Enlarge Elizabeth Warren (Credit: Reuters/Adam Hunger)
The Fed messed with the wrong senator
If foreclosure victims get justice, trace it back to a bad decision to stonewall Elizabeth Warren last week
By David Dayen
I have spent the better part of four years trying, with little success, to raise awareness about foreclosure fraud, the largest consumer fraud in the history of the United States. In fact, there’s a whole little band of us writers and activists and foreclosure fighters. We have provided multitudes of evidence about fake documents, forged documents, illegal foreclosures, foreclosures on military members while they served overseas, foreclosures on homes with no mortgages, breaking and entering into the wrong homes, suicides by foreclosure victims, and above all the complete lack of accountability for these crimes and abuses.
But instead of giving voice to thousands upon thousands of victims of illegal foreclosures, instead of documenting the banks’ criminal practices, maybe what we all should have done is simply let the Office of Comptroller of the Currency – part of the Treasury Department — and the Federal Reserve construct their own settlement with the banks. Then, when it utterly unraveled — as it has over the past couple of months — the unimaginable fraud heaped upon homeowners would get more attention than ever before, particularly from a frustrated and angry Congress led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Indeed, despite OCC and the Fed’s best efforts to protect banks from harm, they’ve actually exposed them like never before. If I didn’t know better, I’d think there were moles among this gang-that-couldn’t-regulate-straight.
Before I get into Warren’s role, first flash back to April 2011. Foreclosure fraud was in the news, at least in the business section. State and federal regulators were investigating. Embarrassing disclosures were occurring on a daily basis. And the OCC, the primary regulator for the banks doing the lion’s share of the foreclosing, had to answer for their complete lack of oversight and enforcement. So they came up with a solution.
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This is very good indeed. If the homeowners can get the report for their review so they can use it in their foreclosure cases or other lawsuits then i totally agree to this brilliant move. I sure hope Elizabeth Warren will remain strong and courageous and unintimidated by others and follow through…
Warren is a hero to me – one of the few politicians in Washington for the people! Support her, lean more about her, connect with her on facebook! We need more politicians not coming and going through revolving doors!
Homeowners
Are
Really
Private Owners
So post your homes at the entrances with POSTED NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERSONAL INVITATION!
I am an active duty Marine that was foreclosed on in 2009. This is after being overseas and submitting 2 loan modification request that both did not get answered. After using our life savings to stay afloat and pay the mortgage I was forced to file chapter 7 bankruptcy. I almost lost my family at the same time. The fact that the government got involved is great but on the other hand the banks did not take the government serious in any way. Today I recieved a check for 600 dollars. This is a great slap in the face for them violating the law that says not to foreclose on active duty military. And yet they do these things and get away with it. Us the peasants of the country would have been thrown in prison for not paying or share. We are taxed on our pay then we pay taxes on purchases at the store. Then pay taxes at the end of the year. All this to still be treated like the lowest things imagined.