Daily News related to the Foreclosure Crisis

The biggest unpunished heist in human history - Max Keiser

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1990's
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
Mortgage Servicing Fraud
occurs post loan origination when mortgage servicers use false statements and book-keeping entries, fabricated assignments, forged signatures and utter counterfeit intangible Notes to take a homeowner's property and equity.
Articles |The FORUM |Law Library |Videos | Fraudsters & Co. |File Complaints |How they STEAL |Search MSFraud |Contact Us

 Date

Article

Articles are added weekly 

Source

  Comment

12/26/19

Massachusetts Appeals Court Holds That a Tenant who is a Complete Stranger to Title Has Standing to Challenge the Validity of a Foreclosure Within the Context of an Eviction Action Jdsupra

Massachusetts Appeals Court Holds That a Tenant who is a Complete Stranger to Title Has Standing to Challenge the Validity of a Foreclosure Within the Context of an Eviction Action
On October 24, 2019, the Massachusetts Appeals Court issued a decision holding that any tenant in possession of the property post-foreclosure has standing to challenge the validity of the foreclosure. U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. as Trustee v. Kelly A Johnson et al., No. 19-P-317, Mass. App. Ct. (Oct. 24, 2019) (Green, C.J., Maldonado, & Hand, JJ.).

12/26/19

U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. v. Johnson Justia

U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. v. Johnson
The case follows.

12/26/19

Damages Under Dodd-Frank: Federal Court Awards CFPB $59 Million in Unprecedented Penalties and Restitution Analysis Jdsupra

Damages Under Dodd-Frank: Federal Court Awards CFPB $59 Million in Unprecedented Penalties and Restitution Analysis
So much to say, so little time. Historically groundbreaking, a federal court in Madison, Wisconsin engaged in the most robust, methodical damages analysis under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, found in Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act, that had ever been undertaken in recent years.

12/26/19

BELATED CHRISTMAS PRESENT … WHEN WITNESSES DON’T HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE Clouded Titles Blog

BELATED CHRISTMAS PRESENT … WHEN WITNESSES DON’T HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE
Here’s an interesting take on an older 2019 case, which by the way was just recently “Shepardized” only to discover it’s still “standing” and hasn’t been reversed and it has to do with what a witness knows and is able to testify to versus what that same witness doesn’t know.

12/24/19

This was supposed to be the decade of tougher consumer protections. That didn’t happen CNBC

This was supposed to be the decade of tougher consumer protections. That didn’t happen
To sum up the past decade, you could call it a tale of two presidents. For evidence of that, look no further than the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

12/24/19

Wall Street On Parade’s
Ongoing Series on the Federal Reserve’s
2019 Bailout of Wall Street
Wall Street On Parade

Wall Street On Parade’s
Ongoing Series on the Federal Reserve’s
2019 Bailout of Wall Street
(Latest articles appear first.) New York Fed Plans to Throw $2.93 Trillion at Wall Street’s Trading Houses Over Next Month as New York Times Remains Silent...

12/23/19

TILA Claims Can be Raised in Recoupment – Defensively Living Lies

TILA Claims Can be Raised in Recoupment – Defensively As Russ Baldwin and other lawyers have pointed out, borrowers can raise and use TILA violations and maybe FDCPA violations defensively even if they are otherwise barred as affirmative claims. The way it works is simple —

12/20/19

Statement of ABA President Judy Perry Martinez Re: Increased funding for Legal Services Corporation American Bar

Statement of ABA President Judy Perry Martinez Re: Increased funding for Legal Services Corporation WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2019 – The American Bar Association applauds Congress for increasing funding to the Legal Services Corporation. In the budget bill approved this week,

12/20/19

JPMorgan and Goldman, Under Criminal Probes, Close in the Red Despite Trading their Own Bank Stocks in their Own Dark Pools Wall Street On Parade

JPMorgan and Goldman, Under Criminal Probes, Close in the Red Despite Trading their Own Bank Stocks in their Own Dark Pools All three major stock indices set new highs yesterday. The Nasdaq led with a 0.67 percent gain; the Dow Jones Industrial Averaged closed with a 0.49 percent increase while the S&P 500 inched up 0.45 percent. Stocks have been setting new highs all week as the New York Fed funnels tens of billions of dollars each day to Wall Street’s

12/20/19

SCOTUS: FDCPA Claims Must Be Filed Within One Year of Date of Violation, Not Discovery of Violation — maybe Living Lies

SCOTUS: FDCPA Claims Must Be Filed Within One Year of Date of Violation, Not Discovery of Violation — maybe Three Key Takeaways The FDCPA’s statute of limitations ordinarily begins to run when the violation occurs, not when it is discovered.

12/18/19

Banks are using “settlement” as a means to fill title gaps. Don’t fall for it. Living Lies

Banks are using “settlement” as a means to fill title gaps. Don’t fall for it. So what the bank lawyers are trying to do is put us to sleep with the legalese wording and essentially appear to be saying one thing when in fact they are saying something completely different.

12/18/19

They Made a Killing on the Mortgage Crisis. Now They Run Trump’s America. Mother Jones

They Made a Killing on the Mortgage Crisis. Now They Run Trump’s America. Some of the same men who profited big-time off of predatory foreclosures during the Great Recession are now in Trump’s inner circle. They serve in his cabinet and count themselves among his best friends.

12/16/19

Bankers Are Playing With Fire, Once Again Bloomberg

Bankers Are Playing With Fire, Once Again In an interview, ex-FDIC chief Sheila Bair says weakening the post-crisis rules is wrongheaded and that a Monte Paschi-type event could happen again.

12/16/19

Defending Foreclosure is Practice Not Theory: Discovery is the Key Living Lies

Defending Foreclosure is Practice Not Theory: Discovery is the Key I’m not sure why there are people who are calling my approach theoretical. My focus is strictly practical — using the rules of civil procedure to expose the truth of the matter asserted.

12/13/19

90-Day Pre-Foreclosure Notice: The Mega Defense To Destroy a Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Action New York Law Journal

90-Day Pre-Foreclosure Notice: The Mega Defense To Destroy a Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Action The 90-day notice is a powerful defense that can result in dismissal of a residential foreclosure action. The law, however, is rapidly changing. New York Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law §1304 requires a lender, assignee, or mortgage loan servicer to mail a notice advising the borrower(s) that his or her home is at risk of foreclosure.

12/13/19

Startup plans to allow consumers to purchase homes without a mortgage Housing Wire

Startup plans to allow consumers to purchase homes without a mortgage One new Los Angeles-based investor-backed startup is claiming it will get Americans into homes without requiring a mortgage.

12/13/19

The Bipartisan Profiteers Who Demolished the American Dream KCRW

The Bipartisan Profiteers Who Demolished the American Dream The 2008 housing meltdown that effectively busted the American dream of home ownership has morphed into a new heist based on corporate rental empires with all the same culprits.

12/13/19

Here is the Debt: Securitization Shell Game Living Lies

Here is the Debt: Securitization Shell Game Yes ownership of the debt and payment for the debt, for the first time in history is actually split contrary to law. Under current law it is impossible to own the debt without paying for it.

12/11/19

Getting a Foreclosure Defense Lawyer is a Process Living Lies

Getting a Foreclosure Defense Lawyer is a Process There are many good lawyers in all States. However most lawyers refuse to take engagements for foreclosure defense. They can be convinced otherwise if they receive

12/10/19

Investors Were Not Injured By Non Payment from Homeowners. They Were Injured by Non Payment from Investment Banks Living Lies

Investors Were Not Injured By Non Payment from Homeowners. They Were Injured by Non Payment from Investment Banks The trap door is thinking that investors were hurt by borrowers failing to make payments when in fact they were injured by brokerage companies not paying them regardless of how much money was being received and created.

12/09/19

BIS Drops a Bombshell: Four U.S. Mega Banks Are Core of Repo Loan Crisis Wall Street On Parade

BIS Drops a Bombshell: Four U.S. Mega Banks Are Core of Repo Loan Crisis Yesterday, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) dropped a bombshell report that torpedoed the Federal Reserve’s official narrative on what has caused the overnight lending market

12/09/19

Banks and Foreclosure Mills Stepping Up Attacks on LivingLies Through Proxies Living Lies

Banks and Foreclosure Mills Stepping Up Attacks on LivingLies Through Proxies Apparently my most recent posts have produced a flurry of activity from proxies who are supported by investment banks acting through their conduit Servicers and Foreclosure Mills.

12/09/19

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac watchdog prepping for "massive IPO" Housing Wire

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac watchdog prepping for "massive IPO" The watchdog for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is interviewing Wall Street firms to handle a public offering of the shares of the nation’s two largest mortgage

12/09/19

Did U.S. steal $300 billion from investors in ‘coercive’ takeover of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac? Philadelphia Inquirer

Did U.S. steal $300 billion from investors in ‘coercive’ takeover of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac? The depressed share prices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have perked up a bit this year, while a legal challenge to the way the U.S. Treasury has collected billions of dollars from the home-loan finance giants

12/07/19

Nims v. Bank of New York Mellon - Oral Argument Obsolete Mortgage Statute Glenn F Russell

Nims v. Bank of New York Mellon - Oral Argument Obsolete Mortgage Statute On December 03, 2019, the Massachusetts Appeals Court held oral argument on Nims v. Bank of New York Mellon as Trustee, et. al, Ca. No. 2019-P-0179.

12/06/19

Foreclosure Attorneys Introduced to Trial Practice New York Law Journal

Foreclosure Attorneys Introduced to Trial Practice Some New York courts have increasingly ordered risk-averse foreclosure plaintiffs to go to trial. These trials frequently conclude in dismissal and require the plaintiff to recommence the action within the time constraints of an eclipsing statute of limitations.Al Degatano is a Senior Court Attorney Referee in the Foreclosure Settlement Conference Part and the Foreclosure Trial Part in Westchester County.

12/06/19

The Eerie Similarities Between American Homeowner Foreclosure and the US House Impeachment Inquiry(s) Deadly Clear

The Eerie Similarities Between American Homeowner Foreclosure and the US House Impeachment Inquiry(s) For over a decade, American Homeowners have been fighting the corruption that stems from the banks to legislators and down through the judiciary… and all the way up to the top of the political chain.

12/06/19

Why Are We Still Dealing with Aurora and Lehman? Living Lies

Why Are We Still Dealing with Aurora and Lehman? Keep in mind that Aurora is a subsidiary of Lehman. They are both in Bankruptcy but are being kept technically alive in BKR court for the sole purpose of making actions appear to be legitimate attempts to collect a debt.

12/06/19

Bombshell Report: The Fed Has Not Rejected One Bank Merger Application Out of 3800 Submitted in Past 11 Years Wallstreetonparade.com

Bombshell Report: The Fed Has Not Rejected One Bank Merger Application Out of 3800 Submitted in Past 11 Years In advance of its December 4 hearing to question if federal bank regulators are adequately watching over the nation’s banks, the House Financial Services Committee

12/05/19

“Smoking Gun” Proof That JPMorgan Chase Never Acquired Beneficial Interest In My WaMu Loan Through The FDIC Bill Paatalo

“Smoking Gun” Proof That JPMorgan Chase Never Acquired Beneficial Interest In My WaMu Loan Through The FDIC This little piece of production in my Oregon Ejectment Action just confirmed what I have been testifying to since day-one: Chase acquired no ownership of loans that WaMu sold and securitized prior to the September 25, 2008 takeover by the FDIC.

12/04/19

'I would have thought there’d be a revolution in the streets:' author Michael Lewis on Trump's dismantling of the CFPB Yahoo

'I would have thought there’d be a revolution in the streets:' author Michael Lewis on Trump's dismantling of the CFPB As the decade comes to a close, Michael Lewis, author of “The Big Short,” is taking a look back at bank regulation since the financial crisis of 2008.

12/04/19

The repo market is ‘broken’ and Fed injections are not a lasting solution, market pros warn Market Watch

The repo market is ‘broken’ and Fed injections are not a lasting solution, market pros warn The Federal Reserve’s ongoing efforts to shore up the short-term “repo” lending markets have begun to rattle some market experts. The New York Federal Reserve has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to keep credit flowing through short term money markets since mid-September when a shortage of liquidity caused a spike in overnight borrowing rates. But as the Fed’s interventions have entered a third month, concerns about the market’s dependence on its daily doses of liquidity have grown.

12/04/19

Mortgage industry maintains compliance under Trump administration Housing Wire

Mortgage industry maintains compliance under Trump administration But is it because there are less regulations to comply to?

12/04/19

Post Judgment Assignments Continue to Baffle Homeowners and Foreclosure Defense Lawyers Living Lies

Post Judgment Assignments Continue to Baffle Homeowners and Foreclosure Defense Lawyers Charles Koppa in San Diego was the first person to point out to me that the activities after even a nonjudicial sale told the real story about the what was going on.

12/03/19

7th Circuit Affirms $582,000 Punitive Damages Against Ocwen Living Lies

7th Circuit Affirms $582,000 Punitive Damages Against Ocwen We are not sure how many human errors a company like Ocwen gets before a jury can reasonably infer a conscious disregard of a person’s rights, but we are

12/02/19

Early-bird special: CFPB to reward firms that quickly fix violations American Banker

Early-bird special: CFPB to reward firms that quickly fix violations The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is planning to give companies accused of wronging consumers a chance to get released early from consent orders.

12/02/19

How securitization affects defense strategy in securitization cases. Living Lies

How securitization affects defense strategy in securitization cases. A new set of lawyers is coming into the marketplace and they smell blood. They are seeking guidance and they are up for making money and winning

11/30/19

Foreclosure + Corruption = Homelessness Snohomish County Reporter

Foreclosure + Corruption = Homelessness Take a drive along I-5 in Seattle and they’re everywhere. Tents. Throughout Washington, tens of thousands of people have been relegated to life on the streets, part of a nationwide epidemic in which 500,000 Americans are homeless.

11/30/19

TEN YEARS LATER … HAS YOUR DEFINITION OF “INSANITY” CHANGED YET? Clouded Titles Blog

TEN YEARS LATER … HAS YOUR DEFINITION OF “INSANITY” CHANGED YET? Who would have ever thought that me breaking my foot would steer me down a path of moral concern, that is, America’s foreclosure crisis based on phony documents?

11/29/19

Answering the Shell Game Living Lies

Answering the Shell Game Most of the questions I get come from lawyers and homeowners who are totally confused by the array of names of companies that appear, disappeared and replaced by lawyers operating under instructions from command central — a group of lawyers who

11/27/19

Stonehedge challenges foreclosure; hotel still taking reservations Lowell Sun

Stonehedge challenges foreclosure; hotel still taking reservations TYNGSBORO — With just a week before the Stonehedge Hotel and Spa is set to go up for foreclosure auction, the hotel’s owner is taking the mortgage lender, Lowell Five Bank, to court. Boston East Tyngsboro Holdings, LLC, the hotel’s parent corporation, filed a motion in Middlesex County Superior Court on Wednesday asking for a preliminary injunction to prevent the auction from going forward. The company also filed a civil complaint against the bank seeking damages and injunctive relief related to “breach of contract, unjust enrichment, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, tortious interference with contract” and violations of consumer-protection laws under Massachusetts General Laws 93A.

11/27/19

Confronting the Games Played By Stockbrokers Through Their Attorneys in Foreclosures Living Lies

Confronting the Games Played By Stockbrokers Through Their Attorneys in Foreclosures The first order of business is to recognize two things — (1) that it is a stockbroker who is the actual party foreclosing the mortgage and (2) that the stockbroker is NOT seeking restitution for an unpaid debt — all of which means that it isn’t really a foreclosure.

11/26/19

New York Fed Adds $92.7 Billion to Markets Wall Street Journal

New York Fed Adds $92.7 Billion to Markets The Federal Reserve Bank of New York added $92.7 billion in temporary liquidity to the financial system on Tuesday.

11/26/19

Interesting NY Decision on Acceleration: U.S. Bank N.A. v. Gordon, 176 A.D.3d 1006 (2d Dept. 2019) Living Lies

Interesting NY Decision on Acceleration: U.S. Bank N.A. v. Gordon, 176 A.D.3d 1006 (2d Dept. 2019) “failure to pay this delinquency, plus additional payments and fees that may become due, will result in the acceleration of your Mortgage Note. Once acceleration has occurred, a foreclosure action . . . may be initiated.”

11/25/19

Navigating Foreclosure Court Our Time Press

Navigating Foreclosure Court Foreclosure Court is the last place a homeowner wants to be. And if you’re there, it would be best to have a foreclosure lawyer at your side.

11/25/19

Retainer Agreements Cast Doubt on Whether Law Firms Are Advocates or Are One of the Real Parties in Interest Living Lies

Retainer Agreements Cast Doubt on Whether Law Firms Are Advocates or Are One of the Real Parties in Interest I completely get how there is immunity for lawyers advocating even bad positions for their clients. Anything less would chill access to the courts. No arguments here.

11/24/19

Deval Patrick, Who Got Paid as Homeowners Lost Their Homes, Wants Democrats to Nominate Him for President The Daily Beast

Deval Patrick, Who Got Paid as Homeowners Lost Their Homes, Wants Democrats to Nominate Him for President Patrick was a rare Democrat among a small gang of moneymen—many of them close to Trump now—who cashed in when the economy crashed a decade ago.

11/23/19

Firm Successfully Argues Denial of Motion For Judgment on The Pleadings In Starkey v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co. Glenn Russell

Firm Successfully Argues Denial of Motion For Judgment on The Pleadings In Starkey v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co. Indeed, we wrote a blog post on the Firm's decade long defense of the Starkey residence this past January 2019 Firm Successfully Argues Denial of Further Appellate Review In Starkey v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co.

11/22/19

Going to Court Without a Lawyer Is New Normal for U.S. Litigants Bloomberg

Going to Court Without a Lawyer Is New Normal for U.S. Litigants Terry Winston knew the credit-card bills were nonsense, but her difficulty proving it in court shows how America’s two-tiered justice system -- one for those who can pay for a lawyer, the other for those who can’t -- has spread to civil litigation.

11/22/19

Foreclosure Defense: To BKR or not to BKR, here are the issues in Bankruptcy Living Lies

Foreclosure Defense: To BKR or not to BKR, here are the issues in Bankruptcy The bottom line is that Chapter 7, 11, or 13 bankruptcy can be effective tolls in defending against unlawful foreclosures, but hey are not magic bullets.

11/21/19

Flipping Fraud: Is It Really Any Different From What the Banks Are Doing? Living Lies

Flipping Fraud: Is It Really Any Different From What the Banks Are Doing? Hat tip to one of our readers and a frequent client of lendinglies.com. Flipping Fraud: the act of getting a deed executed in the name of someone who doesn’t own the property and then selling the deed to a third party.

11/20/19

CFPB Finally Clarifies Rules for “Originators” Living Lies

CFPB Finally Clarifies Rules for “Originators” The most important label used by stockbrokers (acting as “investment banks”) was to label a company as an “originator”. The term had no actual meaning.

11/20/19

Warren, Who Flipped Foreclosed Homes for Profit, Laments Lack of Affordable Housing Free Beacon

Warren, Who Flipped Foreclosed Homes for Profit, Laments Lack of Affordable Housing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), who previously bought foreclosed properties to turn a quick profit, lamented the lack of affordable housing during Wednesday's presidential primary debate.

11/20/19

Appellate Court Tells CitiMortgage It Can’t Force “Repurchase” Of What No Longer Exists National Law Review

Appellate Court Tells CitiMortgage It Can’t Force “Repurchase” Of What No Longer Exists A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit offers some vindication for mortgage companies still facing “repurchase” demands made by the banks to which they sold residential mortgages in the years leading up to the financial crisis

11/20/19

CFPB to consider changing or eliminating TRID rule Housing Wire

CFPB to consider changing or eliminating TRID rule The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been taking a long, hard look at some of the rules and regulations it has in place.

11/19/19

FHFA issuing new rules on allowing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to rebuild capital Housing Wire

FHFA issuing new rules on allowing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to rebuild capital In 2018, the Federal Housing Finance Agency proposed a rule to implement new capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

11/19/19

MERS is Probably an Offshore Operation Living Lies

MERS is Probably an Offshore Operation Just an observation based upon current information. MERS was acquired in 2008 by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a former Enron competitor. As its name implies

11/19/19

Ocwen on the Hot Seat — Again Living Lies

Ocwen on the Hot Seat — Again Ocwen has repeatedly made mistakes and taken shortcuts at every stage of the mortgage servicing process, costing some consumers money and others their homes,” CFPB Director said in a statement.

11/18/19

Trump’s Bank Regulators Open the Door to More Predatory Lending The American Prospect

Trump’s Bank Regulators Open the Door to More Predatory Lending A new proposed rule would allow ‘rent-a-bank’ schemes that could permit unlimited interest rates on loans as long as they come via a chartered bank.

11/18/19

CFPB Lightens Requirements for Temporary LO License Mortgage News Daily

CFPB Lightens Requirements for Temporary LO License The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued an Interpretive Rule for one type of loan originator licensing.

11/18/19

To Appeal or Not To Appeal — What was the Question? Living Lies

To Appeal or Not To Appeal — What was the Question? Making a mistake is not appealable unto itself. You must show that the error caused an improper decision. And by “improper” I mean that there is no way under existing law that the decision was based upon the law or

11/15/19

And for the Curious — MERS is a Trademark of Bank of America Living Lies

And for the Curious — MERS is a Trademark of Bank of America So much for being an independent private title registry It’s all smoke and mirrors. And an interested reader and client sent me this:

11/18/19

The Fed is buying billions of mortgage bonds — here’s why it matters Marketwatch

The Fed is buying billions of mortgage bonds — here’s why it matters The Federal Reserve has dramatically picked up the pace of its mortgage bond purchases in recent months as it seeks to keep the housing finance market on an even keel as borrowers race to refinance.

11/15/19

Why Are All the Documents Fake in foreclosures? Living Lies

Why Are All the Documents Fake in foreclosures? The problem that most pro se litigants and foreclosure defense lawyers have, as will be discussed in part on Thursday’s radio show with Patrick Giunta, is that most people fail to understand and therefore fail to plead and prove the nuanced difference between “the debt doesn’t exist” and “this foreclosure proceeding is a sham.”

11/14/19

Army vet sues mortgage lender to stop foreclosure on East Lynn farm WV Record

Army vet sues mortgage lender to stop foreclosure on East Lynn farm WAYNE – A U.S. Army Iraq War Veteran is suing Carrington Mortgage over allegations it refused to offer him mortgage loan assistance and filed for foreclosure on his East Lynn farm where he and his son live after his estranged wife emptied their bank account. Travis Blankenship filed a complaint in Wayne Circuit Court against Carrington Mortgage Services LLC alleging illegal debt collection, misrepresentations in debt collection, unconscionable conduct in debt collection and breach of contract.

11/13/19

Help renewed for Hoosiers facing loss of their home The Indiana Lawyer

Help renewed for Hoosiers facing loss of their home Although the housing crisis that spurred the Great Recession has faded, some homeowners are still facing financial distress, and housing counselors worry another wave of mortgage foreclosures could be coming.

11/13/19

Foreclosure Scams Work Both Ways Living Lies

Foreclosure Scams Work Both Ways While the mainstream media concentrates on predators who promise false hope to homeowners in distress and who actually distract homeowners from asserting real defenses, reporters fail to mention

11/12/19

Dancing with ghosts. The banks have no shame in contradicting themselves Living Lies

Dancing with ghosts. The banks have no shame in contradicting themselves The bottom line is that foreclosures are all about collecting on unpaid debt. The only party who can initiate foreclosure proceedings that will force the sale of title to the home and then forcibly dispossess the homeowner is a party who

11/11/19

The danger of submitting a hardship letter. See a lawyer!!! Living Lies

The danger of submitting a hardship letter. See a lawyer!!! It is strongly advised by most attorneys that when submitting any statement or reply to any company posing as a mortgage servicer or lender that where it is appropropriate

11/10/19

U.S. Bank v. Ibanez Part II Update November 10, 2019 Glenn Russell

U.S. Bank v. Ibanez Part II Update November 10, 2019 In the Second Act of U.S. Bank v. Ibanez, and over a decade since this matter began, the Land Court Issued It's Opinion on May 17, 2019 in LaRace v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Ca. No. 18MISC00327, Granting Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as Trustee, et. al Motion For Summary Judgment.

11/08/19

Former Attorney Mark Stopa Exposes Foreclosure Court Issues PM Tampa Bay

Former Attorney Mark Stopa Exposes Foreclosure Court Issues Ryan, Morgan, and Felix talk to former Pinellas County attorney Mark Stopa about his disbarment and allegations he makes in a new book about how foreclosure cases are handled in Florida.

11/07/19

Court Erases Miami-Dade Judge Butchko's Order in US Bank Foreclosure Daily Business Review

Court Erases Miami-Dade Judge Butchko's Order in US Bank Foreclosure An unsigned appellate court decision erased Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko’s move to sanction U.S. Bank N.A. after she found discovery violations in a foreclosure case.

11/07/19

WHEN JUDGES LISTEN … AND WHEN THEY DON’T! Clouded Titles Blog

WHEN JUDGES LISTEN … AND WHEN THEY DON’T! Notice the above Defendants? It should be well-decided among the legal community that suing MERS is fruitless, but people still listen to these half-baled arguments that MERS knew or should have known.

11/06/19

Dangerous Liaisons: New York Fed and JPMorgan’s Incestuous Relationship Wall Street On Parade

Dangerous Liaisons: New York Fed and JPMorgan’s Incestuous Relationship The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) is just one of the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks around the country. But it has amassed

11/06/19

Just in case you thought it was negligence…. Living Lies

Just in case you thought it was negligence…. From an avid reader and investigator, the wording below is from an exhibit in litigation that was (of course) dismissed that shows that Wells Fargo managers were specifically instructing their subordinates who talk or correspondent with borrowers on what to say and what not to say.

11/06/19

FANNIE, FREDDIE AND MERS: RECIPE FOR COLLUSION TO SCREW AMERICA! Clouded Titles Blog

FANNIE, FREDDIE AND MERS: RECIPE FOR COLLUSION TO SCREW AMERICA! There has been a recent unveiling of sorts that discusses the conflict between the two GSE’s (government-sponsored entities) and MERS, which clearly shows who in fact spearheaded the push to turn the secondary residential mortgage market into a lying, conniving, deceiving .

11/06/19

THEY ARE BACK! “NON-QUALIFIED LOANS” REPLACE THE LABEL OF SUBPRIME — WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO INCREASE THEIR RISK? Living Lies

THEY ARE BACK! “NON-QUALIFIED LOANS” REPLACE THE LABEL OF SUBPRIME — WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO INCREASE THEIR RISK? Before the era of securitization, the only reason for making riskier loans was that the lender could charge a premium for borrowing — a premium that would cover the higher cost associated with defaulting loans. Now the reason is that...

11/06/19

Foreclosure lawyer disbarred for 'loudly lecturing' judge and keeping settlement offers secret ABA Journal

Foreclosure lawyer disbarred for 'loudly lecturing' judge and keeping settlement offers secret Updated: A Florida foreclosure lawyer has lost his law license for his belligerent conduct in the courtroom and his failure to communicate settlement offers with two clients, including a woman who nearly lost her home because of his conduct.

11/05/19

New Case Makes Foreclosing Easier for Banks Bruce Jacobs

New Case Makes Foreclosing Easier for Banks Although the foreclosure crisis seems to be behind us, and although the number of foreclosures filed is lower than it was at the height of the crisis, there are still plenty of cases working their way through our court system.

11/05/19

Capitalism is Not Failing Living Lies

Capitalism is Not Failing Citing “capitalism” as a defense no assassin would be set free because he killed for money. Nobody in their right mind would accept a defense of capitalism for someone who robbed, poisoned, shot, stabbed, or stole from a person or company if the defense was “I did it for the money.” That’s not capitalism. It’s robbery, assault, murder or theft.

11/04/19

CFLA Moves to Dismiss CFPB Complaint & Attack the Constitutionality of the CFPB & its Director CFLA

CFLA Moves to Dismiss CFPB Complaint & Attack the Constitutionality of the CFPB & its Director For immediate release: CFLA filed a Motion to Dismiss Under Federal Rules of Civil procedure Rule 12(B)(6) for "failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted,

11/04/19

FHFA asks for input on Fannie, Freddie UMBS pooling practices Housing Wire

FHFA asks for input on Fannie, Freddie UMBS pooling practices The Federal Housing Finance Agency is requesting input on Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s pooling practices for the formation of To-Be-Announced-eligible Uniform Mortgage-Backed Securities.

11/04/19

Ethical Violations by Florida Judges Harm Florida Homeowners Mark Stopa

Ethical Violations by Florida Judges Harm Florida Homeowners TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of the Great Recession, two million Floridians lost their homes to foreclosure. A new book, People v Money from Incredible Publishing, says that those homeowners have reasons to blame the judges who ruled against them.

11/03/19

(Updated 11/3/19) Firm Files Appeal Examining The Application of The Obsolete Mortgage Statute (G.L. c. 260 Sec. 33) To The Acceleration Date of The Note In Nims v. The Bank of N.Y. Mellon, et. al 2019-P-0179 Glenn Russell

(Updated 11/3/19) Firm Files Appeal Examining The Application of The Obsolete Mortgage Statute (G.L. c. 260 Sec. 33) To The Acceleration Date of The Note In Nims v. The Bank of N.Y. Mellon, et. al 2019-P-0179
The few cases advanced by borrowers seeking the use of this statute in defense of foreclosure have focused solely on the wording of the statute

11/01/19

Reversing the Paradigm: How Borrowers Might Make Money From Mortgages and Even Foreclosures Living Lies

Reversing the Paradigm: How Borrowers Might Make Money From Mortgages and Even Foreclosures Take a step back and then look at this situation from a wider perspective. * Understand that the real deal was the issuance of multiple levels of securities made possible by investors putting up money and borrowers signing their name.

10/30/19

Not So Fast! Statute of Limitations Bars Claims for Enforcement of Statutory Duties But Does Not Bar Other Action For Damages Based on That Duty Living Lies

Not So Fast! Statute of Limitations Bars Claims for Enforcement of Statutory Duties But Does Not Bar Other Action For Damages Based on That Duty. Claims under state statutes or Federal statutes have different periods of limitation under which you can file suit. BUT — if the statutory duty that was breached is part of another claim

10/30/19

Federal Reserve cuts interest rate, signals pause Housing Wire

Federal Reserve cuts interest rate, signals pause The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate by a quarter of a percentage on Wednesday in a bid to keep the decade-long U.S. economic expansion going while

10/29/19

Book Release: People v Money - Corruption Scandal Rocks Florida Court System Mark Stopa

Book Release: People v Money - Corruption Scandal Rocks Florida Court System TAMPA, Fla., October 29, 2019 (Newswire.com) -?Incredible Publishing, LLC announces the release of People v Money, an international, best-selling book that exposes widespread corruption at the highest levels of Florida government.

10/29/19

Mnuchin Open to Looser Bank Liquidity Rules Backed by Dimon Bloomberg

Mnuchin Open to Looser Bank Liquidity Rules Backed by Dimon U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is open to loosening financial crisis-era regulations that have stiffened liquidity rules for big banks to relieve possible cash crunches in short-term funding markets.

10/29/19

State of the Union: Securitization is Running Amok and Taking Us All down With It Living Lies

State of the Union: Securitization is Running Amok and Taking Us All down With It The United States is experiencing the worst man-made economic disaster in all of human history — the misuse, abuse and overuse of financial products that are sold to consumers as debt.

10/28/19

Ocwen is a Sham Designed To Be Thrown Under the Bus by Institutional “Investors” Living Lies

Ocwen is a Sham Designed To Be Thrown Under the Bus by Institutional “Investors” The bottom line is that Ocwen really serves only one primary purpose: to be a front for investment banks that are still taking everyone to the cleaners. It is effectively owned and operated by the investment banks.

10/28/19

Exclusive: HUD’s Carson on False Claims Act – “The monster has been slayed” Housing Wire

Exclusive: HUD’s Carson on False Claims Act – “The monster has been slayed”
Just over two years ago, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson told the crowd at the 2017 Mortgage Bankers Association

10/27/19

Firm Files Appeal Examining The Application of The Obsolete Mortgage Statute (G.L. c. 260 Sec. 33) To The Acceleration Date of The Note In Nims v. The Bank of N.Y. Mellon, et. al 2019-P-0179 Glenn Russell

Firm Files Appeal Examining The Application of The Obsolete Mortgage Statute (G.L. c. 260 Sec. 33) To The Acceleration Date of The Note In Nims v. The Bank of N.Y. Mellon, et. al 2019-P-0179
In Defense of the Nims' threatened foreclosure auction, the Firm advanced argument that the Nims Mortgage was Obsolete by operation of law under G.L. c. 260, Section 33. The specific basis for the Mortgage being Obsolete was the fact

10/23/19

While We Were Sleeping: Remote Online Notarization is Becoming a Reality in Florida effective 1/1/2020 Living Lies

While We Were Sleeping: Remote Online Notarization is Becoming a Reality in Florida effective 1/1/2020
I knew this was planned. But frankly I didn’t pay close attention. When the initial plans for electronic signatures were announced 10 years ago, we collectively convinced

10/22/19

Bank Games: “Attorney in Fact” Living Lies

Bank Games: “Attorney in Fact”
The very idea of two huge Bank competitors naming each other as attorney in fact defies common sense — if they were dealing with anything real. The use of “attorney in fact” is merely a ruse in order to

10/21/19

Firm Files FAR With SJC Implicating MERS Claim of Authority To Simultaneously "Act" As A "Nominee" For The Lender And Its Assigns Under Judge Rubin Issued Strong Dissent In Giannasca v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co. et. al. Glenn Russell

Firm Files FAR With SJC Implicating MERS Claim of Authority To Simultaneously "Act" As A "Nominee" For The Lender And Its Assigns Under Judge Rubin Issued Strong Dissent In Giannasca v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co. et. al.
Mr. Giannasca Filed Litigation Pro Se challenging Deutsche Bank N.T. Co. & Others, where the Trial Court (Worcester Superior Court) made finding that Mr. Giannasca elected to "Surrender" the property in a filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and therefore he was now precluded from challenging the attempted foreclosure action.

10/21/19

Mortgage Servicing Litigation NCLC

Mortgage Servicing Litigation
Below is a sampling of NCLC class action litigation efforts in the areas of mortgage servicing and loan modifications. Information on other NCLC litigation can be found here.

10/21/19

Deutsche Bank Walked Away from its $7.2 Billion Dollar Homeowner Restitution Agreement with the DOJ and Nobody Blinked an Eye Lawsintexas.com

Deutsche Bank Walked Away from its $7.2 Billion Dollar Homeowner Restitution Agreement with the DOJ and Nobody Blinked an Eye
Deutsche Bank, the DOJ and how $4B in aid to distressed homeowners evaporated

10/21/19

The institutional manufacturing of the foreclosure process Mycourthistory.com

The institutional manufacturing of the foreclosure process
The institutional manufacturing of the foreclosure process begins with the servicer advising the borrower to stop payments to make sure it puts them in a better position for a modification.

10/19/19

Exposed! A Serial Whistleblower's Story with Bill Black Macroncheese.com

Exposed! A Serial Whistleblower's Story with Bill Black
Regulatory agencies taking on Savings & Loan fraud may not be everyone’s idea of a swashbuckling tale, but for us nerdy types at Macro N Cheese it’s pure gold.

10/18/19

Fed’s Balance Sheet Spikes by $253 Billion, Now Topping $4 Trillion Wall Street On Parade

Fed’s Balance Sheet Spikes by $253 Billion, Now Topping $4 Trillion
Shhh! Don’t tell Congress that the Federal Reserve is back to electronically creating money out of thin air to throw at a liquidity problem (of an, as yet, undetermined origin) on Wall Street.

10/17/19

A List of Mortgage Closures, Mergers and Layoffs Thetruthaboutmortgage.com

A List of Mortgage Closures, Mergers and Layoffs
I first created this list in February 2007, back when scores of mortgage companies were consolidating, laying off employees, sending out scary warnings, and going out of business.

10/17/19

Dorian Grey: Loan Agreements have changed without detection by the courts Living Lies

Dorian Grey: Loan Agreements have changed without detection by the courts
The normal loan agreement is based upon certain accepted and presumed elements. The borrower desires to borrow money, he/she gets a loan of money and signs

10/16/19

Update on MERS Living Lies

Update on MERS
Just assume that everything is a fiction and none of it is real. Then set out to create the inference against the use of key legal presumptions necessary for the foreclosure mill to establish a prima facie case. Those presumptions lead to conclusions that are contrary to facts in the real world.

10/16/19

Dems unload on CFPB’s Kraninger: ‘You are absolutely worthless’ National Mortgage News

Dems unload on CFPB’s Kraninger: ‘You are absolutely worthless’
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger faced a barrage of questions Wednesday from lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee covering everything from the agency's constitutionality to why it has not demanded refunds for consumers in recent settlements.

10/16/19

Zombie Homes Haunt Cleveland Neighborhood A Decade After Housing Market Collapse WBUR

Zombie Homes Haunt Cleveland Neighborhood A Decade After Housing Market Collapse
Driving through Cleveland's Ward 8, it's hard to tell that it's been a decade since the nationwide housing collapse.

10/15/19

“The Federal Government Actually Paid Him”: How Steve Mnuchin Profited from the Housing Bust Democracy Now

“The Federal Government Actually Paid Him”: How Steve Mnuchin Profited from the Housing Bust
In his new book “Homewreckers,” investigative reporter Aaron Glantz looks at the devastating legacy of the housing bust and the key players who benefited as millions of people lost their homes and savings.

10/15/19

Appeals court reverses couple's summary judgment in case against Bank of New York Mellon SE TEXAS RECORD

Appeals court reverses couple's summary judgment in case against Bank of New York Mellon
BEAUMONT -- A Texas couple who had won their lawsuit against the Bank of New York Mellon in a foreclosure case was not as lucky in the Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals at Beaumont.

10/15/19

Beware of Bank and Foreclosure Mill Labels — That is where the lies start Living Lies

Beware of Bank and Foreclosure Mill Labels — That is where the lies start
BEWARE OF LABELS: THE BANKS AND THE FORECLOSURE MILLS GET AWAY WITH MOST OF THEIR DECEIT BY SIMPLY USING SELF SERVING LABELS.

10/15/19

Finding a Lawyer to Defend Foreclosure Living Lies

Finding a Lawyer to Defend Foreclosure
Most lawyers have dropped out of the game because they don’t know how to win or make money. No loss to homeowners who really want to contest a foreclosure based upon lies and fabricated documents.

10/14/19

Fed’s back printing money – so what gives? NY Post

Fed’s back printing money – so what gives?
Although there’s been no official announcement, the Federal Reserve has restarted QE — better known as Quack Economics.

10/14/19

What to say about your TILA Rescission Living Lies

What to say about your TILA Rescission
I think you need to emphasize more that rescission is an event that takes place upon the mailing of the notice of rescission. The error of the lower courts all stems from the fact that they treat TILA rescission as a claim.

10/11/19

Update and Review of TILA Rescission 15 U.S.C. §1635 Beach v Great Western (FLA) and Beach v Ocwen Federal Living Lies

Update and Review of TILA Rescission 15 U.S.C. §1635 Beach v Great Western (FLA) and Beach v Ocwen Federal
Having received numerous inquiries regarding Rescission under the Federal Truth in Lending Act, I’ve decided to provide a short guide.

10/11/19

Citibank fined $30 million for holding onto foreclosures for too long Housing Wire

Citibank fined $30 million for holding onto foreclosures for too long
Citibank was fined $30 million by federal banking regulators after an investigation found that the bank was not selling foreclosed homes back into the market fast enough.

10/10/19

Where Are the Hundreds of Billions in Loans from the Fed Actually Going on Wall Street? Wall Street On Parade

Where Are the Hundreds of Billions in Loans from the Fed Actually Going on Wall Street?
No one can say with any certainty where the hundreds of billions of dollars that the Federal Reserve has been pumping into Wall Street since September 17 are actually ending up.

10/10/19

Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Hit to Homeowners Pro Publica

Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Hit to Homeowners
By reducing deductions for real estate taxes, Trump’s 2017 tax plan has harmed millions — and helped give corporations a $680 billion gift.

10/10/19

MERS — Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Living Lies

MERS — Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems
MERS- — MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEM — SEE MISSING ASSIGNMENT — SAME THEORY AS ORIGINAL NOTE SEE GARFIELD GLOSSARY mers-info

10/10/19

Servicers: More Than One Set of Books Living Lies

Servicers: More Than One Set of Books
Since we know that most documents presented in foreclosure are inconsistent with other “securitization” documents it is only natural to suspect, assume and then corroborate that

10/10/19

California’s Public Banking Act gains global media attention Public Banking Institute

California’s Public Banking Act gains global media attention
Headlines convey the enormous impact of last week’s signing of the Public Banking Act in California:

10/10/19

Los Angeles and San Francisco announce they are moving forward with plans to start public banks Public Banking Institute

Los Angeles and San Francisco announce they are moving forward with plans to start public banks
Close on the heels of the Public Banking Act being signed into law last week,

10/09/19

Fed’s Powell Admits a Bigger Bailout for Wall Street Is Coming; Fed’s Balance Sheet Ballooned by $176 Billion Since September Wallstreetonparade.com

Fed’s Powell Admits a Bigger Bailout for Wall Street Is Coming; Fed’s Balance Sheet Ballooned by $176 Billion Since September
Yesterday, at a speaking event in Denver at the National Association of Business Economists, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged that a larger, long-term bailout of Wall Street is coming.

10/09/19

Patrick Giunta Esq. Scores Another Homeowner Win in South Florida v US Bank Trustee LSF9 Master Participation Trust: William Paatalo, Expert Testifies Living Lies

Patrick Giunta Esq. Scores Another Homeowner Win in South Florida v US Bank Trustee LSF9 Master Participation Trust: William Paatalo, Expert Testifies
Foreclosure volume has declined but that doesn’t reduce the number of cases that are deficient and even fraudulent.

10/08/19

Fed, other regulators approve changes to ‘Volcker rule’ to ease bank restrictions Marketwatch.com

Fed, other regulators approve changes to ‘Volcker rule’ to ease bank restrictions
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve and four other regulatory agencies announced final approval Tuesday to changes in the “Volcker rule” passed after the 2008 financial meltdown to crack down on trading excesses that contributed to the crisis.

10/08/19

Connecting the Dots to the Budding Wall Street Crisis Wallstreetonparade.com

Connecting the Dots to the Budding Wall Street Crisis
We’re going to do today what mainstream media has failed to do for the American people so far this year — as well as prior to the onset of the 2008 financial collapse on Wall Street.

10/07/19

You Can Fight a Deficiency Judgment Jakelegal.com

You Can Fight a Deficiency Judgment
A deficiency judgment against a consumer or homeowner can be scary. The amounts owed are usually high, and it can seem like you’re paying for an item that you have already lost to foreclosure or repossession.

10/07/19

Frustrated with Your Lawyer’s Attitude? Living Lies

Frustrated with Your Lawyer’s Attitude?
The bottom line is that lawyers want to do the best possible job for their client and get the best possible result.

10/04/19

How large corporations took over single-family homes MSN

How large corporations took over single-family homes
The Great Housing Reset has led to more than one-third of single-family homes being rentals, with a significant share controlled by large corporations.

10/04/19

Here is the Answer to Guilt About the “Free House” — the one the banks don’t want you thinking about. Living Lies

Here is the Answer to Guilt About the “Free House” — the one the banks don’t want you thinking about.
Imagine we are in a new era, where disclosure was full and complete to investors and borrowers. The deal pitched to investors is simple:

10/03/19

The Solution to Defective Securitization of Mortgage Debt: The Bare Legal Truth About Securitization of Mortgage Debt Living Lies

The Solution to Defective Securitization of Mortgage Debt: The Bare Legal Truth About Securitization of Mortgage Debt
The basic truth is that current law cannot accommodate securitization of mortgage debt as it has been practiced. In short, what they (the investment banks) did was illegal. It could be reformed. But until

10/02/19

Second Loans Can Foreclose–But Do They? Jakelegal.com

Second Loans Can Foreclose–But Do They?
When loans and borrowing on your home equity were easy to come by, a lot of people took advantage of the opportunity to cash out on their own home.

10/02/19

Historic step forward: Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the Public Banking Act into California law! Publicbankinginstitute.org

Historic step forward: Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the Public Banking Act into California law!
Victory in California! Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature has made AB 857 — the grassroots-generated, people-powered Public Banking Act — the law in California.

10/02/19

BEAL BANK GETS ITS ASS HANDED TO IT BY MAINE SUPREME COURT! Cloudedtitlesblog

BEAL BANK GETS ITS ASS HANDED TO IT BY MAINE SUPREME COURT!
and this is why we’ve been telling you to look more closely at assignments of mortgage and deeds of trust. It appears the Maine Supremes decided Beal Bank wasn’t entitled to an Assignment of Mortgage by a defunct lender, New Century Mortgage Corporation.

10/02/19

Ocwen Refunded Money to Maine Borrowers Who were Illegally Foreclosed Living Lies

Ocwen Refunded Money to Maine Borrowers Who were Illegally Foreclosed
According to the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, Ocwen Loan Servicing instigated foreclosures on loans based on paperwork that was determined to be legally inaccurate.

10/01/19

IN NEVADA, TIMING IS EVERYTHING … ESPECIALLY IN QUIET TITLE ACTIONS! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

IN NEVADA, TIMING IS EVERYTHING … ESPECIALLY IN QUIET TITLE ACTIONS!
The author of this post offers this information for your educational value and not as legal advice; however, the court in this instance, the Supreme Court of Nevada, clearly screwed U.S. Bank,

10/01/19

Leveraging Mediation to Win Foreclosure Case: Getting a Pre Mediation Order Living Lies

Leveraging Mediation to Win Foreclosure Case: Getting a Pre Mediation Order
The idea of a pre mediation order had not occurred to me until I received this email. I have edited his story to present the following:

09/30/19

Foreclosure defense attorney Mark Stopa permanently disbarred Tampa Bay Times

Foreclosure defense attorney Mark Stopa permanently disbarred
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court has permanently disbarred Pinellas County lawyer Mark Stopa, once among the state’s best-known foreclosure defense attorneys.

09/30/19

Fannie, Freddie will retain $45B in capital in first step toward privatization American Banker

Fannie, Freddie will retain $45B in capital in first step toward privatization
WASHINGTON—Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be permitted to retain a combined $45 billion worth of earnings, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Monday, after holding only small capital cushions of $3 billion each for seven years.

09/26/19

A Home Stolen (in 15 minutes) Joel Sucher

A Home Stolen (in 15 minutes)
It’s not surprising that the mainstream media has ignored the on-going repercussions of the foreclosure crisis; that apocalyptic displacement of millions of homeowners following the 2008 meltdown. It’s not surprising that there seems to be no acknowledgement among the current stable of Democratic Presidential hopefuls — with the notable exception of Bernie Sanders — that justice delayed is justice denied.

09/25/19

Rescission and Burden of Proof Living Lies

Rescission and Burden of Proof
There are winners and losers in every courtroom. When dealing with TILA Rescission under 15 USC §1635 you must go the extra mile in not merely showing the court why you should win, but also revealing that

09/24/19

About that “original note” Living Lies

About that “original note”
Edward Hyne, Nationstar’s Rule 30(b)(6) witness refers to the practice as “preparing indorsement pages”. This is a partial transcript of the deposition. The case was set for trial Monday October 22, 2018:

09/23/19

Who is the Plaintiff? US Bank or the Trust? Living Lies

Who is the Plaintiff? US Bank or the Trust?
The game is that they are doing everything they can to direct attention to the name of the trustee, which is banking institution instead of the trust which is the actual named Plaintiff or Beneficiary.

09/19/19

Where Legal Fiction Triumphs Over Fact and Money Living Lies

Where Legal Fiction Triumphs Over Fact and Money
This is perfect example of what I have been talking about. The article raises legal points that are entirely correct. But it begs the question — who actually owned the debt by virtue of having paid money for it?

09/18/19

Trump just asked the Supreme Court to let him fire the CFPB’s head. The implications are enormous.Structure Vox

Trump just asked the Supreme Court to let him fire the CFPB’s head. The implications are enormous.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit challenging the leadership structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — taking the same side as the people suing the government in a major constitutional dispute.

09/18/19

NCLC Attorney Statement Regarding Challenge to Constitutionality of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Leadership Structure NCLC

NCLC Attorney Statement Regarding Challenge to Constitutionality of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Leadership Structure
Washington, D.C. – Late yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau joined an appeal by the Trump Administration to the U.S. Supreme Court asserting that the agency’s independent leadership structure is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers.

09/18/19

CFPB: Public consumer complaint database is here to stay Housing Wire

CFPB: Public consumer complaint database is here to stay
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Wednesday the controversial public Consumer Complaint Database is here to stay.

09/18/19

RETURN TO CAPITALISM: Don’t Abandon It —The Problem is Fear Living Lies

RETURN TO CAPITALISM: Don’t Abandon It —The Problem is Fear
Most people have become so fearful that things can only get worse that they are clinging to any vestige of normalcy in their lives, hoping it will last just a little while longer. Here is the truth:

09/18/19

USURY: Exemptions and Privileges May Be Erased for Bundled Loans Living Lies

USURY: Exemptions and Privileges May Be Erased for Bundled Loans
I frankly never thought the topic would ever be taken seriously. But here we are. Many loans have extra privileges and rights that accrue to the lender. Usurious rates may be charged as long as its a bank.

09/17/19

CFPB’s Kraninger agrees: Her job security is unconstitutional American Banker

CFPB’s Kraninger agrees: Her job security is unconstitutional
Kathy Kraninger, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, gave more support Tuesday to the Trump administration's position that the agency she runs exceeds constitutional limits

09/17/19

Getting the Judge to See Things Your Way Isn’t Easy Living Lies

Getting the Judge to See Things Your Way Isn’t Easy
I have received many comments and questions about my article yesterday. Here is one response I wrote to one reader and client.

09/16/19

Appraisal Fraud Changes the Real Terms of Borrowing: Black Knight Controls VA Appraisals Living Lies

Appraisal Fraud Changes the Real Terms of Borrowing: Black Knight Controls VA Appraisals
Bad appraisals lie at the heart of the profit seeking bank plan which they called securitization. Since they were making money not from interest, but from fees and other trading profit and bonuses, the basic premise

09/16/19

THE REAL REASON THE REMIC WANTS YOUR HOUSE … Cloudedtitlesblog.com

THE REAL REASON THE REMIC WANTS YOUR HOUSE …
I wonder if you can actually put a figure to what you’ve been paying attorney(s) to defend your foreclosure, thinking the REMIC is just going to roll over and play dead and you’re going to get a free house.

09/13/19

Who’s on First? Trustee vs Trust v Smoke and Mirrors Living Lies

Who’s on First? Trustee vs Trust v Smoke and Mirrors
Don’t get lost in the weeds. In a normal trust situation the trust is the entity that owns the assets that were entrusted to the trustee. Of course any Trust or

09/12/19

THINKING ABOUT GETTING A SECURITIZATION AUDIT? YOU NEED TO READ THIS! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

THINKING ABOUT GETTING A SECURITIZATION AUDIT? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) has all but wiped out Certified Forensic Loan Auditors in California in the filing of a Complaint for Permanent and Injunctive Relief:

09/12/19

Trump administration working to end Fannie/Freddie profit sweep in September Housing Wire

Trump administration working to end Fannie/Freddie profit sweep in September
Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration is currently looking to end the profit sweep of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

09/11/19

Trump tells “boneheads” at Fed to cut interest rates below 0% Housing Wire

Trump tells “boneheads” at Fed to cut interest rates below 0%
In a Twitter rant Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates down to zero, or lower.

09/11/19

In Memory of Those Who Died Living Lies

In Memory of Those Who Died
I have recently received reminders of the people who died and the criminal investigations that were gutted despite the obvious evidence of the largest economic crime in human history. I pass this on as a reminder that the fraud continues and as a caution to those who think that the worst has happened. They got away with it. The worst is going to happen — unless we intervene.

09/11/19

CFLA Responds to CFPB Federal Lawsuit That Seeks to Censor CFLA and to Protect the Big Banks Issuewire.com

CFLA Responds to CFPB Federal Lawsuit That Seeks to Censor CFLA and to Protect the Big Banks
Los Angeles, Sep 11, 2019 (Issuewire.com) - For immediate release: Certified Forensic Loan Auditors, LLC [hereinafter CFLA] is aware of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's [hereinafter CFPB] filing of an injunction against CFLA

09/10/19

Don’t Admit Anything About the Servicers Either — It’s All a Lie Living Lies

Don’t Admit Anything About the Servicers Either — It’s All a Lie
Want to know why this site is called LivingLies? Read on Homeowners often challenged the authority of the named claimant while skipping over the actual party who is supporting the claim — the alleged servicer. You might also want to challenge or at least question their authority to be a servicer. The fact that someone appointed them to be a servicer does not make them a servicer.

09/10/19

Wells Fargo is Making Big Money off of Loans That Got Them in Trouble Jakelegal.com

Wells Fargo is Making Big Money off of Loans That Got Them in Trouble
Wells Fargo recently reported that it made a lot of money off of the same kind of loan product that in part helped decimate the economy, got the bank in legal trouble, and drove consumers into foreclosure

09/09/19

Banks Often Forget to Show Documents Were Actually Mailed to Homeowners Jakelegal.com

Banks Often Forget to Show Documents Were Actually Mailed to Homeowners
A mortgage and a mortgage loan (sometimes called a promissory note) are both nothing more than contracts, even though there may be slightly different rules that apply to both of them. In order to foreclose the bank has to follow the exact rules and requirements of the terms of those contracts that it made with the borrower.

09/09/19

Improperly Named Trustee on Deed of Trust Can be Liable for Actions on Behalf of Non-Beneficary Living Lies

Improperly Named Trustee on Deed of Trust Can be Liable for Actions on Behalf of Non-Beneficary
Hat tip to Scott Staffne
See Washington_Court_grants_summary_judgment
I have long expressed the belief that the courts had it all wrong when they, along with legislative attempts, decided that when parties are named as trustees they are not responsible for their actions. That is and was always nuts.

09/06/19

Here’s the Proof the Federal Government Is Overtly Lying to the Public about Wall Street’s Derivatives Wallstreetonparade.com

Here’s the Proof the Federal Government Is Overtly Lying to the Public about Wall Street’s Derivatives
Based on every meaningful investigation into the epic financial crash of 2008 that resulted in the worst economic crisis in the U.S. since the Great Depression, derivatives that were concentrated at Wall Street’s largest banks played a central role in the crisis.

09/06/19

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Files Suit against Certified Forensic Loan Auditors, Andrew Lehman, and Michael Carrigan, and Proposed Settlement with Carrigan CFPB

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Files Suit against Certified Forensic Loan Auditors, Andrew Lehman, and Michael Carrigan, and Proposed Settlement with Carrigan
Washington, D.C. — Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) filed a complaint in federal court in the Central District of California against Certified Forensic Loan Auditors, LLC (CFLA), Andrew Lehman (Lehman), and Michael Carrigan (Carrigan).

09/06/19

How to Use Stonewalling Against the Banks in Discovery Phase of Litigation. Living Lies

How to Use Stonewalling Against the Banks in Discovery Phase of Litigation.
Yes, you can use discovery to win the case before it gets to trial. No, that won’t happen just because you asked. You must follow the rules of civil procedure for that to happen.

09/06/19

Housing industry rallies around Trump’s GSE reform plan Housing Wire

Housing industry rallies around Trump’s GSE reform plan
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the government takeover of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

09/06/19

Trump Plan For Home Loans Rattles Watchdogs NPR

Trump Plan For Home Loans Rattles Watchdogs
At its heart, the new Trump administration plan for the home loan market aims to change the rules for the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

09/03/19

The surprising ways foreclosures make housing-market downturns even worse Marketwatch.com

The surprising ways foreclosures make housing-market downturns even worse
Foreclosures caused by a burst housing bubble have many long-term consequences for the housing market. Researchers have an unusual suggestion for how government officials can counteract the bad effects of a housing bubble. A new working paper authored by researchers at Boston University and Stanford University investigates the ways in which foreclosures exacerbate a housing bust and reduce prices for non-distressed homes. The researchers also investigated foreclosure mitigation approaches and proposed a novel way through which government officials could stem the onset of future housing downturns.

09/03/19

The Compounding Effects of Void Court Decisions That Are Contrary to Timely TILA Rescissions Sent Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §1635 and 12 C.F.R. §226.23 — for public review and comment Living Lies

The Compounding Effects of Void Court Decisions That Are Contrary to Timely TILA Rescissions Sent Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §1635 and 12 C.F.R. §226.23 — for public review and comment
In 1968 the Federal Truth In Lending Act was enacted and signed into law in order to establish enforceable laws and regulations to promote the informed use of consumer credit.

09/02/19

The Law of Rescission Under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) Living Lies

The Law of Rescission Under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
TILA Rescission is the law of the land. It is governed by Federal Statute 15 USC §1635 and Federal Regulation (12 CFR § 226.23) each of which have preemptive rights over state law.

09/01/19

Protect the interests of Main Street by passing the Stop Wall Street Looting Act: Richard Cordray Cleveland.com

Protect the interests of Main Street by passing the Stop Wall Street Looting Act: Richard Cordray
In a guest column today, Cordray, the first head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, writes that a recently introduced bill to crack down on private-equity takeovers aims to end the unnecessary closure of retail outlets and other firms.

08/31/19

Verdict for Tampa Homeowner! Torrens Law Group

Verdict for Tampa Homeowner!
On June 25, 2019, we tried a foreclosure case in circuit court on behalf of a Hillsborough County homeowner. The bench trial resulted in the Court granting our motion for an involuntary dismissal of the foreclosure action.

08/29/19

Extension of Martin Act in New York Threatens Securitization Players Living Lies

Extension of Martin Act in New York Threatens Securitization Players
While most people didn’t notice, all of Wall Street took notice when the New York Governor signed into law a bill that extends the right of the state attorney general to investigate financial crimes and bring actions for equitable relief and damages.

08/28/19

Ditech Sale Blocked by Homeowner Claims of Botched Mortgages Bloomberg

Ditech Sale Blocked by Homeowner Claims of Botched Mortgages
Bankrupt mortgage servicer Ditech Holding Corp. saw its reorganization plan rejected on Wednesday after a federal judge ruled the company couldn’t sell its mortgage-servicing rights and reverse-mortgage business free and clear of consumer claims.

08/28/19

Federal Court Says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foreclosures Have to Meet Constitutional Due Process Standards Nolo.com

Federal Court Says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foreclosures Have to Meet Constitutional Due Process Standards
Based on a recent federal court decision, foreclosure procedures for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans could change in states that allow nonjudicial foreclosures.

08/28/19

Jurisdictional Defense —- Certificate Holders vs Trust Living Lies

Jurisdictional Defense —- Certificate Holders vs Trust
Litigators often miss the point that the foreclosure is brought on behalf of certificate holders who have no right, title or interest in the debt, note or mortgage — and there is no assertion, allegation or exhibit that says otherwise.

08/27/19

Fannie Mae Admits Mortgage Transfers Without recording — Sees Substantial Liability Living Lies

Fannie Mae Admits Mortgage Transfers Without recording — Sees Substantial Liability
Hat tip: Bill Paatalo Everyone in law enforcement knows that if you can get suspect to say something he thinks will help him, you have the beginning of a confession or

08/26/19

Consent Order Contains Admission of False Affidavits and False Chains of Title Living Lies

Consent Order Contains Admission of False Affidavits and False Chains of Title
A lot of student loan debt ends up being claimed by “Trusts” that are exactly like REMIC trusts except they are not about residential mortgages. And as I have previously pointed out on these pages, the enforcement of those debts

08/22/19

How to present the defense in foreclosure Living Lies

How to present the defense in foreclosure
As we all continue to fight what we know are wrongful foreclosures we struggle with how to reveal that to a judge in a way that is so compelling that even the most bank biased judge will feel so uncomfortable with the proof that he or she is compelled to rule for the homeowner.

08/20/19

Warren: Trump DOJ settlements let big banks off easy American Banker

Warren: Trump DOJ settlements let big banks off easy
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding information from the Justice Department about actions that Trump administration officials took last year to reduce the penalties against two large banks that sold faulty mortgages to investors in the run-up to the financial crisis.

08/19/19

Appellate Judges Do Not Redo the Case Living Lies

Appellate Judges Do Not Redo the Case
The appellate court does not review for purposes of figuring out whether an alternative decision would have been better. They review strictly for the purpose of deciding whether there was any legal basis supporting the judge’s decision. If the answer is yes the decision is affirmed. If the answer is no, then the decision is reversed.

08/19/19

Why “REMIC” Certificates Are Not Mortgage Backed Living Lies

Why “REMIC” Certificates Are Not Mortgage Backed
One of the things tying the SEC and the IRS in knots is that the securitization scheme was a scam that is now institutionalized. The Certificates pr “bonds” are not mortgage backed and that means the so-called REMIC trusts are not REMICs.

08/16/19

American Mortgage Service Co. and Eustis Mortgage plan to merge Housing Wire

American Mortgage Service Co. and Eustis Mortgage plan to merge
Two companies have combined 110 years of lending experience

08/16/19

Law Firm Admits Absence of Creditor Living Lies

Law Firm Admits Absence of Creditor
Hat Tip Bill Paatalo You are right, Bill. You can’t make this stuff up. But somehow judges still don’t want to believe it. How can you be attorney in fact for a nonexistent entity? law-firm-finally-admits-the-absence-of-any-mortgagee

08/16/19

How to Distinguish Between Ownership of the Debt, Ownership of the Note and Ownership of the Mortgage (or Deed of Trust) Living Lies

How to Distinguish Between Ownership of the Debt, Ownership of the Note and Ownership of the Mortgage (or Deed of Trust)
Amongst the lay people who are researching issues regarding who actually can enforce a mortgage, there is confusion arising from specific terms of art used by lawyers

08/15/19

Chase Laundered WAMU Loans Through Offshore Accounts with Fictitious Names Living Lies

Chase Laundered WAMU Loans Through Offshore Accounts with Fictitious Names
Bill Paatalo has once again made a breakthrough in analyzing and investigating the Chase-WAMU connection. see https://bpinvestigativeagency.com/did-chase-park-the-wamu-loans-in-off-shore-tax-haven-subsidiaries-evidence-says-yes/ Here is what we know: did-chase-park-the-wamu-loans-in-off-shore-tax-haven-subsidiaries-evidence-says-yes

08/14/19

A Key Change to Mortgage Lending Rules Is Coming in 2021. Here’s What That Could Mean Fortune

A Key Change to Mortgage Lending Rules Is Coming in 2021. Here’s What That Could Mean
In late July, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it will allow the expiration of the so-called “GSE Patch.” The patch is

08/14/19

How One Woman Beat the Banks by David Dayen Living Lies

How One Woman Beat the Banks by David Dayen
I’m not sure if I ever knew about this article but it seems accurate. How One Woman Beat the Banks by David Dayen

08/14/19

Keep the Envelopes! Attention Forensic Auditors! How to Show They Are Lying About Everything Living Lies

Keep the Envelopes! Attention Forensic Auditors! How to Show They Are Lying About Everything
I have long described the practice of sending out correspondence and notices from, say for example PennyMac, from an address that has never been PennyMac.

08/14/19

How to Use Forensic Auditors During Discovery Living Lies

How to Use Forensic Auditors During Discovery
Discovery is a process that can be used in litigation. That means you have to be in court. Discovery is the process of asking for information that don’t already have or information that will corroborate information

08/13/19

How to track that PO Box When You Receive Notices or Statements Living Lies

How to track that PO Box When You Receive Notices or Statements
Click Here to Look Up P.O. Box Information

08/13/19

2018 DOJ Lawsuit Reveals Securitization Equivalent to “Leprosy” According to Wall Street Insiders Living Lies

2018 DOJ Lawsuit Reveals Securitization Equivalent to “Leprosy” According to Wall Street Insiders
Although the US Department of Justice has never filed criminal charges against anyone, they clearly wanted to do so. Having been limited by some sort of executive direction, they have been filing civil complaints.

08/12/19

Attention Accountants: Follow Up to Forensic Loan Seminar Living Lies

Attention Accountants: Follow Up to Forensic Loan Seminar
Recent reporting by companies involved in the creation and trading of various instruments that are designated to be “derivatives” or contracts on derivatives clearly shows a disclosure that they are not reporting results in accordance with GAAP.

08/12/19

Minus 0.5% Interest: Bank in Denmark will effectively pay qualified home buyers who take out a 10-year fixed rate mortgage Living Lies

Minus 0.5% Interest: Bank in Denmark will effectively pay qualified home buyers who take out a 10-year fixed rate mortgage
The answer is simple — the bank is not making money on the loan. It is making money by originating the loan. It is not making money by collecting interest, it is paying interest in exchange for the borrower’s signature.

08/10/19

DO YOU HAVE FORECLOSURE MONEY COMING TO YOU? Columbus Dispatch

DO YOU HAVE FORECLOSURE MONEY COMING TO YOU?
Here's how foreclosed homeowners can find out if they have surplus funds waiting for them and how to collect

08/10/19

FORECLOSED AND FLEECED Columbus Dispatch

FORECLOSED AND FLEECED
Vulnerable homeowners lose thousands in scheme involving lost properties

08/09/19

Chase-WAMU: Is it time to Declare Non Judicial Foreclosure Unconstitutional As Applied? Living Lies

Chase-WAMU: Is it time to Declare Non Judicial Foreclosure Unconstitutional As Applied?
Faced with a notice of foreclosure sale from a company claiming to be the trustee on a deed of trust, homeowners in judicial states

08/07/19

2008 Schack Decision Reminds Us How Something “Nefarious” Is Happening Living Lies

2008 Schack Decision Reminds Us How Something “Nefarious” Is Happening
It is worth remembering when the foreclosure tidal wave began and the banks were at least as arrogant as today creating sham entities, sham addresses, sham documents, fabricated instruments with sham people.

08/06/19

Ocwen agrees to refund Maine residents to end foreclosure dispute with the state Housing Wire

Ocwen agrees to refund Maine residents to end foreclosure dispute with the state
Will pay to make amends for pursuing foreclosure on loans for which Maine said it had no claim

08/06/19

Ocwen agrees to refund Maine residents to end foreclosure dispute with the state Housing Wire

Ocwen agrees to refund Maine residents to end foreclosure dispute with the state
Will pay to make amends for pursuing foreclosure on loans for which Maine said it had no claim

08/06/19

Consumer watchdog blasts government’s loan sales program — says it has ‘no rules’ in place to help people save their homes Market Watch

Consumer watchdog blasts government’s loan sales program — says it has ‘no rules’ in place to help people save their homes
The Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) is considering rule changes that might negatively impact consumers. Unless a substantial number

08/06/19

Get out your pen! Write comments to CFPB! Living Lies

Get out your pen! Write comments to CFPB!
The Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) is considering rule changes that might negatively impact consumers. Unless a substantial number

08/05/19

Finally a Judge Asks the right Questions about TILA Rescission and Invites Briefs Living Lies

Finally a Judge Asks the right Questions about TILA Rescission and Invites Briefs
The time may now be coming where the court systems and Federal and State legislatures must come to terms with two inescapable legal facts:

08/05/19

Mr Cooper: Now You See It Now You Don’t — Maybe They Own Debt and then Again Maybe Not: 10Q report to SEC Living Lies

Mr Cooper: Now You See It Now You Don’t — Maybe They Own Debt and then Again Maybe Not: 10Q report to SEC
READ SLOWLY, Breathe, repeat

08/02/19

How Trump’s Political Appointees Overruled Tougher Settlements With Big Banks Propublica

How Trump’s Political Appointees Overruled Tougher Settlements With Big Banks
After talks with well-connected lawyers for Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland, senior Justice Department officials in Washington last year told career prosecutors who’d been investigating the banks’ misdeeds to settle for less than they wanted.

08/02/19

US Bank and Deutsch Agree That They Should NOT be named as Plaintiffs in Foreclosures Living Lies

US Bank and Deutsch Agree That They Should NOT be named as Plaintiffs in Foreclosures
People forget that Deutsch issued a directive to all servicers to cease using its name when initiating foreclosures. The investment banks fought back and

08/01/19

Fry Law's Sacramento Injury Attorneys Stand Up for Homeowners and Stick it to Wells Fargo...Again! Fry Law Corp.

Fry Law's Sacramento Injury Attorneys Stand Up for Homeowners and Stick it to Wells Fargo...Again!
In late 2014, a Sacramento couple represented by the personal injury attorneys at Fry Law Corporation submitted a loan modification application to Wells Fargo. After months and months of the review process,

08/01/19

Mortgage servicers are missing the boat when it comes to customer satisfaction Housing Wire

Mortgage servicers are missing the boat when it comes to customer satisfaction
Let's just say servicers have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to customer satisfaction.

07/31/19

How to Frame TILA Rescission in Your Pleadings Living Lies

How to Frame TILA Rescission in Your Pleadings"
In many cases it is the homeowner or their attorney that is confused about the effects of TILA rescission.

07/31/19

Fed cuts rate, citing "global developments" Housing Wire

Fed cuts rate, citing "global developments"
The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday at the end

07/30/19

Wells Fargo Reaps a Windfall From Old Financial-Crisis Mortgages Barrons

Wells Fargo Reaps a Windfall From Old Financial-Crisis Mortgages
A portfolio of formerly troubled home mortgages dating back to before the financial crisis has turned into a windfall for Wells Fargo.

07/29/19

Court Allows Bank to Mislead Hurricane Irma Victim in Foreclosure Bruce Jacobs

Court Allows Bank to Mislead Hurricane Irma Victim in Foreclosure
During the financial crisis, there was no shortage of horror stories about banks conducting all kinds of illegal foreclosures against homeowners. Some stories were truly appalling

07/24/19

Guest Oped: A decade after the 2008 foreclosure crisis, Northwest Philadelphia is fighting back Germantown Courier

Guest Oped: A decade after the 2008 foreclosure crisis, Northwest Philadelphia is fighting back
Philadelphia was hit hard by the Great Recession of 2008. According to a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia experienced the second-largest decline in homeownership of the nation’s 30 largest cities

07/24/19

Ambac v US Bank Dismissed in SDNY BUT Lots of Interesting Facts and Corroboration Contained in Order Living Lies

Ambac v US Bank Dismissed in SDNY BUT Lots of Interesting Facts and Corroboration Contained in Order
When you look at the pleadings and orders entered in these cases between investors, insurers, trustees and investment banks, you see things that actually corroborate the defense narrative in foreclosure cases.

07/24/19

How to Understand Debt and Money in Foreclosures Today Living Lies

How to Understand Debt and Money in Foreclosures Today
Everything is summed up in the words of Reynaldo Reyes from Deutsche Bank: It’s all very counterintuitive, which means that the truth runs against basic assumptions that once worked. The assumptions are not true and the truth seems to be untrue.

07/23/19

Stop Wall Street Looting Act of 2019 Introduced in Congress Living Lies

Stop Wall Street Looting Act of 2019 Introduced in Congress
Long overdue, many politicians are starting to understand the real nature of securitization as it is being practiced in Wall Street. This has produced a heightened awareness

07/22/19

Statement Regarding Settlement with Equifax over its 2017 Data Breach NCLC

Statement Regarding Settlement with Equifax over its 2017 Data Breach
Boston – Today, class action attorneys, federal regulators (Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and state Attorneys General reached a settlement with Equifax regarding its data breach that affected 147 million consumers.

07/22/19

Bank settles with Egremont couple in 'bizarre' foreclosure fight Berkshire Eagle

Bank settles with Egremont couple in 'bizarre' foreclosure fight
EGREMONT — After insisting that a mortgage was tied to a home when the loan documents said that it wasn't, a bank has settled with a local couple who endured

07/22/19

How to Put Leverage Back Into the Hands of Homeowners Living Lies

How to Put Leverage Back Into the Hands of Homeowners
BIG HAT TIP TO STEPHEN LOPEZ, ESQUIRE FOR THIS SAN DIEGO WIN!! You had the ultimate leverage when they needed your signature to start the loan agreement. Now you have the ultimate leverage if you can properly plead and become a credible threat based upon wrongful foreclosure.

07/19/19

California Decision for Borrower Post Sale in Eviction Proceeding Living Lies

California Decision for Borrower Post Sale in Eviction Proceeding
BIG HAT TIP TO STEPHEN LOPEZ, ESQUIRE FOR THIS SAN DIEGO WIN!! This is the latest of a string of decisions from trial judges who took the time to carefully analyze the law and then facts. In this case the issue was

07/16/19

Just to be clear, MERS is absolutely nothing. Living Lies

Just to be clear, MERS is absolutely nothing.
For some reason I have been getting more questions about MERS lately. My analogy has always been that MERS is like a holograph of an empty paper bag. So here are some basic factors for the checklist and analysis:

07/12/19

Action Alert – Day of Hearings for MAAPL’s Bills on 7/16/19 MAAPL – The Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending

Action Alert – Day of Hearings for MAAPL’s Bills on 7/16/19
It’s Time to Make Your Voice Heard!!!
Testify in Support of MAAPL’s Anti-Foreclosure Bills
Tuesday, July 16?th
Massachusetts State House, Room A1
Beacon Hill, Boston

07/11/19

How do I Use Article 9 §203 UCC Requiring Value Be Paid for Debt? Living Lies

How do I Use Article 9 §203 UCC Requiring Value Be Paid for Debt?
Many of you have essentially asked the same question referring to Article 9 §203 UCC as adopted by the laws of your state. There is no known cause of action for breach of that statute although one might be conjured. It is an interesting suggestion.

07/10/19

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN A DEAD ROSS PEROT AND MERS … Cloudedtitlesblog.com

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN A DEAD ROSS PEROT AND MERS …
What did Perot, as a businessman, wrought for himself and for America? How did he get so filthy, stinking rich? He created Electronic Data Systems, Inc., which created the electronic database platform known as Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”).

07/07/19

BOTH QUIET TITLE ACTIONS AND C&E ACTIONS ARE DECLARATORY RULINGS! UPDATE! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

BOTH QUIET TITLE ACTIONS AND C&E ACTIONS ARE DECLARATORY RULINGS! UPDATE!
One judgment appears to be a “cheap date”, while the other judgment isn’t. Which one is cheaper to prove? Why … the C&E of course!

07/06/19

In Philly, your house being ripped off isn’t always enough to get help from police and the DA Inquirer.com

In Philly, your house being ripped off isn’t always enough to get help from police and the DA
Earlier this year, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner mocked his predecessor for taking a lackadaisical approach to housing theft — the growing problem of grifters forging deeds and posing as heirs to steal properties. He said he was different.

07/04/19

R.I.P. SUSAN RICHARDSON Joel Sucher

R.I.P. SUSAN RICHARDSON
No further words needed… She finally succumbed to the big “C” but never relented in her struggle with Bank of America. Susan’s fighting spirit — and her grace — will be her legacy; something Bank of America will never take away from her.

07/03/19

Federal Judge Slams Bayview and Attorneys on Illegal “Modification” Maneuvering Living Lies

Federal Judge Slams Bayview and Attorneys on Illegal “Modification” Maneuvering
The Lesson here is that the denial of modification presents and important opportunity to challenge the

07/02/19

NOTE TO INVESTORS: WHAT THE GREEN EMERALD CASE HAS TAUGHT US Clouded Titles Blog

NOTE TO INVESTORS: WHAT THE GREEN EMERALD CASE HAS TAUGHT US
For some reason, this case was seared into my conscience. I’ve seen a lot of investor cases, but this one … this one really spells it out for investors and third parties

07/01/19

Why Standing is Important Living Lies

Why Standing is Important
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Lots of people bring up the issue of standing without realizing that they are invoking constitutional rights and required processes.

06/27/19

JPMorgan Chase: The key to preventing borrowers from defaulting on their mortgages is not what you think Housing Wire

JPMorgan Chase: The key to preventing borrowers from defaulting on their mortgages is not what you think
For years, the conventional wisdom in mortgage lending has been borrowers with more financial skin in the game are less likely to default on their mortgages.

06/26/19

Maui County Officials Consider Recruiting Miami Litigator Bruce Jacobs in Affordable Housing Fight Law.com

Maui County Officials Consider Recruiting Miami Litigator Bruce Jacobs in Affordable Housing Fight
The foreclosure defense attorney’s advocacy efforts have been noticed in communities facing housing issues similar to South Florida's.

06/25/19

McDonough v Smith: High Court Open Door on Fabrication of Evidence Living Lies

McDonough v Smith: High Court Open Door on Fabrication of Evidence
This decision is extremely important for 2 reasons.

06/24/19

Expert: Quick closings sound great for consumers, but are they really? Housing Wire

Expert: Quick closings sound great for consumers, but are they really?
A 10-minute closing may sound like it’s great for the borrower, but one expert questions if the consumer would really benefit from faster closings.

06/24/19

Great Article on Discovery Living Lies

Great Article on Discovery
While I have often expressed my opinions regarding how to conduct discovery, the article written by Donna Welch, Esq., and Kaitlin L. Coverstone of Kirkland and Ellis LP in Chicago Illinois presents a clearer and more concise blueprint for planning and executing discovery.

06/23/19

New Case Update: Owner of Property May Defend Foreclosure, Even If Not on Mortgage Torrens Law Group

New Case Update: Owner of Property May Defend Foreclosure, Even If Not on Mortgage
The Second District Court of Appeal recently stepped in on a very important question: whether an owner of a property who is not on the mortgage, but acquired ownership of the property before the foreclosure suit, may challenge the bank's foreclosure case.

06/23/19

3 Foreclosures Defeated in 3 Weeks! Torrens Law Group

3 Foreclosures Defeated in 3 Weeks!
Over the last three weeks, we have had three different foreclosure cases that were set for trial in which the bank has agreed to voluntarily dismiss the foreclosure actions.

06/22/19

Supreme Court Overturns Precedent In Property Rights Case — A Sign Of Things To Come? NPR

Supreme Court Overturns Precedent In Property Rights Case — A Sign Of Things To Come?
A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that property owners can go directly to federal court with claims that state and local regulations effectively deprive landowners of the use of their property.

06/22/19

Conservative SCOTUS Decades Old Overturns Property Rights Injustice Conservative Daily Post

Conservative SCOTUS Decades Old Overturns Property Rights Injustice
Previously, people who had their property seized by the government couldn’t fight back, but now, that injustice has been removed.

06/22/19

Knicht v Township of Scott, Pennsylvania Scott Stafne

Knicht v Township of Scott, Pennsylvania
U.S. Supreme Court overrules previous precedent and holds a government violates the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment when it takes property without compensation, and a property owner may bring a Fifth Amendment claim under §1983 at that time.

06/21/19

A green and just transition requires democratized public banks – Costa Rica style Opendemocracy.net

A green and just transition requires democratized public banks – Costa Rica style
Public banks have far greater financial capacity than we think. We need to harness it for the good of people and planet

06/21/19

Tough Love: Stop Attacking Judges as Stupid or Corrupt. Living Lies

Tough Love: Stop Attacking Judges as Stupid or Corrupt.
Without naming names, I recently responded to an email insisting that I take judges to task for “bad rulings.”

06/19/19

At Wells Fargo, a tone-deaf response to shattered lives Charlotteobserver.com

At Wells Fargo, a tone-deaf response to shattered lives
The next time you see a commercial declaring a new era at Wells Fargo, or the next time you hear a Wells executive touting a new culture, remember Stan and Melissa West.

06/19/19

Sanction Awards to Miami Attorney Bruce Jacobs Could Help City Establish Affordable Housing Fund Law.com

Sanction Awards to Miami Attorney Bruce Jacobs Could Help City Establish Affordable Housing Fund
City of Miami officials have partnered with one of Miami’s most outspoken foreclosure defense litigators to establish a novel method of adding affordable housing to the city.

06/19/19

Help! I need somebody! How to convince an attorney to take your foreclosure case Living Lies

Help! I need somebody! How to convince an attorney to take your foreclosure case
We are inundated with requests for help. We will try to get to each request in timely fashion but in the meantime perhaps this post will be of some assistance

06/18/19

Supreme Court Gives Consumers a Rare Win Jakelegal.com

Supreme Court Gives Consumers a Rare Win
It is not often lately that there is news of the United States Supreme Court making a decision that is in favor of consumers. Recently, however, the court did just that, putting limits on big business’ and banks’ ability to try to make class action cases more difficult for consumers.

06/18/19

Great Article Summarizing Securitization Risks Living Lies

Great Article Summarizing Securitization Risks
This was originally hailed as a brilliant financial innovation as US Fed chair Alan Greenspan believed that CDOs transferred risk from banks to investors

06/18/19

Illinois Court of Appeals Cracks Code of Silence on Who Pays Foreclosure Mills Living Lies

Illinois Court of Appeals Cracks Code of Silence on Who Pays Foreclosure Mills
The wording of the decision strongly suggests that whether the claimant is US Bank, Deutsch or BONY Mellon et al, the third party who is

06/18/19

Wells Fargo mistakes cost people their homes. It was just the start of their problems Charlotteobserver.com

Wells Fargo mistakes cost people their homes. It was just the start of their problems
About nine years ago, a Burlington woman begged Wells Fargo to keep working with her to lower her mortgage payments. She had just lost her job, and the single mom was struggling to pay for the house she shared with her three kids.

06/17/19

Quicken Loans agrees to $32.5 million settlement in federal mortgage fraud lawsuit Cleveland.com

Quicken Loans agrees to $32.5 million settlement in federal mortgage fraud lawsuit
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Quicken Loans has agreed to pay $32.5 million to settle a years-old lawsuit in which the Justice Department accused the lending company of mortgage fraud.

06/17/19

I Have a Plan Too. Statutory Changes Governing Loans and Foreclosures. Living Lies

I Have a Plan Too. Statutory Changes Governing Loans and Foreclosures.
I recently received an email from a contributing reader who was complaining that judges are to blame for the foreclosure mess. Correction. While judges might share some blame,

06/14/19

UPDATE: DITECH BANKRUPTCY INFORMATION Cloudedtitlesblog.com

UPDATE: DITECH BANKRUPTCY INFORMATION
Here’s the latest posting on Ditech’s bankruptcy action (for those who are affected):

06/14/19

BANKS GET SCREWED TOO BY NOT FOLLOWING PROCEDURE! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

BANKS GET SCREWED TOO BY NOT FOLLOWING PROCEDURE!
Was it really clerical error or weren’t the attorneys for the bank paying attention to detail?

06/14/19

The Truth about US Bank Living Lies

The Truth about US Bank
Lawyers and pro se litigants continue to ignore the basics when mounting a challenge to foreclosures in which US Bank is asserted to be

06/12/19

No the Mortgages Are Not Securities, But the “Certificates” Do Not Qualify for Exemption As “Mortgaged Backed” Living Lies

No the Mortgages Are Not Securities, But the “Certificates” Do Not Qualify for Exemption As “Mortgaged Backed”
For those straining to find a way to categorize mortgage loans as securities I offer this based upon my licensing, training and experience as a

06/11/19

Veira v PennyMac and JPM Chase 4th DCA Finds What Everyone has Known all along — that PennyMac never has standing and Chase, most of the time, doesn’t have standing Living Lies

Veira v PennyMac and JPM Chase 4th DCA Finds What Everyone has Known all along — that PennyMac never has standing and Chase, most of the time, doesn’t have standing
Another case showing shifting attitudes toward illegal foreclosures. At the trial level there have been many such decisions, some with an expanded finding of fact showing that the foreclosure was a sham.

06/11/19

Veira v PennyMac and JPM Chase 4th DCA Finds What Everyone has Known all along — that PennyMac never has standing and Chase, most of the time, doesn’t have standing Living Lies

Veira v PennyMac and JPM Chase 4th DCA Finds What Everyone has Known all along — that PennyMac never has standing and Chase, most of the time, doesn’t have standing
Another case showing shifting attitudes toward illegal foreclosures. At the trial level there have been many such decisions, some with an expanded finding of fact showing that the foreclosure was a sham.

06/10/19

Ocwen all but drops Ocwen name, will operate as PHH Mortgage and Liberty Home Equity Solutions Housing Wire

Ocwen all but drops Ocwen name, will operate as PHH Mortgage and Liberty Home Equity Solutions
Ocwen Financial announced Monday that it has hit two milestones enabling the company to officially service loans through its two primary brands:

06/10/19

THE C&E, ASSIGNMENTS … AND YOUR RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THEM (PART 2) Cloudedtitlesblog.com

THE C&E, ASSIGNMENTS … AND YOUR RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THEM (PART 2) …
In part 1 of this blog post, we talked about how homeowners were duped by table-funded mortgage brokers and DBA’s (fictitious entities) who claimed they were New York corporations when in fact, they were

06/10/19

Not all courts are ignoring the law. Some are ruling for homeowners based upon basic premises contained in my articles Living Lies

Not all courts are ignoring the law. Some are ruling for homeowners based upon basic premises contained in my articles
Total hat tip to Bill Paatalo There are two takeaways of major significance here.

06/07/19

Finding a Lawyer to Win Foreclosure Cases Living Lies

Finding a Lawyer to Win Foreclosure Cases
No lawyer is an expert in everything. Every case is a learning experience for the lawyer. That includes me despite my extensive background in law and finance.

06/05/19

Right in Front of Our Eyes: Black Knight and U.S. Bank Living Lies

Right in Front of Our Eyes: Black Knight and U.S. Bank
Anyone who knows about foreclosure litigation and securitization of residential debt knows that the only way the banks could succeed is if they had

06/03/19

How the loan was sold multiple times. Living Lies

How the loan was sold multiple times.
THE CLAIM FOR HOMEOWNER ROYALTIES It is like any hedge contract. The buyer of the hedge contract is the investment bank, sometimes working through sham conduits.

06/03/19

FHFA merges GSE issuance to common security in bid to cut housing costs for millions Housing Wire

FHFA merges GSE issuance to common security in bid to cut housing costs for millions
As of Monday, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae mortgage-backed securities will be issued under a common security – the Uniform MBS – in a move some have called the biggest change to the MBS in a generation.

06/03/19

REITs eye opportunities in the mortgage market as government pulls back Housing Wire

REITs eye opportunities in the mortgage market as government pulls back
Real estate investment trusts have not typically been huge participants in the housing finance market, but it seems the tide is quickly turning.

06/03/19

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Launch UMBS DSnews

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Launch UMBS
On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac marked the completion of their Single Security Initiative with the launch of the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security (UMBS).

05/29/19

CFPB settles with BSI Financial Services over numerous mortgage servicing issues Housing Wire

CFPB settles with BSI Financial Services over numerous mortgage servicing issues
CFPB accused BSI of improperly handling mortgage servicing transfers

05/29/19

BSI Financial Consent Order and Stipulation CFPB

BSI Financial Consent Order and Stipulation
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING File No. 2019-BCFP-0006 In the Matter of: CONSENT ORDER SERVIS ONE, INC., d/b/a BSI FINANCIAL SERVICES

05/29/19

A real estate fortune built on a foundation of forged deeds and tangled titles Philly.com

A real estate fortune built on a foundation of forged deeds and tangled titles
For years, Orin Clybourn has been a notable success story among the army of entrepreneurs who scout Philadelphia for rundown properties to buy and “flip” for big bucks. He has quietly made more than $1 million this way. The circumstances behind his purchases have been unusual.

05/29/19

How to argue the “allonge” Living Lies

How to argue the “allonge”
Allonge. Additional paper firmly attached to Commercial Paper, such as a promissory note, to provide room to write endorsements.

05/28/19

Public Banks Are a Safer Alternative to Wall Street Medium.com

Public Banks Are a Safer Alternative to Wall Street
“It is hopeless to seek a better way, turn back” is the tired old refrain of the Wall Street lobby and their reliable allies who oppose even the exploration of public banking by California cities and counties.

05/28/19

First American left millions of real estate records exposed Housing Wire

First American left millions of real estate records exposed
Data included bank account details, mortgage information, tax records and phone numbers

05/28/19

My Final Word On Quiet Title Strategies Living Lies

My Final Word On Quiet Title Strategies
Most people do not have a clear understanding about Quiet Title, because it means one thing to them and another thing in court. The common misconception about quiet title is that it is a thing that just happens,

05/24/19

How to Distinguish the Promissory Note from the Debt in a Loan Transaction Living Lies

How to Distinguish the Promissory Note from the Debt in a Loan Transaction
It seems nothing gets a judge angrier than being challenged on the court’s misconception of law. In 42 years of trial experience my conclusion is

05/23/19

Bank bailouts propped up the financial system. But we should never repeat them. Washington Post

Bank bailouts propped up the financial system. But we should never repeat them.
A decade after the massive government bailouts for Wall Street, some of the financial intelligentsia in New York and Washington no longer seem to view them as a bad thing.

05/21/19

Did Ben Carson just mistake an REO for an Oreo? National Mortgage News

Did Ben Carson just mistake an REO for an Oreo?
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson appeared to be unaware of a basic housing term during a hearing Tuesday, confusing "real estate owned," or REO, with an Oreo cookie.

05/21/19

$65,000 Judgment Against U.S. Bank! Torrens Law Group

$65,000 Judgment Against U.S. Bank!
After we won a foreclosure case at trial, U.S. Bank challenged my client's right to recover her attorney's fees incurred defending herself against U.S. Bank. We defeated U.S. Bank at trial

05/21/19

Pump and Dump: When “Lenders” Have No Risk of Loss They Spend Millions Selling Defective Loan Products and Blame Borrowers Living Lies

Pump and Dump: When “Lenders” Have No Risk of Loss They Spend Millions Selling Defective Loan Products and Blame Borrowers
It’s easy to blame borrowers for loans that are in “default.” The American consensus is based upon “personal responsibility”; so when a loan fails the borrower simply failed. But this does not take into account

05/17/19

How Digitizing the Mortgage Process is Further Enabling Massive Fraud and Windfalls for the Banks Living Lies

How Digitizing the Mortgage Process is Further Enabling Massive Fraud and Windfalls for the Banks
Banks should be intermediaries, not the principals in a transaction. If you write a check your bank is not buying the TV. Original documentation and actual facts clears everything up. But what happens if original documentation disappears like it did in the mortgage meltdown?

05/14/19

New Jersey Creates Mortgage Servicers License as Part of Legislative Efforts to Curb Foreclosures in State Stopforeclosurefraud.com

New Jersey Creates Mortgage Servicers License as Part of Legislative Efforts to Curb Foreclosures in State
Consumer Financial Services LAW MONITOR- On April 29, New Jersey’s governor signed into law bill A4997, known as the Mortgage Servicers Licensing Act.

05/14/19

The Big Hoax: Are “Sales” of “Loans” and “Servicing” Real? Living Lies

The Big Hoax: Are “Sales” of “Loans” and “Servicing” Real?
References to sales of loans and servicing rights are usually merely false assertions to distract homeowners and lawyers from looking at what is really happened. By accepting the premise that the loan was sold you are accepting that the loan was (a) real and (b) owned by the party who was designated to appear as a “Seller.”

05/13/19

What is the difference between the note and the debt? What difference does it make? Living Lies

What is the difference between the note and the debt? What difference does it make?
NOTE: This case reads like law review article. It is well worth reading and studying, piece by piece.

05/11/19

The Bank MUST Have Proof It Mailed Default Letter to You Torrens Law Group

The Bank MUST Have Proof It Mailed Default Letter to You

The Bank MUST Have Proof It Mailed Default Letter to You
Most conventional mortgages have a particular paragraph that has been the subject of a great deal of litigation in foreclosure cases: the infamous Paragraph 22.

05/10/19

Former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo says the financial crisis wasn’t his fault: ‘We did what we felt was right’ CNBC

Former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo says the financial crisis wasn’t his fault: ‘We did what we felt was right’
Subprime loans were just a small part of the problem, he adds. But most historical accounts differ: Loans to unqualified buyers are generally seen as the flame that lit the financial crisis’s fuse.

05/08/19

How to Write an Appeal Without Looking Silly Living Lies

How to Write an Appeal Without Looking Silly
Besides strict compliance with all appellate rules, lawyers must be in strict compliance with common sense.

05/07/19

Foreclosure Defense Revisited Living Lies

Foreclosure Defense Revisited
Originally published in October, 2008 this is a revised version of an article that correctly articulated the main weak points in the cases being presented for enforcement of mortgages and deeds of trust. Back then

05/07/19

Freddie Mac is "Reimagining" Servicing to Benefit the Customer Mortgage News Daily

Freddie Mac is "Reimagining" Servicing to Benefit the Customer
Freddie Mac is undertaking a new initiative designed to align the servicing process to a more customer service focus, especially for distressed homeowners.

05/07/19

VA mortgage lenders hit with federal subpoenas Politico

VA mortgage lenders hit with federal subpoenas
Federal investigators have issued subpoenas to several mortgage lenders that make loans to military veterans, seeking information on delinquencies and payments.

05/07/19

Republicans move to abolish CFPB Housing Wire

Republicans move to abolish CFPB
If a handful of Republicans in the Senate have their way, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not exist for much longer, as for at least the third time in the last few years, Republicans are trying to kill the CFPB.

05/07/19

How About Leaving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Alone? Bloomberg

How About Leaving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Alone?
People in Congress and the Trump administration keep repeating — lately with added emphasis — that something must be done about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant mortgage banks that have been wards of the state ever since their failure in the 2008 financial crisis.

05/06/19

Two Foreclosures, One Property, One Owner, Both Claiming Possession of the Original Note, Neither Claiming Ownership of the Debt Living Lies

Two Foreclosures, One Property, One Owner, Both Claiming Possession of the Original Note, Neither Claiming Ownership of the Debt
Originally posted in November, 2008 this illustrates what happens when you destroy notes and then “recreate” them for purposes of claiming you have the original in court.

05/05/19

You're on the deed, but not on the mortgage! Can you fight the foreclosure? Torrens Law Group

You're on the deed, but not on the mortgage! Can you fight the foreclosure?
Sometimes we represent folks who are on the deed to a property, but they are not on the mortgage. Often this is because they purchased the property at a homeowners association foreclosure auction, and now the first mortgage company is coming through with its foreclosure.

05/03/19

Why Accounting Firms and Investment Bankers Should Be Sued Living Lies

Why Accounting Firms and Investment Bankers Should Be Sued
Originally posted in September 2008, here is my update of issues that lawyers, regulators, judges and even borrowers have still not quite absorbed:

05/02/19

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Files Suit Against Lexington Law, PGX Holdings, and Related Entities CFPB

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Files Suit Against Lexington Law, PGX Holdings, and Related Entities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today filed a complaint against PGX Holdings Inc. and subsidiaries Progrexion Marketing Inc., Progrexion Teleservices Inc., eFolks LLC, and CreditRepair.com Inc.; and against John C. Heath, Attorney at Law PLLC, which does business as Lexington Law.

05/01/19

MERS owner, Intercontinental Exchange, is buying Simplifile for $335 million Housing Wire

MERS owner, Intercontinental Exchange, is buying Simplifile for $335 million
ICE is the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange and is also a provider of data and listings services, and the company bought MERS last year. And now, ICE is buying Simplifile, which operates one of the largest networks connecting the agents and jurisdictions that underpin residential mortgage records

05/01/19

Tell Us What You Know About the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We’re Investigating. ProPublica

Tell Us What You Know About the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We’re Investigating.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by Congress in the aftermath of the financial crisis to police companies and protect people from unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. Since the start of the Trump administration,

05/01/19

Banks Switching Tactics As “REMIC” Deficiencies Are Revealed Living Lies

Banks Switching Tactics As “REMIC” Deficiencies Are Revealed
First the investment banks told the servicers to initiate foreclosure which they were more than happy to do since they were being paid ridiculous sums of money to do whatever they were told to do.

04/26/19

Foreclosed homes affect families, neighborhoods, senator says. We have a plan to manage the crisis. NJ.com

Foreclosed homes affect families, neighborhoods, senator says. We have a plan to manage the crisis.
While New Jersey still outpaces the rest of the nation in foreclosure activity, there's been a sizeable drop in the number of foreclosed homes since the recession. Still, there were 18,801 foreclosures begun last year.

04/25/19

Morgan Stanley to pay $150 million for pushing toxic mortgage bonds on California's teachers and public employees Housing Wire

Morgan Stanley to pay $150 million for pushing toxic mortgage bonds on California's teachers and public employees
Morgan Stanley has agreed to a $150 million settlement to resolve claims that it misrepresented the poor-quality of pre-crisis mortgage bonds and cost California teachers and public employees

04/25/19

Second Judge rules Wells Fargo must submit to discovery related to computer “glitch” that led to unjust foreclosures Dann Law

Second Judge rules Wells Fargo must submit to discovery related to computer “glitch” that led to unjust foreclosures
Judges in Ohio and New York believe a credible cause of action against Wells exists CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES, April 25, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- DannLaw attorneys seeking to hold

04/25/19

How to read responses from the alleged “Servicer” Living Lies

How to read responses from the alleged “Servicer”
The human mind fills in voids wherever they occur. The mind fills it in with data that normally occurs between one data point and another. So when we read a response from “the servicer” our minds

04/24/19

Applying Common Sense and Law to Assignments of Mortgage Living Lies

Applying Common Sense and Law to Assignments of Mortgaget
Every time a homeowner wins in foreclosure the investors are actually protected. It’s the sale of the property and/or entry of the foreclosure judgment that cuts investors off from their investment. Weird, right?

04/23/19

Does Sending an FDCPA Validation Request Stop Foreclosure? Yes, Says One Court Culik Law

Does Sending an FDCPA Validation Request Stop Foreclosure? Yes, Says One Court
Many debt collectors are engaged in foreclosure. And under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors are required to stop collecting when a consumer sends a request for verification or validation of the debt.

04/23/19

U.S. Bank, N.A. “as Trustee” Facing Sanctions In Miami Living Lies

U.S. Bank, N.A. “as Trustee” Facing Sanctions In Miami
“It’s unusual that we’re in this position, but it’s unusual that any bank would dare do what they’re doing and think they are above the law like this.” – Bruce Jacobs, Miami Foreclosure Defense Lawyer

04/20/19

I’ve Seen Goldman Sachs From the Inside. We Need Public Banks. Truthout.org

I’ve Seen Goldman Sachs From the Inside. We Need Public Banks.
or far too long, Wall Street has wreaked havoc on people’s personal financial stability and our economy as a whole. I should know. As a managing director at Goldman Sachs

04/19/19

Maxine Waters and Elizabeth Warren Propose Plans to Stop “Crime Spree” of Banks Living Lies

Maxine Waters and Elizabeth Warren Propose Plans to Stop “Crime Spree” of Banks
On my way out the door for the weekend, but wanted to post this. It’s validation of what we all know. But it also puts a plan on the table to stop the continuing damage and heal some of the damage caused by the banks.

04/19/19

9th Circuit Inches Toward Decision of “America’s Wholesale Lender” Living Lies

9th Circuit Inches Toward Decision of “America’s Wholesale Lender”
The issue is jurisdiction. Lawyers filed papers for AWL but AWL was dissolved as a corporation. The lawyers countered with the allegation, on appeal, that AWL was a fictitious name for Countrywide without specifying the location of CW.

04/18/19

A New Plan to Make Wall Street Pay for Creating the Foreclosure Crisis Post News Group

A New Plan to Make Wall Street Pay for Creating the Foreclosure Crisis
Last week, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., convened a House Financial Services Committee hearing, featuring the CEOs of Wall Street’s biggest banks, the financial watchdog group Better Markets released a stunning report

04/18/19

Wells Fargo accused of misleading homeowners in mortgage crisis aftermath NY Post

Wells Fargo accused of misleading homeowners in mortgage crisis aftermath
Wells Fargo is being accused of misleading homeowners who were seeking to lower their home payments in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis.

04/18/19

C&E Strategy is the beginning of a successful attack on the claimed enforcement of a mortgage or deed of trust. Living Lies

C&E Strategy is the beginning of a successful attack on the claimed enforcement of a mortgage or deed of trust.
Attacks on technical deficiencies of assignments of mortgage is a great place to start, but it is not the finish line.

04/17/19

DiTech: The Pretense Continues Living Lies

DiTech: The Pretense Continues
DiTech was not a lender. It was a sales agent or loan broker. Nonetheless a new agreement has been executed in which major creditors of DiTech are resurrecting the illusion

04/16/19

Deutsche Bank: Here’s What Maxine Waters Should Be Subpoenaing Wallstreetonparade.com

Deutsche Bank: Here’s What Maxine Waters Should Be Subpoenaing
According to today’s New York Times, Democrats now in charge of the House Intelligence and Financial Services Committees, have issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup, related to the President’s finances and/or Russian money laundering.

04/16/19

Fannie Mae Explains Securitization and Distribution of Ownership of Debt Living Lies

Fannie Mae Explains Securitization and Distribution of Ownership of Debt
As a quasi government agency Fannie Mae is forced to be forthcoming about its role in lending. But the wording of disclosures mostly come from Wall Street investment banks.

04/13/19

DEFEATING DIVERSITY IN FORECLOSURE ACTIONS Clouded Titles Blog

DEFEATING DIVERSITY IN FORECLOSURE ACTIONS
Even in its most liberal stature, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has again, redefined and re-explained that REMIC trusts can end up costing you lots of money in litigation,

04/12/19

Research Study on Ongoing Crime Spree by Wall Street Mega Banks Gets News Blackout: Here’s Why Wallstreetonparade.com

Research Study on Ongoing Crime Spree by Wall Street Mega Banks Gets News Blackout: Here’s Why
One day before Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee held an historic grilling of the CEOs of the mega banks on Wall Street, the nonprofit watchdog, Better Markets, released an in-depth research report

04/12/19

General Electric agrees to pay $1.5B civil penalty over subprime mortgages The Blaze

General Electric agrees to pay $1.5B civil penalty over subprime mortgages
General Electric has agreed to pay a $1.5 billion settlement for accounting violations related to a now-defunct business that handled subprime mortgages.

04/11/19

Cal. 3d DCA: WRONGFUL FORECLOSURE — You Can Cancel the Assignment, Notice of Default, Notice of Sale and Reverse the Sale. Living Lies

Cal. 3d DCA: WRONGFUL FORECLOSURE — You Can Cancel the Assignment, Notice of Default, Notice of Sale and Reverse the Sale.
This decision “Not for publication” takes one more step toward unravelling the false claims of securitization that resulted in millions of fake foreclosures over at least 15 years

04/10/19

Florida Bankers Association Admission to Florida Supreme Court: “Original Notes Were Eliminated” Living Lies

Florida Bankers Association Admission to Florida Supreme Court: “Original Notes Were Eliminated”
Courtesy of Bill Paatalo, I have located the stark 2009 admission by the Florida Bankers Association that original notes were destroyed contemporaneously with the loan closing.

04/10/19

Bill seeks to hold judges accountable Lowell Sun

Bill seeks to hold judges accountable
BOSTON — Judges in Massachusetts might soon be in for a surprise, as a local legislator is pushing the state to start checking in with them every seven years.

04/09/19

Stop Feeling Guilty — Be A Warrior Living Lies

Stop Feeling Guilty — Be A Warrior
Shame is the reason why most borrowers don’t contest foreclosures. That shame turns to intense anger when they realize that they were used, screwed, abused and now they are

04/09/19

MA Attorney General Secures $2 Million From National Mortgage Servicer Over Unfair And Unaffordable Loan Modifications Mortgageledger.com

MA Attorney General Secures $2 Million From National Mortgage Servicer Over Unfair And Unaffordable Loan Modifications
A national mortgage servicing company will pay $2 million and undertake affordable loan modifications for affected Massachusetts homeowners, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. The settlement resolves allegations that Caliber Homes Loans Inc. (Caliber) failed to help borrowers avoid foreclosure and instead gave homeowners unaffordable loan modifications with ballooning monthly payments they could not afford.

04/08/19

Steve Eisman and FrontPoint Were Shorting Wall Street Banks While the Dumb Fed Was Giving FrontPoint Emergency Loans – and that’s not the Worst Part of this Story Wallstreetonparade.com

Steve Eisman and FrontPoint Were Shorting Wall Street Banks While the Dumb Fed Was Giving FrontPoint Emergency Loans – and that’s not the Worst Part of this Story
Steve Eisman is one of the central characters in the Michael Lewis bestselling book, The Big Short. In the movie of the same name,

04/08/19

CERTO v. BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON Stopforeclosurefraud.com

CERTO v. BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
FL 1st DCA – An agreement to which Mellon is not a party does not evidence a transfer of the Note to Mellon. Thus, the documents Mellon introduced below and that it cites on appeal do not evidence its purchase of the debt or an effective transfer or valid assignment to it.

04/05/19

Miami-Dade Judge Rules Retroactive Provision in Florida's Foreclosure Law is Unconstitutional Daily Business Review - Law.com

Miami-Dade Judge Rules Retroactive Provision in Florida's Foreclosure Law is Unconstitutional
Judge David Miller's wrote that the specific application of the Florida Fair Foreclosure Act—a 2013 law created in response to the housing crisis— to a case before him was at odds with the Florida Constitution.

04/05/19

Discovery from REMIC Rules Living Lies

Discovery from REMIC Rules
I have added to my templates for discovery questions and requests relating to a claimant that is named “XYZ Bank, N.A. as trustee for the ABCDE Corp. Trust Series 12345-4321A Certificates” and where, as in most cases,

04/04/19

You Elected Them To Write New Laws Theyre Letting Corporations Do It Instead Publicintegrity.org

You Elected Them To Write New Laws Theyre Letting Corporations Do It Instead
Each year, state lawmakers across the U.S. introduce thousands of bills dreamed up and written by corporations, industry groups and think tanks. Disguised as the work of lawmakers, these so-called “model” bills

04/04/19

San Francisco Chronicle: California can’t divert mortgage relief funds to pay off state debt Housing Wire

San Francisco Chronicle: California can’t divert mortgage relief funds to pay off state debt
In a former job, Neil Barofsky’s title was SIGTARP – the Special Inspector General overseeing the Troubled Assets Relief Program. He was one of the

04/03/19

UCC: The Internet is no substitute for law school Living Lies

UCC: The Internet is no substitute for law school
he way that borrowers lose cases is by picking out one thing from a case or statute and treating it as a magic bullet. If the law were that simple a computer would be deciding all cases.

04/02/19

Common Sense Prevails: SCOTUS Broadens Primary Liability for Fraudulent Schemes Living Lies

Common Sense Prevails: SCOTUS Broadens Primary Liability for Fraudulent Schemes
For quite some time, the courts have struggled with the concept of primary liability for a lying liar and secondary liability for a liar who passes on the lie knowing that it was a lie. Scotus, in the Lorenzo decision has now said that is a distinction without a difference.

04/01/19

Begging to Lose Money? Think About It! Living Lies

Begging to Lose Money? Think About It!
There are two morals to this story. First always use a legal and financial adviser if you are about to make the largest investment of your life. Second, there is no such thing as boilerplate or standard clauses.

04/01/19

After a Decade of Cheap Money, the Federal Reserve Still Has No Exit Strategy Foundation For Economic Educaton

After a Decade of Cheap Money, the Federal Reserve Still Has No Exit Strategy
Everything the Federal Reserve did to cause the housing crash was done on a much larger scale, not just in 2008, but in every year since.

04/01/19

MMT Scholars’ Predictive and Policy Successes – Part A Neweconomicperspectives.org

MMT Scholars’ Predictive and Policy Successes – Part A
By William K. Black March 31, 2019 Bloomington, MN Introduction The second article in this series deals with Modern Monetary Theory’s (MMT) predictive and policy successes. The article has three, separately published, parts.

04/01/19

Why Homeowners Should Win Foreclosures: It’s the Moral Thing to Do. Living Lies

Why Homeowners Should Win Foreclosures: It’s the Moral Thing to Do.
The reason why thousands of cases have been confidentially settled with satisfactions of mortgages, payment of attorney’s fees and damages is that the banks are willing to pay anything necessary to preserve the tree (certificates) and the branches (derivatives) and the leaves (minibonds and contracts like credit default swaps). The risk to the investment bank is enormous if the tree falls.

03/29/19

Sherry Hernandez: Still Trying To Get Caught in the Revolving Door. Medium.com

Sherry Hernandez: Still Trying To Get Caught in the Revolving Door.
When I last left Sherry?—?a very unhappy California homeowner?—?she had just been arrested in Washington DC; literally, while trying to block the entrance to the vaunted white shoe law firm,

03/29/19

If you think foreclosures are a thing of the past, think again Living Lies

If you think foreclosures are a thing of the past, think again
In order to maintain the illusion of legality and an orderly marketplace the banks and their servicers must continue to push foreclosures even if it means going after people who are not actually withholding payments.

03/29/19

Ocwen settles with Massachusetts over alleged "widespread" mortgage servicing issues Housing Wire

Ocwen settles with Massachusetts over alleged "widespread" mortgage servicing issues
Ocwen Financial will provide $2 million in restitution to mortgage borrowers in the state of Massachusetts as part of settlement with the state over alleged “widespread” mortgage servicing problems.

03/28/19

No Surprise: Ambitious Plan to "Fix" Entire Housing Market Met With Mixed Reaction Mortgage News Daily

No Surprise: Ambitious Plan to "Fix" Entire Housing Market Met With Mixed Reaction
Does the entire housing market need fixing? Senator Mike Crapo thinks so, and he has a gargantuan reform proposal on the table to prove it

03/28/19

Wells Fargo CEO Quits In Wake Of Consumer Financial Scandals NPR

Wells Fargo CEO Quits In Wake Of Consumer Financial Scandals
Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan will step down immediately, the company announced Thursday. "It has become apparent to me that our ability to successfully move Wells Fargo forward from here will benefit from a new CEO and fresh perspectives,"

03/28/19

Bloomberg: Mortgage servicing needs fixing, and here's what should be done Housing Wire

Bloomberg: Mortgage servicing needs fixing, and here's what should be done
Mortgage servicers are “unsung professionals” who play a crucial role in the U.S. economy, Bloomberg says, but they’re not doing their jobs well. But to be fair, it’s not all their fault.

03/28/19

Enforcement of Note vs. Enforcement of Mortgage Living Lies

Enforcement of Note vs. Enforcement of Mortgage
While the two are often conflated there is a distinct difference between them. In an action to enforce the note it is often presumed that the note is being enforced to pay the debt to a creditor who might not even be identified

03/27/19

“Lost notes” and the Sudden Appearance of “Original Notes.” Living Lies

“Lost notes” and the Sudden Appearance of “Original Notes.”
Think of it this way: If someone wrote you a check for $100, which would you do? (1) make a digital copy of the check and then shred it or (2) take it to the bank? Starting with the era in which banks made what is abundantly clear as false claims of securitization the banks all chose option #1.

03/26/19

Why Regulation is Failing the Mortgage Market Living Lies

Why Regulation is Failing the Mortgage Market
A new report from the Federal Reserve Board identifies the central issues confronting regulators — issues that regulators have avoided assiduously. The bottom line is that the FED

03/26/19

Do “Custodians”Really Hold “Original Notes?” BP Investigative Agency

Do “Custodians”Really Hold “Original Notes?”
The following is an example of a typical case where the servicer for “XYZ Trust” attests or certifies that the Plaintiff trust is in possession of the “original note” at the commencement of the foreclosure action. These certifications rarely, if ever, come from the actual

03/22/19

Wells Fargo Bank and the Glass-Steagall Act Verdict from Justia

Wells Fargo Bank and the Glass-Steagall Act
The issues plaguing Wells Fargo and other banks bring to the fore the Glass-Steagall Act, which does not rest in peace. Its lessons surface and rise continuously; they are hard to ignore.

03/22/19

World’s biggest banks accused of price-fixing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac bonds Housing Wire

World’s biggest banks accused of price-fixing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac bonds
More than a dozen of the world’s largest financial institutions conspired to fix the prices on more than $485 billion in bonds issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over a five-year period, according to a new blockbuster lawsuit.

03/22/19

Former CoreLogic exec named general counsel at Fannie Mae Housing Wire

Former CoreLogic exec named general counsel at Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae has brought on former CoreLogic exec Stergios “Terry” Theologides to serve as EVP, general counsel and corporate secretary.

03/22/19

A Replay of 2008 in the Works Living Lies

A Replay of 2008 in the Works
Amongst the constant placement of article promoted and paid for by the banks that celebrate our supposed recovery from the mortgage meltdown is a new spate of articles that say otherwise.

03/21/19

San Jose lawmakers unanimously vote to study a public bank and abandon banking with Chase Publicbankinginstitute.org

San Jose lawmakers unanimously vote to study a public bank and abandon banking with Chase
On Tuesday, the city of San Jose debated whether to waive its wage theft policy in order to award a major banking contract to Chase, or to create its own public bank. At the end of the discussion,

03/21/19

How to Think About MERS Living Lies

How to Think About MERS
If you are going to challenge a foreclosure or sue for wrongful foreclosure and fraud, you need to know what you are doing and know what your opposition has been doing. You also must know what to do about it because knowing is not enough. You need to convince a judge who starts from a bias of upholding “contract” because that is what judges are supposed to do in our system.

03/20/19

BONY Mellon Crashes on Statute of Limitations in NY Living Lies

BONY Mellon Crashes on Statute of Limitations in NY
While this case could have the effect of barring all those cases that are over 6 years old (NY Statute) where acceleration occurred, it does nothing in those jurisdictions like Florida that have twisted logic to create a virtual deceleration allowing the statute of limitations to continue running.

03/20/19

Supreme Court defines ‘debt collector’ under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Jurist

Supreme Court defines ‘debt collector’ under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP that a business is not a “debtor collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, except in enforcing security interest under 15 USC §1692f(6).

03/20/19

Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP Casetext

Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP
U.S. Supreme CourtMar 20, 2019 No. 17-1307 (U.S. Mar. 20, 2019) JUSTICE BREYER delivered the opinion of the Court.

03/20/19

Federal Reserve signals it won't raise interest rates at all this year Housing Wire

Federal Reserve signals it won't raise interest rates at all this year
At the conclusion of its March meeting, the Federal Reserve announced it is not raising the federal funds rate. In fact, the Fed is signaling it is done with the idea of rate hikes for the rest of 2019.

03/20/19

Wells Fargo to pay $13 million to settle claims of improperly modifying bankrupt borrowers’ mortgages Housing Wire

Wells Fargo to pay $13 million to settle claims of improperly modifying bankrupt borrowers’ mortgages
Wells Fargo will pay more than $13 million to settle a pending class-action lawsuit that accused the bank of “improperly” modifying the mortgages of borrowers who had declared bankruptcy.

03/18/19

Turns Out That Trillion-Dollar Bailout Was, in Fact, Real Rolling Stone

Turns Out That Trillion-Dollar Bailout Was, in Fact, Real
A Man Holds a Sign During a Protest On Wall Street Against the United States Government's Rescue Plan For Failing Financial Institutions in New York, 2008.

03/18/19

Did Wall Street get a ‘trillion-dollar bailout’ during the financial crisis? Washington Post

Did Wall Street get a ‘trillion-dollar bailout’ during the financial crisis?
“Not one major Wall Street executive went to jail for destroying our economy in 2008 as a result of their greed, recklessness and illegal behavior. No. They didn’t go to jail. They got a trillion-dollar bailout.”

03/13/19

KAMALA HARRIS CELEBRATES HER ROLE IN THE MORTGAGE CRISIS SETTLEMENT. THE REALITY IS QUITE DIFFERENT. The Intercept

KAMALA HARRIS CELEBRATES HER ROLE IN THE MORTGAGE CRISIS SETTLEMENT. THE REALITY IS QUITE DIFFERENT.
PRETTY MUCH EVERY major Democratic official involved in responding to the foreclosure crisis during the Obama years did an unforgivably terrible job.

03/13/19

The Discovery Rule: Tolling the Statute of Limitations Living Lies

The Discovery Rule: Tolling the Statute of Limitations
There is an excellent post by Michael B. Schwegler in Tennessee on the whole issue of whether the statute of limitations can be extended to the date that the breach of duty was discovered.

03/12/19

Unworthy Trusts Living Lies

Unworthy Trusts
The simple fact is that the REMIC trusts do not exist in the real world. The parties named as trustees — e.g. US Bank, Deutsch, BONY/Mellon — are trust names that are used by permission through what is essentially a royalty agreement. If you are dealing with a trust then you are dealing with a ghost.

03/11/19

Stop Referring to Defaults as Something Real Living Lies

Stop Referring to Defaults as Something Real
Referring to the default as real, but with an explanation of how it is subject to rationalization or argument, completely undermines your argument that they have no right to be in court, to collect, to issue notices or initiate foreclosure.

03/06/19

Do Expert Declarations Help? Living Lies

Do Expert Declarations Help?
The bottom line is that facts — or absence of required facts — is what persuades the judge. The value of good investigation and case analysis lies not in the opinion of the writer of the report but

03/06/19

Ocwen planning to lay off more than 2,000 mortgage employees Housing Wire

Ocwen planning to lay off more than 2,000 mortgage employees
Ocwen Financial plans to reduce its overall workforce by more than 2,000 employees over the course of this year, as the nonbank moves to reduce its costs after its $360 million acquisition of PHH.

03/05/19

Is that Mortgage or Deed of Trust Void or Just Unenforceable? Living Lies

Is that Mortgage or Deed of Trust Void or Just Unenforceable?
Proving that an instrument is unenforceable does not void the instrument unless it is unenforceable by anyone. Better to prove that it should never have been written.

03/04/19

Gary Dubin: Proposed Mortgage Integrity Act (MIA): Living Lies

Gary Dubin: Proposed Mortgage Integrity Act (MIA):
For ten years, Gary Dubin in Hawaii has been practicing law defending homeowners from foreclosure. He has preached his own version of how to combat foreclosure fraud. And he has practiced what he preached. I find his work enlightening and refreshing. So when I read his Proposed Mortgage Integrity Act (MIA) I decided to republish it in its entirety.

03/04/19

Disruptive Innovation in the Legal Industry Ross Intelligence

Disruptive Innovation in the Legal Industry
Disruptive innovation” is one of those phrases that you hear a lot, but few people seem to know its true meaning. I’m guilty of this myself. Disruptive innovation is a theory by Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School,

03/01/19

TILA Rescission and Bankruptcy: What Happens When the Bankruptcy Court Gets it Wrong Living Lies

TILA Rescission and Bankruptcy: What Happens When the Bankruptcy Court Gets it Wrong
When TILA rescission has occurred the encumbrance is eliminated and the debt converts from one arising from a promissory note to one arising from a statute — 15 USC §1635.

02/25/19

Enforcement of Note vs. Enforcement of Mortgage Living Lies

Enforcement of Note vs. Enforcement of Mortgage
Watch out for the discrepancy between enforcement of a note and enforcement of an encumbrance. Enforcement of the note requires proof that the claimant is the owner of the debt, or has been authorized by the owner of the debt to enforce the note. Enforcement of the mortgage requires that the claimant be the owner of the debt.

02/21/19

Bringing justice home: Creating a Bureau of Housing and Loan Fraud in the Queens DA’s Office Amsterdamnews.com

We are now 10 years out of the Great Recession, and predatory lending and housing fraud continue to threaten and harm New Yorkers.

02/21/19

What Happens on A Motion to Dismiss? Living Lies

What Happens on A Motion to Dismiss?
Legal procedure is difficult to master in one sweep. But in all events you should know that everything before trial is strictly procedure and that your notions about right and wrong are almost besides the point.

02/19/19

Removing Liens Rendered Void by TILA Rescission 15 USC §1635 Living Lies

Removing Liens Rendered Void by TILA Rescission 15 USC §1635
Client goes into the office of an attorney and tells him/her that a notice of rescission was sent. The attorney without studying the issue says the rescission never happened. And so it goes.

02/18/19

Can MERS Assign the Debt? Living Lies

Can MERS Assign the Debt?
The answer is complicated. On its face and on its own the answer is obvious: since MERS never has any ownership of the debt or the note, it cannot transfer either one.

02/16/19

Are banks guilty of faking signatures on British court papers? The Guardian

Are banks guilty of faking signatures on British court papers?
A new campaign group claims the practice is taking place on an ‘industrial scale’

02/16/19

LaRace v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as Trustee Update Glenn Russell

LaRace v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as Trustee Update
Wells Fargo Bank filed its Motion for Summary Judgment Against Mark and Tammy LaRace on January 14, 2019, and The Firm just filed its Opposition to this Motion Wells Fargo has tried to remove our clients from their residential property for the past decade, including being the unnamed party in the nationally cited case U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n v. Ibanez, 458 Mass. 637, 941 N.E.2d 40 (MA SJC 2011).

02/15/19

Deutsche Bank reverses pledge to help distressed homeowners American Banker

Deutsche Bank reverses pledge to help distressed homeowners
Deutsche Bank has decided that none of the more than $4 billion it promised to spend on consumer relief after the global mortgage crisis will go to distressed U.S. homeowners, according to a report by the monitor of the 2017 settlement.

02/15/19

Ex-Fannie Mae Employee Found Guilty of Multi-Million Dollar Scheme Involving Property Listings and Approval of Below-Market Sales Lawfuel.com

Ex-Fannie Mae Employee Found Guilty of Multi-Million Dollar Scheme Involving Property Listings and Approval of Below-Market Sales
SANTA ANA, California – A former employee of Fannie Mae in Irvine has been found guilty of federal fraud charges related to bribes and kickbacks she took from brokers in exchange for Fannie Mae real estate listings and her approval of discounted sales of Fannie Mae-owned properties.

02/15/19

A Movement to Hold Judges Accountable for Their Illegal Actions Living Lies

A Movement to Hold Judges Accountable for Their Illegal Actions
Recent articles are beginning to take seriously what homeowners have been saying for more than a decade — that a separate set of rules applies to foreclosures that are biased against consumers, borrowers and homeowners.

02/14/19

Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, Finding a Florida Lawyer Just Got Easier Law.com

Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, Finding a Florida Lawyer Just Got Easier
Meet the Florida Bar's new and improved online lawyer referral service, covering 120 practice areas in 47 counties and featuring 12 different languages.

02/14/19

Facially Valid for Those Inclined to Latin Living Lies

Facially Valid for Those Inclined to Latin
Bill Paatalo in his unrelenting search for doctrine that covers the widespread fraud confronting borrowers of all types including especially homeowners, has found some old English common law concepts that do have some application in today’s chaos in the courtroom. His question related to the Latin doctrine Nul Tiel Record.

02/13/19

Caliber and LSF9 Trust Example of Smoke and Mirrors Living Lies

Caliber and LSF9 Trust Example of Smoke and Mirrors
The lesson is keep your eye on the ball. The natural human reaction to an affidavit is to assume it is true. We assume that it would not be submitted if the lawyers knew it wasn’t true.

02/13/19

Bill Would Make Online Access to Federal Court Records Free Courthouse News Service

Bill Would Make Online Access to Federal Court Records Free
ATLANTA (CN) — House lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would remove online paywalls and make federal court records free to the public.

02/13/19

Contract AI: How Legal Departments Evaluated, Use Artificial Intelligence Tools Spendmatters.com

Contract AI: How Legal Departments Evaluated, Use Artificial Intelligence Tools
A new report for Seal Software sheds light on how companies’ legal departments are preparing for or using the latest tools associated with artificial intelligence to analyze contracts

02/13/19

HUD’s System for Processing Public Records Requests Died During the Shutdown ProPublica

HUD’s System for Processing Public Records Requests Died During the Shutdown
The contract for the agency’s electronic system for managing FOIA requests lapsed in early January and hasn’t been renewed. Delays are mounting.

02/13/19

McGreevey wins: Veteran who alleged illegal foreclosure gets $125,000 settlement Oregonlive.com

McGreevey wins: Veteran who alleged illegal foreclosure gets $125,000 settlement
When Marine Jacob McGreevey returned home to Vancouver after four years in Afghanistan and Iraq war zones, the fight wasn’t over. No, McGreevey launched into more combat, this time against the company he claimed illegally foreclosed on his house.

02/12/19

Future Law School. What Does It Look Like? Forbes

Future Law School. What Does It Look Like?
Crises in the justice systems across the world leave a huge imprint on the legal education system, which already has enough internal and external problems.

02/12/19

Attorney General James to Urge Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Reject Anti-Consumer Protection Policies Longisland.com

Attorney General James to Urge Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Reject Anti-Consumer Protection Policies
New York, NY - February 12, 2019 - New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 21 State Attorneys General in urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) not to adopt recently-proposed policies that would erode critical consumer protections under the guise of fostering innovation in the consumer financial marketplace

02/11/19

CFPB is looking out for financial predators instead of Main Street The Hill

CFPB is looking out for financial predators instead of Main Street
To protect Main Street Americans — consumers, investors, homeowners, students, soldiers, retirees and the elderly — from predatory financial behavior and financial instability that can lead to devastating financial crashes like 2008, the Dodd-Frank law created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

02/11/19

Making the Foreclosure Process More Efficient DS News

Making the Foreclosure Process More Efficient
New Jersey's Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee has passed bipartisan legislation consisting of a package of nine bills that are aimed at streamlining pending foreclosure cases in the state.

02/11/19

Why Fabrications? Why Forgeries? Living Lies

Why Fabrications? Why Forgeries?
In an increasing number of foreclosure cases, homeowners are going head to head with the lawyers who file claims on behalf of entities on the basis of fabricated and/or forged instruments that in many cases were also recorded in county records.

02/08/19

Denied Modification: A Cog of the Loan Servicing Industry Profit Factory Attorney At Law Magazine

Denied Modification: A Cog of the Loan Servicing Industry Profit Factory
In the iconic holiday movie “Christmas Vacation” cousin Eddie congratulates Clark Griswold for receiving a subscription to the Jelly of the Month club as his Christmas bonus. “Clark, that’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long.” I could say the same thing about Wells Fargo, the financial institution whose unethical business practices have kept regulators and consumer lawyers busy for the past decade.

02/05/19

MERS AND ITS ROLE AS A PLAINTIFF AND DEFENDANT … OR THE LACK THEREOF! Clouded Titles Blog

MERS AND ITS ROLE AS A PLAINTIFF AND DEFENDANT … OR THE LACK THEREOF!
This is an educational overview as to what has taken place in the American legal forums in the last two decades and my take on what it all means:

02/05/19

Facial Validity vs Enforceability Living Lies

Facial Validity vs Enforceability
It is universally accepted that a mortgage or deed of trust may not enforced except by the owner of the actual debt. The debt exists regardless of whether it is in writing or not. While a promissory note might be enforced

02/04/19

About Legal Research And Fact Analysis Living Lies

About Legal Research And Fact Analysis
When people retain us to perform analysis, what we are doing is applying our knowledge of facts regarding the current context of foreclosures, foreclosure defenses and claims based upon wrongful foreclosures. Each case must be carefully analyzed

02/02/19

Return To Prudent Banking Act: Bill To Reign In Predatory Banks Introduced Inquisitr.com

Return To Prudent Banking Act: Bill To Reign In Predatory Banks Introduced
A bipartisan bill called the Return to Prudent Banking Act has been introduced in Congress to reinstate crucial consumer protections against predatory banking practices in place until 1999

01/31/19

Federal Court 2015 Deutsch Bank Case Reveals Bank Willingness to Lie Directly to the Court Living Lies

Federal Court 2015 Deutsch Bank Case Reveals Bank Willingness to Lie Directly to the Court
A mere glance at the procedure invoked by the attorney supposedly representing Deutsch Bank reveals the arrogance with which the lawyers present false cases based upon false documents and false execution of documents.

01/30/19

Facially Invalid Recorded Documents Living Lies

Facially Invalid Recorded Documents
The view proffered by the banks would require them to accept declarations of fact from potential borrowers without any indicia of truth or reliability. It is opposite to the manner in which they do business. Currently they have it both ways,

01/29/19

Rogue REMICs? 2016 Study Reveals Lack of Standing Living Lies

Rogue REMICs? 2016 Study Reveals Lack of Standing
I read a lot. I came across this article today published in 2016. Nobody has paid attention to it but as far as I can tell on first skim, the author has both coined the name “rogue REMIC” and described it well enough to come to a conclusion,

01/28/19

Short Videos on “The Men Who Stole the World” Living Lies

Short Videos on “The Men Who Stole the World”
I’m not sure of the production details but what I have seen is directly on point and corroborates my own interviews with insiders who were never indicted.

01/28/19

Data Breach Reveals Tech Players in Storage and Manipulation of Documents Living Lies

Data Breach Reveals Tech Players in Storage and Manipulation of Documents
I often find clues to the “who” question of reporting in little known articles about data breaches. We find in this article the names of players who

01/26/19

Kamala Harris' complicated history with Wall Street will come under scrutiny in the 2020 race CNBC

Kamala Harris' complicated history with Wall Street will come under scrutiny in the 2020 race
Sen. Kamala Harris' history with Wall Street and the banking industry is about to come under scrutiny in a big way as the California Democrat joins

01/24/19

Tonight! Foreclosure Mills Are Accountable Under FDCPA Living Lies

Tonight! Foreclosure Mills Are Accountable Under FDCPA
I think the recent spate of cases against law firms who collect debts is indicative of the tremendous liability assumed by a lawyer who, knowing that there are defects in the claim, pursues it anyway.

01/24/19

The Facts Behind Smoke and Mirrors Living Lies

The Facts Behind Smoke and Mirrors
Nearly everyone is confused as to the identity of the real holder in due course, or the “creditor,” or the owner of the debt. Nearly everyone thinks that ultimate it is investors who purchased certificates.

01/23/19

Millions of bank loan and mortgage documents have leaked online Techcrunch.com

Millions of bank loan and mortgage documents have leaked online
trove of more than 24 million financial and banking documents, representing tens of thousands of loans and mortgages from some of the biggest banks in the U.S., has been found online after a server security lapse.

01/23/19

Tolling the Statute of Limitations by Initiating Administrative Processes Living Lies

Tolling the Statute of Limitations by Initiating Administrative Processes
A recent case brought to mind a possible argument for tolling the applicable statute of limitations (SOL) on certain claims. By submission of complaints to the CFPB (TILA, RESPA, FDCPA etc) you are starting an administrative process. It might even be true that by submitting a QWR (under RESPA) or DVL (under FDCPA)

01/22/19

Gary Dubin on Foreclosure Reform and Deficiency Judgments Living Lies

Gary Dubin on Foreclosure Reform and Deficiency Judgments
To my knowledge, the only other lawyer that is persistently publishing and broadcasting valuable information about foreclosure defense is Gary Dubin. He has published an article that is very much worth reading.

01/21/19

“True Lender” Lawsuits Causing Business and Legal Headaches for Banks Living Lies

“True Lender” Lawsuits Causing Business and Legal Headaches for Banks
hat tip Bill Paatalo You can’t pick up one end of the stick without picking up the other end as well. Or, if you like, you can’t eat your cake and still have it.

01/20/19

Firm Scores Important Ruling From Massachusetts Appeals Court in Starkey v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co., et al Glenn Russell

Firm Scores Important Ruling From Massachusetts Appeals Court in Starkey v. Deutsche Bank, N.T. Co., et al
Mr. and Mrs. Starkey enlisted the help of this Firm to defend the attempted foreclosure of their home in January of 2009. The Firm defended the Starkey's position in the Land Court, as well as at the Superior Court.

01/18/19

MERS Is NOTHING — The Correct Translation of “MIN” Living Lies

MERS Is NOTHING — The Correct Translation of “MIN”
Without a contract in writing executed with the formalities required for transfer of interests in real property, it is highly probable that any instrument executed on behalf of MERS means nothing

01/17/19

Worcesteria: Irony is hard Worcester Magazine

Worcesteria: Irony is hard
FORECLOSURE NOTICE: Looks like the city is gearing up to take some action on foreclosures after the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team made a showing at the City Council meeting this week to demand the Council pass an ordinance and implement some internal policies to assist homeowners facing foreclosure.

01/16/19

Solving the Puzzle: Settlements with Homeowners Are Rising Living Lies

Solving the Puzzle: Settlements with Homeowners Are Rising
Hat tip Michael Bazemore It’s not easy to see but if you look at the court docket after a ruling against the parties designated as “foreclosing parties” you can see that these cases are often dismissed with reference to an agreement or settlement between the parties.

01/15/19

UPL, FELONY PERJURY: THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF DOCUMENT MANUFACTURING! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

UPL, FELONY PERJURY: THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF DOCUMENT MANUFACTURING!
“I was just doing my job.” What kind of response do you think you’d get from a robosigner in a deposition when asked how they prepared or executed a recorded assignment?

01/15/19

THE SYSTEM OF THINGS IS IN PLAY IN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

THE SYSTEM OF THINGS IS IN PLAY IN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA!
(ORLANDO, FLORIDA) — A Florida Circuit Court Judge has put the brakes on a foreclosure sale by setting an evidentiary hearing after a Motion to Vacate was

01/15/19

Example of Homeowner Winning in Sarasota Florida Living Lies

Example of Homeowner Winning in Sarasota Florida
Ryan Torrens, Esq., a Florida attorney who apparently does his homework, posted this article on his website. see Summary Judgment for Homeowner – Don’t give Up

01/14/19

Attorney Mark Stopa says he never wants to practice law again but the Florida Bar won't let him retire Tampa Bay Times

Attorney Mark Stopa says he never wants to practice law again but the Florida Bar won't let him retire
Embattled foreclosure defense attorney Mark Stopa is seeking "permanent retirement,'' in part to head of a hearing on new complaints against him.

01/14/19

Distilling the 20 Points of TILA Rescission: 9th Circuit Allows “Claim” for Rescission Under WA Statute of Limitations Living Lies

Distilling the 20 Points of TILA Rescission: 9th Circuit Allows “Claim” for Rescission Under WA Statute of Limitations
I have distilled the legal points and procedure of TILA Rescission down to their essentials and specifics as you can see below. In the case presented the 9th Circuit ruled in favor of the homeowner but in so doing

01/11/19

Reimagining Innovation In Legal Education Abovethelaw.com

Reimagining Innovation In Legal Education
Ari Kaplan speaks with Gabe Teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School and the director of the Institute on Legal Innovation and Technology.

01/11/19

‘Could you make these guys essential?’: Mortgage industry gets shutdown relief after appeal to senior Treasury officials Washington Post

‘Could you make these guys essential?’: Mortgage industry gets shutdown relief after appeal to senior Treasury officials
After an intense lobbying campaign by the mortgage industry, the Treasury Department this week restarted a program that had been sidelined by the partial government shutdown, allowing hundreds of Internal Revenue Service clerks to collect paychecks as they process forms vital to the lending industry.

01/11/19

Portrait of a Whistleblower: The Establishment is Rigged Against Truth Living Lies

Portrait of a Whistleblower: The Establishment is Rigged Against Truth
For those who like what I write but have doubts about what I am saying consider this article that is based upon truth and nothing but the truth. According to a Rolling Stone article published in 2015 by Matt Taibbi, “one of America’s ugliest secrets

01/10/19

Kamala Harris Tells Big Lie: That 2012 Mortgage Settlement Was a Good Deal for Homeowners Naked Capitalism

Kamala Harris Tells Big Lie: That 2012 Mortgage Settlement Was a Good Deal for Homeowners
The Big Whopper season is already upon us, in the form of presidential aspirants telling egregious lies about their track records. The Wall Street Journal tonight covers a section from Kamala Harris’ new book,

01/10/19

SCOTUS Oral Argument Illuminates the Main Question in Foreclosures: What are the roles of the parties? Living Lies

SCOTUS Oral Argument Illuminates the Main Question in Foreclosures: What are the roles of the parties?
Two days ago in the case of Obudskey v McCarthy and Holthus LLP the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral argument on issues relating to the application of the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act (FDCPA).

01/09/19

Banks Are Baffled by Florida Supreme Court Ruling in Glass v Nationwide Living Lies

Banks Are Baffled by Florida Supreme Court Ruling in Glass v Nationwide
Today (hat tip to Greg Da Goose) I received an article published by Burr Forman (bank lawyers) that admitted that the ruling was surprising and also projected that the ruling could have far reaching implications under various proceedings and laws.

01/08/19

FLA S Ct Reverses Course on Homeowner’s Award of Attorney Fees and Raises Other Issues for Defense of Foreclosures Living Lies

FLA S Ct Reverses Course on Homeowner’s Award of Attorney Fees and Raises Other Issues for Defense of Foreclosures
For those of us that have access to the data, we know that homeowners are winning foreclosure cases all the time. Nobody else knows because as soon as a homeowner wins or gets into a winning position they are offered money for their silence.

01/07/19

DannLaw files suit alleging Wells Fargo defrauded two borrowers who were wrongly denied home mortgage modifications EIN Presswire

DannLaw files suit alleging Wells Fargo defrauded two borrowers who were wrongly denied home mortgage modifications
CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES, January 7, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- DannLaw attorneys today filed suit against Wells Fargo on behalf of two borrowers who lost their homes after the bank refused to grant mortgage loan modifications for which they qualified.

01/04/19

The embarrassment that is Wells Fargo Charlotte Observer

The embarrassment that is Wells Fargo
Editorial boards prefer to be prescriptive with the opinions we offer. A good gripe might be satisfying, but it’s more productive when that comes with suggestions on how things might get better.

01/04/19

Texas Two Step: “Successors and Assigns” Living Lies

Texas Two Step: “Successors and Assigns”
Homeowners are losing to legal presumptions arising from apparently facially valid documents. Thus defensive strategies, tactics and narratives should include a robust attack on the facially validity of the instruments relied upon by parties seeking foreclosure.

01/02/19

Repeated errors cost hundreds of people their homes—now Wells Fargo wants to buy their silence Dailykos.com

Repeated errors cost hundreds of people their homes—now Wells Fargo wants to buy their silence
A class-action lawsuit alleges that Wells Fargo screwed up the same exact way almost 900 times, costing over 500 people their homes. As with most of Wells Fargo’s previous “errors” that caused widespread devastation, the horse-and-wagon bank has made an insufficient attempt to make good with its victims by pleading ignorance and throwing not nearly enough money at the problems it created.

01/02/19

Federal lawsuit accuses Wells Fargo of unlawful foreclosure of Starkville man's home Clarionledger.com

Federal lawsuit accuses Wells Fargo of unlawful foreclosure of Starkville man's home
A Starkville daughter and father have filed a federal lawsuit against Wells Fargo Home Mortgage alleging the national bank unlawfully foreclosed on the father’s home while still negotiating with them.

01/02/19

ENTER 2019 AND THE NEW MERS! Cloudedtitlesblog.com

ENTER 2019 AND THE NEW MERS!
If you haven’t been paying attention to the “new and improved MERS”, you should be. As of October of last year, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”; the same bunch that owns the New York Stock Exchange) took over MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.

01/02/19

Standing Rock’s Surprising Legacy: A Push for Public Banks Yes Magazine

Standing Rock’s Surprising Legacy: A Push for Public Banks
The effort to divest from Wall Street—and stop environment-killing projects gained momentum after the historic pipeline protest. Here’s what a city needs, and could gain, from municipal banking.

01/01/19

"Foreclosure Machine." Meet the man who coined the phrase: mild mannered plain speaking Robert M Janes MATHEWS STREET, AMERICA

"Foreclosure Machine." Meet the man who coined the phrase: mild mannered plain speaking Robert M Janes
Ringing in the new year with more good enlightening analysis from a mentor of mine for over five years, Robert M. Janes, attorney retired. California homeowners especially but any homeowners throughout the country have a true hero and guide in the author of book Fighting the Foreclosure Machine

January | February | March | April |May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
 

copyright MSFraud.org