Cops Identify Pair As Home Robbery Suspects; Sent By Fannie Mae To Winterize House In Foreclosure Despite Earlier Approved & Consummated Short Sale

In Novi, Michigan, HometownLife.com reports:

• The Novi Police Department has identified two suspects believed to be responsible for the theft of nearly $4,000 worth of jewelry and other items from a home in the Dunbarton Pines subdivision. Novi Police Chief David Molloy said the men work for Moniya Inc, a company that conducts home winterization work.(1) [...] All the property reported stolen was recovered, including the couple's 18-karat gold wedding rings.

• The theft occurred on Sept. 9, just days before the [homeowner] couple were to be married. The woman said she left her home between 1-5 p.m. on that day, and when she returned she found a note on the door saying the home had been winterized as part of the foreclosure process and the gifts for her bridesmaids, the wedding rings and other items were gone.

• According to the bride's mother, the foreclosure notice was a mix-up. The couple had bought the home on a short sale on Aug. 21, which was approved by GMAC, but the company failed to notify Fannie Mae that it was a fully satisfied sale. Fannie Mae was under the impression the house was still in foreclosure and subcontracted Safeguard to manage the property and winterize it. Molloy said Safeguard then contracted Moniya to winterize the home and that is when the theft occurred.(2)

Source: Police have suspects in connection with robbery of newlyweds' home.

(1) Reportedly, the suspects are both Detroit men, one 23 years old and the other 51 years old. The 23-year-old has no previous criminal history, while the other man has a history of auto theft. The Novi Police Department is in the process of forwarding its case to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for review, the story states.

(2) In a 2008 story, the Nevada Supreme Court approved a damages award of over $1 million (including a punitive damages award of $968,000 - reduced from an original award of $2.5 million) to a homeowner couple who were subjected to a similar indignity resulting from a lender/mortgage servicer screw-up involving the misidentification of a home in foreclosure. See Nevada High Court OKs Damage Award To Homeowner Due To Mortgage Company Misidentification Of Home In Foreclosure.

For the Nevada Supreme Court ruling, see Countrywide Home Loans v. Thitchener, 192 P.3d 243; 2008 Nev. LEXIS 79; 124 Nev. Adv. Rep. 64 (September 11, 2008). ForeclosureLockOuts