“Szymoniak, who is limited in what she can reveal because of continued litigation, said she plans to pay off her mortgage with her settlement money and donate to charities.”
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Foreclosure settlement worth $18 million to Gardens woman
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Tucked into the landmark $25 billion national foreclosure settlement filed this week in federal court is an $18 million payday for Palm Beach Gardens homeowner Lynn Szymoniak.
The 63-year-old attorney specializes in white collar crime cases and was featured last year on the CBS news show 60 Minutes for her role in uncovering mortgage and foreclosure fraud. She has fought the banks since her own foreclosure saga began in 2008.
On Tuesday, she said the settlement is the culmination of years of work combing through foreclosure documents to piece together how the banks took illegal shortcuts to repossess people’s homes.
“The $18 million is real, but it seems so surreal,” Szymoniak said. “I’ve worked very, very hard for this.”
Her award is included in a $95 million agreement reached among the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina and Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
The agreement is part of an overall federal recovery written into the $25 billion nationwide settlement between five banks and 49 state attorneys general. The settlement also includes Ally Financial.
“It’s definitely been worth the fight,” said Szymoniak, whose Palm Beach Gardens home went into foreclosure after a dispute over her adjustable rate mortgage. “I don’t understand how if you see something like this happening that you wouldn’t fight to make it right.”
Be sure to check out the rest here…
And while you are at it, support Lynn in the comments section over at the Palm Beach Post…
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4closureFraud.org
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It works the way the system has always worked. The people with the money to defend themselves are & the people who do not have the money to defend themselves aren’t. I am sure being an Attorney did not hinder her ability to get a favorable settlement. I have no issues with her defending herself. Hell, you bring unfounded charges against me or my family, I’m gonna defend myself as well.
I did have issue with people who strategically defaulted, which I have said from the beginning. I think it had cast a black cloud over the people who needed assistance. Only to find out that the banks were not helping home owners regardless.
Ahhh what a mess. I feel for the people who have lost their homes, their lives, their marriages… that is who I feel for.
Correct me if I am wrong, but was it not Lynn who blew the lid off the whole robo-signing scandal? Was it not Lynn who went on 60 Minutes and lent credibility to our fight? Without her efforts there might not have been any type of settlement.
Lynn knew in February she would be included in the settlement yet she continues to share her knowledge at teach-ins. It does not appear as if she has forgotten the cause. It disturbs me that a week or so ago there was nothing but praise for her and not that she has been compensated for her efforts, disdain.
This is exactly what the opposition wants to see – a once united front fractured.
as i see it, she should be compensated when and only when ALL homeowners have been made whole or have been given the foolproof step by step defense to use in courtrooms all across the Republic
and using the settlement to pay for her mortgage, who is she paying…..what is that telling the masses……says to me, i am outta here, you are own your own
You make absolutely no sense. No one should be compensated until everyone is compensated? Sorry – the legal system does not work that way.
You believe everyone should be given the “foolproof step by step defense to use in court rooms.” Are you serious? There is no such defense. Every foreclosure is unique in its own right and the defense strategy must be tailored as such.
I have no idea what you’ve contributed to the fight against fraudulent foreclosures. Lynn’s contribution has been invaluable. You come across sounding like sour grapes.
javagold,
it seems you do not know lynn s.
she has worked hard for her settlement, given advice to many of us privately before she appeared
on 60 Minutes.
lynn was terrorized by the banks, especially after she went public on 60 Minutes.
they tried to go after her son who is poet and a university student.
yes. all defrauded homeowners deserve full restitution, but, please don’t discount
lynn s. and her contribution.
i think she said that she wants to donate a big sum to charity. i hope that michael and lisa
can get some of the winnings. they have worked so tirelessly for us,
lynn s. has done a tremendous job. check out her Fraud Digest.
her research is incredible and helps many homeowners.
remember, because hers was a federal case, she has to pay her lawyers.
she is a hero. i begrudge her nothing.
she educated the masses with her segment on 60 Minutes.
she did it at great personal risk and boy, the Bad Guys came after her.
the whole thing began to turn.
people finally got the scale of the fraud and how they were doing it.
Lynn gives all who can, the motivation to be whistle blowers! Now she can build a law firm and finance a class action suit for all of those who know something, and have no one who will allow us to go forward with what we know. She can turn that 18 million into a few hundred million or more in her portion of contingency legal fees.
i have watched alot of Lynns videos and always thought she was one of the good one…..but with this settlement agreement my first gut instinct is to say she is a fraud …….i will hold off on my first instinct, but if i no longer seeing her in the middle of the fight , i will have my answer…….i hope i am wrong or someone here can tell me right now why i am wrong about this
Lynn You are nothing but a scammer just like the rest of them. You are an attorney out for yourself. How could you accept any kind of deal for fraud. You strategically defaulted on your obligations and I wonder how much of the equity you have took out of your loan and how many times you have cashed out and then the value of your house dropped so you didn’t want to pay. I have never met an attorney that was out of work Let alone I can trust. If you where truly fighting for all of us your fellow Americans you would not be part of this sham settlement. Restitution for all not just a select few Lynn! Nice deal you have cut for yourself Lynn. Are you related to the Capone’s? You say your going to pay off your house now. To whom are you going to pay Hmmm Lynn? And why would you pay off a fraudulently induced loan any way Lynn. And your going to give to charity ? Hmmmm What charity is that Lynn? Is that your Daughter’s name? How about you earn the right to that.
i don’t understand your post or your anger toward lynn s.
she fought courageously for herself and for us.
her daughter was very ill and her son who is a stident was targeted because his mom spoke out against fraud.
i hope you realize that lynn has been working to save other homes besides her own.
it was her research and writing that helped the hawaiian home that was just saved.
lynn is an attorney. her writings and her exposing fraud on 60 Minutes help millions.
my family has been pro se but we have looked to lynn for her writings.
t in her federal case, she hired other attys to present her case.
now, she has to pay them from her settlement.
i do not understand this attack on lynn s. at all.
we are celebrating her success.
typo: student. her son is poet and college student.
despite the attacks on her family and her daughter very serious illness, lynn s. has remained a very brave champion.
They should be paying the many people who have been negatively affected by these illegal foreclosures. The suicides, divorces, health issues related to the stress from these foreclosures has been tremendous.
Then you have the many advocates that put their necks out there daily who have had to deal with harassing emails, threats and surveillance of their computers.
It really is a disgrace.
Congratulations, Lynn. You certainly have worked hard for it. And thank you for helping homeowners along the way. I really, really hope you will continue your mission to help the little guys in the continued uphill battle against the banksters. They need you badly. I love to read your Fraud Digest. You are one of my favorite heroines!
She paying off her mortgage? Who exactly is she going to pay? Good luck finding the real owner of your note.
I was just told by Fannie Mae/HUD Counselor that my servicer does not have to answer my QWR because the investor in my loan is a private, single party who wishes to remain nameless. Is this a legitimate answer?
Now how do we know they are telling the truth? And the law should apply to that investor also…
Good question – And, how can the private investor ever foreclose if they want to remain nameless? Doesn’t make sense.
Because they cant foreclose..because they never bought anything but an investment in the money flow to these unsecured notes…and if they reveal their identities they will be revealing that they were investing in fraud because they knew of the risks..otherwise they would not have insured themselves against the risks..and the fact is.. they all already got paid by AIG for their “mistakes” a long time ago……FRAUDCLOSURE IS INSURANCE FRAUD…THEY ALL ALREADY GOT PAID AND BAILED OUT..!