Editorial: A job for the state's top cop: If fraud is an issue, attorney general should
have power to probe


10/08/2010 © Palm Beach Post

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum should appeal the ruling by Palm Beach County
Circuit Court Judge Jack S. Cox that the attorney general's office lacks the authority to
investigate law firms suspected of fraudulent foreclosure practices.
On Monday, Judge Cox granted a request by Shapiro & Fishman to quash a subpoena for
information from the Boca Raton firm, saying that the Florida Bar is responsible for
investigating allegations of misconduct by attorneys. Shapiro & Fishman is one of four firms
under investigation for allegedly doctoring foreclosure documents to get quick judgments on
behalf of lenders. The fraud scandal has forced the nation's biggest banks to halt foreclosures
in 23 states, including Florida. On Tuesday, judges in Palm Beach County canceled half of the
150 scheduled foreclosure auctions.
In his ruling, Judge Cox took a circuitous route to conclude that the attorney general's
office must back off. The investigation centered on Shapiro & Fishman's legal representation of
lenders in foreclosure matters. The office initiated the investigation under the state's
Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Judge Cox noted that the activities of entities
regulated by the Office of Financial Regulation, such as banks, are exempt under that law.
"The enumerated list of exempted activities does not specifically include attorneys, law
firms or any person or entity that is regulated by the Florida Bar," Judge Cox wrote. "However,
the Legislature knew that the authority to regulate and discipline the conduct of attorneys has
been exclusively reserved to the Supreme Court."
The Florida Constitution does give the Supreme Court exclusive authority to admit
attorneys into the practice of law and to discipline them. That authority, however, does not
preclude law enforcement from investigating allegations of illegal conduct. The attorney
general is the state's chief legal officer.
To cite one extreme example, the Florida Supreme Court didn't take down Ponzischeming Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein, who defrauded investors out of $429
million. Nor did The Florida Bar. The U.S. Attorney's office did. The Florida Supreme Court
disBarred Rothstein, at his request, while he was under investigation. Further, the state Office of Financial Regulation does not regulate national institutions
such as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Ally Financial, on whose behalf the law firms
are alleged to have filed fraudulent documents. Maryanne Downs, president of the Florida Bar,
said her organization does not investigate complaints against law firms, just individual attorneys.
So if the state's top cop can't investigate, who can? Florida's courts have issued thousands of foreclosure judgments, many in recent weeks after the Legislature last spring appropriated $9.6 million to expedite the cases. Defense attorneys say many of those foreclosures were the result of falsified documents.
Lenders have halted foreclosures while they try to correct the paperwork. That delay is
making it harder for Florida to get through the foreclosure backlog and revive the real estate
market. No one, however, should be defrauded out of a home. Florida should be able to go
after those who have gamed the system and tried to profit from a crisis.

Rhonda Swan, for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board.

Paperwork problems put foreclosures in limbo
10/05/2010 © Tampa Bay Online

ST. PETERSBURG - Gale Green says she never missed a mortgage payment on her St.
Petersburg home, but that didn't stop GMAC from filing for foreclosure last year.
The lender returned one of her checks in some sort of mix-up and then stopped taking
her payments while it tried to figure out what had happened, she said.
Without any warning, she says, the lender moved to take the home back a few months later.
"The next thing I knew, there was a knock at the door, and it was foreclosure," Green said.
That's when Green's foreclosure case became one of tens of thousands now in limbo,
while lenders review problematic paperwork.
An affidavit detailing the facts in Green's foreclosure case was signed by the same
processor whom GMAC says it now knows did not read foreclosure documents he signed.
Two weeks ago, GMAC's parent company, Ally Financial, said it discovered the
processor signed off on key documents without making sure they were accurate. Federal
lawmakers and state officials have said such practices could be fraudulent.
Last week, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America said the same thing was happening at their companies.
It's not clear how many loans are affected, but the three lenders are some the largest in the nation. All three also service loans owned by other lenders. Those loans are included in the foreclosure moratorium.
Bank of America, the biggest U.S. bank in terms of assets and deposits, estimated it will be reviewing tens of thousands of documents.
The law requires the lender's processor to personally verify that the lender has the
right to foreclose on a home. The processors, though, signed more than 10,000 documents a
month, and some have given sworn testimony that they relied on other staff members to
verify the documents.
Foreclosures involving all three lenders are now on hold in 23 states, including Florida.
The lenders have all said the problems were "technical" and that they don't think any
of the foreclosure documents contained errors. They say they plan to resubmit documents
properly and then proceed with foreclosures.
Homeowners such as Green are wondering what will happen to them now. Green hired
an attorney to fight the foreclosure, but the bank didn't respond until the scope of the
paperwork problems came to light. Still, the only response she's gotten so far is a temporary
halt to the foreclosure.
Her lawyer, Matt Weidner, said he wants to get Green's case dismissed and expects
other foreclosure defense attorneys to try the same for their clients. "Because of this document they've filed, they are not going to be able to proceed with
this case," Weidner said. "I'm not going to allow them to get a judgment in this case."

Investigación de Procurador General de la Florida afectada por juez

AG investigation into foreclosure law firms dealt blow
October 04, 2010
By: Julie Kay

Palm Beach Circuit judge dealt a blow today to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum’s investigation of foreclosure law firms by quashing a subpoena issued to one of the firms.

Judge Jack Cox in a sharply worded order said it’s up to the Florida Supreme Court and The Florida Bar to regulate attorneys, not the attorney general. He also called the attorney general’s subpoena of Shapiro & Fishman “overbroad, vague, inconsistent and unduly burdensome.” McCollum’s office had no immediate response.

The office had subpoenaed three of the state’s largest foreclosure law firms — the Law Offices of David Stern in Plantation, the Shapiro firm with offices in Boca Raton and Tampa, and the Law Offices of Marshall Watson in Fort Lauderdale — as part of a wider investigation into foreclosure firms.

Critics including consumer advocate groups and foreclosure defense firms have alleged the firms targeted by McCollum’s office filed incorrect or even phony paperwork to achieve foreclosure judgments in the state courts. The plaintiff law firms have denied wrongdoing.

Juez de Sarasota simplifica casos de ejecución hipotecaria

Sarasota judge simplifies foreclosure cases
10/03/2010 © Sarasota Herald-Tribune

COURTROOM: A checklist of filing errors can bring a case to a halt

By Todd Ruger
Published: Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.

SARASOTA COUNTY - Criminal defense attorneys used to call Judge Harry Rapkin "Hang 'Em High Harry" for his tough prison sentences, and his latest crackdown in foreclosure court might have home lenders trying to come up with a similar nickname.

Rapkin unleashed a new order last week, aimed at attorneys for lenders who are still making the kind of simple errors that would be considered ridiculous in any courtroom. A lot is at stake; Rapkin sees hundreds of cases where the lender is minutes away from taking someone's property.

Rapkin's new order completely dismisses foreclosure cases when they do not follow the simplest of rules. The judge's new order has nine check boxes listing the most common mistakes he sees in
foreclosures. The most basic -- not showing up for a hearing -- is listed first. Then there is one for attorneys who filed a motion to win a case that they had previously dismissed, and one for attorneys who filed a motion to win a case they had already won. If one these boxes gets checked, the judge dismisses the case.

Jueza trata de tomar control del caos en las ejecuciones hipotecarias

Judges try to get grip on foreclosure chaos
10/03/2010 © Bradenton Herald

MANATEE — The fifth time was the final straw for Manatee County Circuit Court Judge Janette Dunnigan.

Four times in a 2007 foreclosure case, a Fort Lauderdale law firm representing a bank scheduled a hearing and either did not appear or canceled it at the last minute without telling others. So when it happened again April 13, Dunnigan called Smith, Hiatt and Diaz P.A. and issued a warning: Stop it or I’ll hold you in contempt of court.

The threat didn’t work: The firm subsequently set two more hearings and didn’t show for either one. So Dunnigan found the firm in “deliberate, willful and flagrant” contempt after an Aug. 30 hearing and issued a $49,000 fine, which the firm is contesting.

Legal observers said they believe Dunnigan’s act is the first time a Florida judge has sanctioned a so-called ‘foreclosure mill’ for its practices. But they said it also illustrates a growing effort by judges to regain control of the foreclosure process after years of chaos.

“The system’s overloaded and they’ve got to do something about it,” said Dawn Bates Buchanan, managing attorney for Gulfcoast Legal Services’ Bradenton office. “The judges all are saying, ‘No more. We’ve had enough.’ ”

Abogados reclaman pedido del Procurador General

Lawyers fight AG inquiry
10/02/2010 © Miami Herald
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA
tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com

South Florida law firms being investigated for shady foreclosure practices are fighting back by challenging the attorney general's jurisdiction, refusing to cooperate with parts of the probe and gearing up for a legal showdown.

A Palm Beach County judge is expected to rule Monday on a motion by Shapiro & Fishman of Boca Raton to "quash" the subpoena issued in August by Attorney General Bill McCollum. The motion calls the investigative subpoena "overly broad, unreasonable and unduly burdensome." The subpoena demands the firms -- Shapiro, the Law Offices of David J. Stern and the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson -- turn over five years worth of documents and e-mails, and copies of all contracts between the law firm and the lenders that hired it to handle their foreclosures.

The Law Offices of David J. Stern has decided to partially cooperate, its legal counsel said. The Plantation-based firm handed over some of the requested documents to the attorney's general office, but not all of them, according to Miami attorney Jeffery Tew, who represents Stern's firm. Tew said he believed that the attorney general's subpoena was too broad, but that Stern's firm had provided three years worth of documents that were relevant to the investigation.

Problemas de documentación detiene casos de ejecución hipotecaria

Mortgage document troubles holding up foreclosures
10/02/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Posted: 1:52 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010

The technical glitch that Ally Financial is citing for freezing portions of its foreclosure machine could keep Susan Carlsen in her million-dollar Jupiter home for another year. Or, even win her the court case all together. Carlsen's attorney, no doubt like many foreclosure defenders nationwide, plans to take full advantage of the acknowledgments by Ally, JPMorgan Chase and now Bank of America, that legal documents used to repossess people's homes were flawed.

Attorneys for Ally, formerly GMAC, withdrew an affidavit stating how much Carlsen owes on the house last month as it was revealed bank employees swore to personal knowledge of foreclosure documents when they had no such knowledge. The unexpected reprieve for tens of thousands of delinquent borrowers opens legal avenues to slow Florida's so-called "rocket docket" - a blur of quickie foreclosure judgments aided by a summer infusion of $9.6 million to hire additional judges and court employees.

Bank of America detiene las ejecuciónes hipotecarias mientras Fannie Mae interviene

Bank of America slows foreclosures as Fannie Mae steps in
10/02/2010 © South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Bank of America announced it is delaying foreclosures in 23 states – including Florida - - after the Associated Press reported that a bank official acknowledged in a legal proceeding that she signed up to 8,000 foreclosure documents a month and typically didn't read them. 

Bank of America said late Friday it is delaying foreclosures in 23 states, becoming the third major lending institution to acknowledge mortgage documentation problems. Meanwhile, Fannie Mae stepped up efforts to hold lenders accountable, saying it will warn loan servicers to report problems with cases that may violate financial laws.

Bank of America -- one of the largest mortgage lenders in Florida and the nation's largest bank -- did not give an estimate for how many homeowners' cases will be affected in South Florida and elsewhere.
Bank of America spokesman Dan Frahm said the institution was "assessing our existing processes" and would be delaying some actions.

The Federal National Mortgage Association – commonly known as Fannie Mae -- said it is alerting 1,400 loan servicers nationwide that they would be in violation of their contracts on federally-backed Fannie Mae loans if their foreclosure processes don't comply with state and local laws.

JPMorgan Chase congela 56,000 ejecuciones hipotecarias

J.P. Morgan Chase freezes 56,000 foreclosures

The Washington Post

J.P. Morgan Chase issued a freeze on 56,000 foreclosures on Wednesday, acknowledging that some employees may have signed off on documents submitted in support of them without proper review.

Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said the company has requested that the courts not enter judgments in pending matters until the company has had time to re-examine the filings "to verify that the affidavits and other documents meet the standard of personal knowledge or review where that is required."

"While Chase does not expect find any factual problems and that customers have been harmed, but if we do find any cases we will take appropriate action," Kelly said.

In May, a Chase employee named Beth Ann Cottrell said in a sworn deposition that she and her team signed off on up to 18,000 foreclosure affidavits and other documents a month without reviewing them thoroughly.

Another mortgage company, Ally Financial--the nation's fifth largest lender--on Sept. 20 halted evictions and resale of repossessed homes in 23 states. Jeffrey Stephan, a document processor for the company, admitted that he had signed off on 10,000 pieces of foreclosure paperwork a month without reading them.

State attorneys in at least nine states have announced investigations into the matter.

By Ariana Eunjung Cha | September 29, 2010; 5:07 PM ET

Jueces en Florida niegan casos a favor de bancos

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Florida’s Kangaroo Foreclosure Courts: Judges Denying Due Process on Behalf of Banks

Florida is ground zero of the foreclosure crisis. In addition to being one of the epicenters of the housing meltdown, it has also become the jurisdiction where local lawyers have been the most effective overall in unearthing how servicers and foreclosure mills have engaged in widespread document fabrications and use of improper affidavits to foreclose.

This abuse of contracts and legal procedures matters because the courts are the last bastion of defense of the individual. Even libertarians, who keenly oppose government mission creep, give courts an elevated role as a protector of rights.

Given the success that local attorneys are having (it has reached the point where the state attorney general’s office has opened an investigation into three so-called foreclosure mills operating in the state), pushback by the mortgage industrial complex was inevitable. The old saw about “best government money can buy” now looks to apply to the courts, the one area most people assume to be relatively free from tampering by well funded interests.

The New York Times did report on this development, but its account was such a pale version of what is happening on the ground as to give readers a distorted picture.

These new foreclosure-only courts are special creations of the Florida legislature, funded separately from the usual court system. They are manned by retired judges, which means in many cases they are not familiar with real estate law.

FUBAR Mortgage Behavior: Florida Banks Destroyed Notes; Others Never Transferred Them

FUBAR Mortgage Behavior: Florida Banks Destroyed Notes; Others Never Transferred Them

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Before we get to the meat of the post, I have a fun project for readers. Just as “whocoulddanode” has become inextricably linked to the excuses for the failure to see the housing crisis coming, we need a new tag phase for the hopeless tangled mess that the folks who screwed up mortgage securitizations have foisted on Americans. Conceptually, FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition) is accurate, but it is pretty antique as far as slang goes, so we need a new term. Ideas encouraged.

But to give readers the latest report of modern FUBAR, mortgage edition, let us continue with the sorry saga of “Where’s My Note?” For the benefit of newbies, what everyone calls a mortgage actually has two components: the note, which is the borrower IOU, and the mortgage (in some states, it’s called a deed of trust) which is the lien on the property. In 45 states, the mortgage is a mere accessory to the note; you must be the real party of interest in the note in order to foreclose.

The pooling and servicing agreement, which governs who does what when in a mortgage securitization, requires the note to be endorsed (just like a check, signed by one party over to the next), showing the full chain of title, and the minimum conveyance chain is A (originator) => B (sponsor) => C (depositor) => D (trust). The endorsements also have to be wet ink; no electronic signatures permitted.

I’ve had a lot of anecdotal evidence to support the idea that these procedures, which were created in the early days of mortgage securitizations, were simply not observed on a widespread, if not a universal basis. My sense is that the breakdown in practice was well underway by 2004, but it may have taken place earlier. For instance, a group of over 100 lawyers in a loose network around Max Garndner, a North Carolina bankruptcy lawyer who has taken a serious interest in this area, now has a standing joke that the first one that finds a deal where the note was correctly endorsed must bronze it and hang it on their wall. In other words, in none of the cases this large group has seen were the notes transferred to the trust properly.

Titulos usados por Jeffrey Stephan de GMAC

FORECLOSURE FRAUD – TITLES USED BY JEFFREY STEPHAN OF GMAC

Posted by 4closureFraud on September 17, 2010

Jeffrey Stephan,  who actually works for GMAC Mortgage Corp. in Montgomery County, PA, signs thousands of Mortgage Assignments each month as an officer of other banks and mortgage companies in order to transfer mortgages TO GMAC.

In Florida, the law firms that regularly present documents signed by Jeffrey Stephans as “proof” that GMAC has standing to foreclose include The Law Offices of Marshall Watson, The Law Offices of David Stern and Florida Default Law Group.

Stephan has admitted in depositions that he has no personal knowledge of the facts of documents he signs, does not verify the facts, and often does not sign in front of a notary (though the documents are eventually notarized).

Titles used by Jeffrey Stephan include the following:

NYT: Florida tiene una respuesta rápida al desastre hipotecario

September 4, 2010

Florida’s High-Speed Answer to a Foreclosure Mess

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON and GERALDINE FABRIKANT

TEN days from now, a four-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac in Middleburg, Fla., is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Clay County courthouse, 25 miles south of Jacksonville.

A judge who recently took over their foreclosure case has ordered Rodney Waters; his fiancée, Terri Reese; and their four children to leave the home they bought in 2006.

Mr. Waters, a supervisor at a local packaging company and the family’s sole breadwinner, fell behind on his mortgage two years ago after his property taxes jumped unexpectedly. He now owes $264,000 on the house; a similar home down the street sold for $138,500 in February.

The predicament of the Waters-Reese family is common in Florida today. The state routinely sets new records for foreclosures — in the second quarter, 20.13 percent of its mortgages were delinquent or in foreclosure, a national high, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. And with housing prices still in a free fall, almost half of all borrowers in Florida owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth, says CoreLogic, a data firm.

Investigan bufetes de abogados de ejecuciones hipotecarias

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

August 10, 2010
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Bufetes de abogados de Florida reciben citación judicial por presentar documentación para ejecuciones hipotecarias

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, anunció hoy que su oficina inició tres investigaciones nuevas sobre las imputaciones de acciones desleales y engañosas por parte de bufetes de Florida que manejaban casos de ejecución hipotecaria. La División de Delitos Económicos del Procurador General está investigando si se presentó documentación inadecuada ante los tribunales de Florida para acelerar los procesos de ejecución hipotecaria, posiblemente sin el consentimiento de los propietarios.

Las investigaciones nuevas nombran a Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson, P.A.; Shapiro & Fishman, LLP; y a Law Offices of David J. Stern, P.A. Los bufetes fueron contratados por prestamistas para iniciar el proceso de ejecución hipotecaria cuando los consumidores estuvieran atrasados en el pago de sus hipotecas.

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Cuales son tus derechos cuando la deuda es vendida o tranferida

Esta información fue obtenida del sitio en internet de la Federal Trade Commission (FTC) y esta relacionada a los derechos del propietario en relación a la venta o transferencia del servidor de la deuda hipotecaria y de la Nota o préstamo hipotecario:

. . . .

Transfer of Loan Ownership

The ownership and servicing rights of your loan may be handled by one company or two. If ownership of your loan is transferred, the new owner must give you a notice that includes:

• the name, address and telephone number of the new owner of the loan
• the date the new owner takes possession of the loan
• the person who is authorized to receive legal notices and can resolve issues about loan payments
• where the transfer of ownership is recorded.

The new owner must give you this notice within 30 days of taking possession of the loan. It is in addition to any notices you may get about the transfer of the servicing rights for your loan.

Inquiries and Disputes

Under federal law, your mortgage servicer must respond promptly to written inquiries, known as “qualified written requests” (see Sample Complaint Letter). If you believe you’ve been charged a penalty, late fee or some other fee by mistake, or if you have other problems with the servicing of your loan, write to your servicer. Include your account number and explain why you believe your account is incorrect. Send your correspondence to the address the servicer specifies for qualified written requests.

Source:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/homes/rea10.shtm

Finding Pooling and Servicing Agreements is Key to Killing Your Foreclosure Case!

May 28th, 2010 | Author: Matthew D. Weidner, Esq.

If you’re being sued by any entity acting as a trustee, i.e. “US BANK as trustee for the HP Series 2006-c Certificate Holders”, you need to be aware of a variety of issues that may be helpful in your case. I will start another series of video blog posts on the “Capacity Argument”, because this argument works in nearly every case, but it is particularly appropriate in cases where Plaintiff is an exotic, alphabet soup Foreclosure Frankenstein.

Individual mortgages originated by lenders like New Century and Argent were pooled into groups of approximately 8,000 mortgages from around the country to form a Mortgage Trust which held mortgages which had (on paper at least) cumulative values of between 10-12 million dollars. These mortgages that were grouped together and given a name like “HSI ASSETT SECURITIZATION CORPORATION TRUST 2006-OPT2″. Interests in these mortgage trusts were then sold to teachers unions, investment funds and other institutional sources around the world. Before selling the interests in these trusts, the institutional investors were required to prepare the contract that would govern the rights between the depositor of the mortgages, trustee of the new trust and the company that would be responsible for collecting payments from homeowners and sending those payments out to those who had invested in the trust. This contract is called the Pooling and Servicing Agreement. The important thing about the Pooling and Servicing Agreement is you will find in virtually every case that all of the parties who are involved violate nearly every provision of their own Pooling and Servicing Agreement. This has important consequences that we will talk more about later, but the Securities and Exchange Commission rules requires these trusts to provide important other reporting information that was widely ignored or worse, falsified by the entities in control of these trusts. Finding such information can be a key to defending your case.

Geenspan, Bancos, y el Congreso parte del "Con Job"

Dylan Ratigan Explains 'Con Job': Greenspan, Banks, Congress To Blame

First Posted: 04- 7-10 06:16 PM   |   Updated: 04- 8-10 02:06 AM


Dylan Ratigan sought to explain the causes and scope of the of the financial crisis Wednesday. Calling it a "con job," Ratigan identified former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as a godfather-like figure at the helm of the alleged scam. Ratigan argued that Greenspan's decisions to keep interest rates at low levels benefitted banks who used the low borrowning rates to lure Americans into taking out more and more loans. Banks didn't maintain enough capital, but that didn't matter, Ratigan said, because--thanks to the government's support of too-big-to-fail banks--the system was rigged and they stood to gain no matter what happened to the loans that they made. Ratigan blamed Congress for "feeding the money" to banks and not looking out for Americans.

Demandan compañia de servicios de modificación de hipotecas

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

February 4, 2010
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Compañía de California demandada por fraude en servicios de rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, anunció hoy que su oficina ha presentado una demanda contra una compañía de California que brindaba servicios de modificación de préstamo a los propietarios de viviendas en riesgo de ejecución hipotecaria. Según la demanda presentada hoy en el condado de Orange, 21st Century Legal Services, Inc. les cobra honorarios anticipados a los consumidores, lo cual viola la Ley de Prevención de Fraudes en el Rescate de Ejecuciones Hipotecarias de Florida.

Según la demanda del Procurador General la compañía ofrecía servicios de modificación de préstamo a los propietarios de viviendas de Florida por teléfono, por correo postal y por Internet. Una investigación realizada por la División de Delitos Económicos del Procurador General reveló que 21st Century Legal Services cobra honorarios anticipados que ascienden a $2,500 a los propietarios de viviendas que buscan servicios de modificación del préstamo. Además, los consumidores se han quejado de que la compañía no brindó los servicios prometidos y que los consumidores no pueden obtener la devolución de su dinero.

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Demandan por estafa a tres empresas de modificación de hipotecas

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

December 22, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Procurador General demanda a tres compañías por estafas en la modificación de préstamos

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, anunció hoy que ha iniciado una demanda contra tres empresas que operan en el condado de Miami-Dade, y sus directivos y abogados, sobre imputaciones de prácticas desleales y engañosas respecto de su participación en una estafa en rescates de ejecuciones hipotecarias que afectó a dueños de viviendas en toda la nación. La División de Delitos Económicos del Procurador General comenzó a investigar a Kirkland YOUNG LLC, en julio, luego de recibir numerosas quejas de los consumidores de Florida contra la compañía. Durante la investigación, se descubrió que Attorney Aid LLC y ABK Consultants estaban afiliadas con Kirkland Young LLC.


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Procurador General de Florida se reúne con ejecutivos de bancos

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

November 17, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Procurador General envía cartas a los ejecutivos de bancos de Florida

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General McCollum envió hoy una carta a los ejecutivos de los bancos Bank of America, JP Morgan/Chase, Wells Fargo y Wachovia en Florida, en la cual los invita a que ofrezcan un proceso justo y eficiente de modificación del préstamo a los propietarios de viviendas. El Procurador General también les solicita a los ejecutivos una reunión con él con el fin de tratar la responsabilidad de los bancos para ayudar a solucionar la crisis en el sector de la vivienda.

“Como Procurador General de Florida, me he enterado de que son centenares los propietarios en todo nuestro estado que están desesperados por obtener la reducción de sus pagos mensuales o la modificación de las condiciones de su hipoteca para salvar sus hogares”, escribió el Procurador General. “”Los propietarios que tuvieron la oportunidad de recibir un servicio excelente de atención al consumidor por parte de sus bancos en el momento de obtener sus préstamos se sienten ahora frustrados y desilusionados ante la falta de respuesta y de colaboración que recibieron".

Una copia de las cartas se encuentra disponible en línea en http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-7XVHX4/$file/BankofAmericaLetter.pdf.

Demandan dos compañias por cobrar por adelantado en rescates de ejecuciones hipotecarias

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

November 9, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

McCollum inicia demanda contra compañías de Florida Central por estafas en modificación de préstamos

TALLAHASSEE (FL) –El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, anunció hoy que su oficina ha iniciado una demanda contra dos compañías de Florida Central y su propietario por acusaciones de que cobraban sumas por adelantado para proveer servicios relacionados con el rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias. Se supone que National Payment Modification Company y The Bostonian Group, LLC, que opera con el nombre People’s First, cobraron hasta $2,500 en anticipos de honorarios a los dueños que trataban de rescatar sus viviendas de la ejecución hipotecaria.

En la demanda, también se menciona a William Rodriguez, quien es el dueño de ambas compañías y también es el propietario fundador de Wineberg, Lopez, & Rodriguez Company. La Oficina del Procurador General demandó a esta última compañía en marzo y obtuvo una medida cautelar de emergencia que prohíbe a la compañía cobrar honorarios anticipados a los propietarios por servicios de rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias. Esa causa está aún pendiente en el Tribunal de Circuito del condado de Orange.

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Ejecución Hipotecaria? No empaque todavía

Facing foreclosure? Don't pack just yet

Banks are starting foreclosures and then walking away. It may sound like a gift, but you've got to know how to protect yourself from the legal fallout.

By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate

Across the country, banks are starting to foreclose on homeowners and then, often with no word or explanation, failing to take possession of the home. From Ohio to Indiana, from New York to Florida and Missouri, these abandoned foreclosures have become common enough that real-estate professionals have coined a name: "bank walkaways."

For homeowners, this can sound like great news: The bank goes away, you get your house back without a mortgage and life goes happily on, you might think. But of course nothing is that simple.

"I know several people who are thrilled by their situation," says Judith Fox, a consumer law expert at the Notre Dame Law School. "But I don't think they should be that thrilled. I think they have inherited a legal nightmare."

But Fox says her advice on when to move out has changed in recent years: "I used to tell people when they got the notice for the sheriff's sale, 'Move!' But I am not telling people to do this now."

She has several clients who moved out after getting foreclosure notices. Their banks, however, failed to finish the foreclosures. The homeowners, who thought they'd lost their homes, were sued by their cities for failing to maintain the abandoned properties, which were still in their names.


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Asignan $700K en subsidios a organizaciones de defensa contra ejecuciones hipotecarias

Attorney General Bill McCollum

September 3, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Procurador General Entrega $700,000 en Subsidios a Traves del Fondo de Defensa de Ejecuciones Hipotecarias

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, y la Fundación del Colegio de Abogados de Florida asignaron hoy aproximadamente $700,000 en subsidios a varias organizaciones sin fines de lucro del sur de Florida para financiar el trabajo gratuito de defensa legal de las ejecuciones hipotecarias. Durante dos años, se contará con un total de $4 millones en todo el estado para contratar abogados y asistentes legales que brinden asistencia gratuita a dueños de viviendas que enfrentan ejecuciones hipotecarias. Los subsidios se financiaron a través del acuerdo del Procurador General con Countrywide Financial en octubre pasado.

“Muchos ciudadanos del sur de Florida tienen una necesidad apremiante de asistencia para salvar sus casas de la ejecución”, dijo el Procurador General McCollum. “Confío en que los abogados contratados con estos subsidios cambiarán mucho la situación de las familias que ayuden”.

Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. recibirá $340,000 en subsidios; la Asociación de Abogados Cubano Estadounidenses, Spanish American League Against Discrimination, Inc. (Liga Hispanoamericana contra la Discriminación) y Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. en colaboración con la Asociación de Abogados Haitianos recibirán, cada una, $85,000; Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. recibirá también otros $104,700 de financiación.

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Asignan $85K a fundación para la defensa contra ejecuciones hipotecarias

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

August 31, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

McCollum: Legal Aid del condado de Orange recibe $85,000 a través del fondo para la defensa contra ejecuciones hipotecarias

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, y la Fundación del Colegio de Abogados de Florida entregaron hoy $85,000 a la Sociedad de Ayuda Legal de la Asociación de Abogados del condado de Orange para destinarlos al nuevo programa de asistencia en la defensa contra ejecuciones hipotecarias. El programa está financiado con dinero obtenido por el Procurador General a través un acuerdo con Countrywide Financial. Durante dos años, se contará con un total de $4 millones para financiar otros puestos de abogados y asistentes legales que se dediquen a brindar asistencia gratuita a dueños de viviendas que enfrentan ejecuciones hipotecarias y no pueden pagar servicios de defensa legal.

“Estos fondos nos permitirán proveer asistencia legal directa a los propietarios de Florida Central que intenten salvar sus viviendas”, dijo el Procurador General McCollum.

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Demandan compañia de rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias

Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

August 21, 2009
Media Contact: Jennifer Krell Davis
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Demanda por fraude contra compañía de rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias de Kissimmee

~ Se supone que la compañía dirigió una estafa en rescates de ejecuciones hipotecarias a la comunidad hispana ~

TALLAHASSEE (FL) – El Procurador General, Bill McCollum, inició hoy una demanda contra una compañía de Kissimmee por acusaciones de que ésta dirigió una maniobra de fraude en el rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias contra los hispanos. Supuestamente, JPB Consulting Inc. y su presidente, Juan P. Bordali, cobraban sumas por adelantado de más de $1,000 por cliente a los propietarios que estaban a punto de perder sus casas, pero nunca proveía sus servicios. Cobrar anticipos antes de completar los servicios de rescate de ejecuciones hipotecarias es una violación directa a la Ley de Florida de Prevención del Fraude en Rescates de Ejecuciones Hipotecarias.

“Abusar de las personas que están por perder sus casas y engañarlas para que crean que se les está ofreciendo una ayuda auténtica constituye un atropello”, dijo el Procurador General McCollum.

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