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.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
More Suits Filed Targeting HOAs That Allegedly Squeezed F'closure Sale Investors w/ Inflated Lien Shakedowns For Unpaid Assessments When Taking Title
In Clark County, Nevada, Vegas Inc. reports:
Four more Southern Nevada homeowners associations have been sued over allegations they’ve been requiring purchasers of foreclosed homes to pay off inflated liens.
In one case filed this week in Clark County District Court, Metroplex Realty LLC sued the Black Hawk Homeowners Association in North Las Vegas, Shadow Wood Homeowners Association Inc. in Las Vegas and Highgate Condominium Property Owners Association in Las Vegas. In another suit filed in the same court May 29, Elsinore LLC sued the Springs at Centennial Ranch Homeowners Association.
The plaintiffs in both suits are represented by Las Vegas attorneys James Adams and Puoy Premsrirut. Those attorneys regularly sue HOAs over what they call unauthorized collection costs and other charges included in liens that HOAs file against properties whose owners are delinquent on assessments and that ultimately are foreclosed on.
State law says HOAs can file ''Super Priority Liens'' that are ahead of mortgage liens, meaning the HOA lien amounts have to be paid for the buyer of a foreclosed property to obtain clear title.
Adams and Premsrirut insist these Super Priority Liens are limited under state law to six or nine months of assessments, depending on the circumstances. In some cases, Adams and Premsrirut say the liens are also limited by individual HOA CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions).
The HOA and collection industries say the law allows interest and collection costs on top of the caps claimed by Adams and Premsrirut. They say HOA budgets, already depleted by the recession and the flood of foreclosures, would be harmed even more if Adams and Premsrirut and their investor clients have their way.
State agencies and Clark County District Court judges have issued conflicting rulings on this issue, and many attorneys expect the Nevada Supreme Court to ultimately decide the dispute.
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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