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 16, 2012
Camden Tax Collector Puts Squeeze On Day Care Centers, Social Service Agency Non-Profits; Outfits Considered Exempt In Years Past Now On City Hit List
In Camden, New Jersey, the Courier Post reports:
The city has published a staggering list of almost 10,000 properties that it says owe money for unpaid property taxes or water and sewer service charges.
But some property owners long considered tax-exempt — especially day care centers and nonprofit social service agencies — contend the city has wrongly targeted them and they do not belong on the lien list.
The city’s finance director, Glynn Jones, said the decision to assess day care centers and nonprofits was made by the recently resigned municipal assessor, with input from the county’s tax office. Jones said he knows the tax office has been in communication with nonprofits, many of which are appealing.
***
[W]hile the number of properties and the amount owed might seem out of whack in a cash-strapped city of just over 77,000 citizens, the totals are about the same as last year, according to Jones. That’s because what’s normal elsewhere isn’t normal in Camden.
For instance, Trenton, with about 7,000 more residents than Camden, usually has only a few thousand properties on its lien list, owing just a few million dollars, according to its tax collector, Ed Kirkendoll. Jones’ explanation for the discrepancy?
“This is Camden,” he said.
***
[One] issue is at play in properties owned by nonprofits and day care centers. They are disproportionately represented on the current lien list of 9,837 properties, according to a Courier-Post review.
The city and Camden County’s Board of Taxation have targeted day care centers and nonprofit social service agencies since the completion of a citywide revaluation last August, seeking taxes on holdings considered exempt for years.
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)
<< Home