Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Suit: BofA Charges Homeowner In Foreclosure For Court Costs, Then Fails To Give Refunds Despite Subsequent Receipt Of Reimbursement For Unused Amount
In Hamilton County, Ohio, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports:
A Madisonville woman sued Bank of America [...] for pocketing court fees from foreclosure cases that she says belong to homeowners. Kathleen Collins accused the bank of fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and other violations in a class-action lawsuit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Collins’ attorney, Robert Newman, said the bank’s practice of keeping the fees could impact thousands of homeowners who should have been reimbursed money when their cases were resolved.
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The lawsuit’s accusations revolve around court fees, typically about $550, which the bank is required to pay when filing a foreclosure action. Depending on the length and outcome of the litigation, a portion of those fees often is reimbursed to the bank when the case is over. The suit says that’s what happened in Collins’ case when the bank was repaid $29 of its original court costs.
The problem, according to the lawsuit, is that the bank added all of the original court costs into Collins’ new loan, so she would pay the costs instead of the bank. And when the court reimbursed the $29 in Collins’ case, the bank collected it and left the full original costs in Collins’ loan.
Newman said the bank essentially is double-dipping: Collecting the full amount of the court costs from homeowners and then keeping the reimbursement of unused court costs for itself.
“The refund goes to the bank and the bank doesn’t fork it over,” Newman said. “There is a substantial amount of money owing to the class.” He said it’s impossible to know how much money is involved at this time, since individual reimbursements are relatively small, usually no more than a few hundred dollars.
The lawsuit asks the court to bar Bank of America from such practices and to repay any reimbursed court costs to Collins and, potentially, to thousands of other borrowers. The suit also seeks unspecified damages.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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