye to this massive and pervasive FRAUD.
NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SURVIVE!
Sincerely,
Jxxx Sxxxx
(516) 999-9999
Excellent well-written description of the outright theft that is being done by the banks. Your letter really speaks for what is happening to millions of families, and it clarifies so well what we know — we are not deadbeat losers. We have been robbed and scammed.
Hi,
Please consider sending a ‘comprehensive, well designed qualified written request’ as soon as you can get one completed.
Do the research to determine whether you agree that it could be the mechanism which blocks their ability to pursue foreclosure SO they will deal more honestly about the workout.
Search: http://www.HOMPCIblog.org look for all entries for QWR or qualified written request
www,MildredWilkinsScribd.com for “Avoiding Foreclosure Using the Qualified Written Request”
Search the web for “qualified written request”. You will find some very valuable information as well as lots of sample letters. I am not being self serving in telling you that you can find 1000 places with some infor and and 25 different sample letters from some really good sources.
However, I do not know of anybody or tool who provide IN-DEPTH instructions on HOW to determine what should be in your letter, exactly HOW to send the letter, etc. As a professional trainer on foreclosure intervention for the past 8 years I have created a step by step for consumers so you should be able to do it yourself for a 29.00 investment.
At least take the time to check out the references I have suggested.
Best of luck.
Mildred
(317) 507-5105.
Great job getting to DC. I hope that they were actually listening because if they continue to ignore the foreclosure terrorism that the Banksters created in this county for very much longer there will likely be blood in the streets. Wall Street that is.
Love that picture,,,,,
As many of us are continuing the fight in Courts around the Country, I’m sure I speak for many hoping you have all the luck possible in Washington…with anyone! The Courts are at least understanding more than agreeing with the banks…however, they don’t know their own powers to stop all the foreclosures the banks will not…even after orders from all 50 Attorney’s Generals! Seems like the banks don’t follow any orders???
God Bless America and God Bless your efforts in Washington…to speak the right words to just the right person!! It could be done just that fast! God willing!
Elyse
And thank you Michael for doing the research, the work, being our voice. There are many that have contributed but the work of yourself, and Lisa, have made a tremendous effort.