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, July 14, 2012
Mom Left w/ No Place To Live While State Seeks To Take Kids After She Falls Victim To Rent Scam Involving Vacant Home Belonging To Out-Of-State Owner
In Atlanta, Georgia, WGCL-TV Channel 46 reports:
Tocco Collins calls the place where she used to live a house of horrors. "Look at this sinking floor right here. It's a dangerous situation," Collins said. The Southwest Atlanta home in the 1000 block of Sims Street has holes in the wall, broken windows and no hot water. Collins said she paid a company called the Real Estate Connection $600 a month to a stay in the home. "I had promises that they were going to come and fix whatever needed to be fixed in the house," Collins said. The single mother of 12 said she waited seven months, but nothing was repaired. Collins said shortly thereafter, disaster struck. "My biggest nightmare came of August 2011 when my light box caught on fire. Georgia Power disconnected my service because it was too dangerous," Collins said. Collins and her family have been using a generator for the last 10 months. She said she stopped paying rent when her supposed landlord refused to make repairs. They took Collins to court in an attempt to get her evicted and that is when she said she discovered the shocking truth. "No one could provide the deed to the house. The people renting me the house don't own it," Collins said. Now the "fake" landlords have disappeared, Collins has no place to live and she said the state is trying to take her children. "The phony landlords should be paying the money back to my mom and they should also go to jail for it," Octavious Collins said. "I am trying to make some effort right now to work something out, but I am lost," Collins said. Collins said the home is actually owned by a woman in New York state who claims she had no idea the home was being rented out. Occupy Atlanta is working with Collins and her family. The group said it hopes the public will help the family buy a home, which will be renovated by volunteer plumbers electricians and carpenters.
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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