by Brian Mahany It’s been several months since we wrote a mortgage foreclosure post. Our hope was that the recent national settlements and court approved monitors would help big banks clean up their mortgage messes. Unfortunately, we see little progress. Although the total number of foreclosures is down, the ones that remain are often a […]
David v Goliath – Homeowners Beat Wells Fargo, Freddie Mac In Foreclosure
[Post updated related to COVID-19 forbearances] We like rooting for the underdog. Particularly when the underdog has no lawyer and takes on the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company (“Freddie Mac”). Freddie Mac is a government sponsored enterprise with over $2 trillion in assets. They certainly can afford great lawyers and take on small homeowners who dare […]
Homeowners – 1, Bank of America, Wells Fargo -0
by Brian Mahany Despite the turning tide, big banks continue to win many court battles. Individual homeowners just can’t afford to take on the banking giants and their Park Avenue lawyers. Now and then, however, homeowners win. And some times they win big. Every victory empowers more and more homeowners to come forward. Last week’s […]
Bank of America: "There is No HAMP, There Is No Help, And There Is No Hope"
by Brian Mahany We have listened to many recorded conversations between bank workout specialists and borrowers. Until the mortgage meltdown and subsequent collapse of the lending industry, homeowners never thought to record their conversations with bankers. There was little need. Now with some of the major banks like Bank of America, Chase and Wells seemingly […]
Can I Sue For Denial Of HAMP Loan Modification?
by Brian Mahany “Can I sue for denial of a HAMP loan modification” is a question we frequently hear. Some lenders (Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo) seem to run borrowers through the ringer only to ultimately deny them a mortgage modification. That’s a shame since Congress authorized the Home Affordable Modification Program as part […]
New Wave of Foreclosures Coming
by Brian Mahany The headline from CNBC that a new round of foreclosures is coming comes without surprise. Thankfully, fewer borrowers are falling behind but there are still millions of Americans who are hopelessly behind on their loans. We say “hopelessly” because the lending community has miserably failed to assist homeowners who may have needed […]
Ally Latest Lender To Admit Foreclosure "Problems"
by Brian Mahany Ask any court clerk and you will hear dozens of tales of missing documents, forgeries and even lenders foreclosing on homes when the borrower never missed a payment. The banks, however, are a bit more reluctant to come clean. Recently Ally FInancial and its servicing unit, GMAC Mortgage, identified thousands of problem […]
JPMorgan Loses $2 Billion, Calls Loss A "Stupid" Mistake
by Brian Mahany Originally, I wasn’t going to write about the $2 billion loss suffered by banking giant JP Morgan. After all, it just affects investors foolish enough to have purchased stock in the bank. (JP Morgan’s stock plunged after the loss became public.) The response to the loss in recent days is what has […]
Homeowners Rejoice – Appeals Court Reinstates HAMP Denial Complaint
by Brian Mahany The term HAMP probably doesn’t mean much, unless you are one of the tens of millions of Americans struggling to pay their mortgage. HAMP stands for the Home Affordable Mortgage Program rolled out by the U.S. Treasury Department after the housing and mortgage crisis of 2008. The program includes mortgage modifications, rate […]