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.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
BofA Fails To Give Vacant Home In Foreclosure Proper Attention Until It Finds Itself On City Wrecking Ball Appointment List
In Portland, Oregon, The Oregonian reports:
Mitch McKee clicked off his flashlight and walked out of a Northeast Portland house with broken windows, a fire-damaged roof, no working utilities and garbage piled waist-high in a detached garage. "They cleaned up a bit," he told police officers waiting outside.
The quick check last week that the house was empty was, in fact, pretty low-key for the Portland senior housing inspector who has become the point man for the city's recession-fueled stock of dilapidated homes.
***
According to Multnomah County records, the home was first scheduled for foreclosure sale in December 2010, but the bank called off the sale. It's now scheduled for auction next month. In the meantime, no one at Bank of America gave permission to vacate the house of people staying illegally and allow the city to board up entrances.
Threatening demolition
Portland officials held an administrative hearing for a warrant to board up the house and, when break-ins continued, scheduled a hearing for permission to tear down the house. That got someone's attention. A Bank of America representative attended the hearing and agreed to provide basic maintenance and routine checks that the property was staying vacant.
"We weren't able to get anywhere until we held that hearing and proposed demolition, and we were prepared to go through with it," [Portland's Bureau of Development Services enforcement manager Mike] Liefeld said. "That's the goal. We're leveraging our ultimate authority to try and get a responsible party to comply with adopted codes."
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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