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, February 10, 2013
Cops, Local Prosecutor Finally Conclude That Case Of Mansion-Squatting, Adverse Possession-Claiming Crackpot Merits Trespassing Probe, Assist BofA In Reclaiming Possession Of $2.5M Vacant Foreclosure
In Boca Raton, Florida, WTVJ-TV Channel 6 reports:
South Florida's infamous squatter is squatting no more. On Thursday police moved in to evict 23-year-old Andre Barbosa from a Boca Raton mansion – but said he was no longer there.
Bank of America owns the foreclosed mansion, worth $2.5 million. Investigators said Barbosa used an obscure process called “adverse possession” to occupy the home. Bank of America sued him.
Boca Raton police conducted a trespassing investigation on Thursday, to make sure that nobody was inside, and Barbosa was not.
“From a police department's perspective, we needed a legal foundation to take some action,” Police Chief Dan Alexander said. “We were able to determine with the state attorney after extensive legal research that there was a basis for us to conduct an investigation.”
Neighbors said it was around Christmastime when Barbosa forced his way into the home and started making it his own, with friends coming and going.
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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