UPDATE: Link to Webcast of Attorney General Kamala Harris’ Announcement of Mortgage-Related Law Enforcement Action

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 8:13 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: UPDATE: Link to Webcast of Attorney General Kamala Harris’ Announcement of Mortgage-Related Law Enforcement Action

Advisory Only

August 18, 2011

Media Advisory

Contact: (415) 703-5837

Print Version

UPDATE: Link to Webcast of Attorney General Kamala Harris’ Announcement of Mortgage-Related Law Enforcement Action

WHAT: Attorney General Kamala D. Harris will announce a mortgage-related enforcement action.

Press Conference LIVE STREAM VIDEO: http://oag.ca.gov/

WHEN: Thursday, August 18, 2011

Press Conference – 11:30 a.m.

WHERE:

14th Floor Conference Room
State Building
455 Golden Gate Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94102

NOTES:
Please RSVP at agpressoffice or 415.703.5837. Press Credentials are required to attend Press Conference.

# # #

EVICT THE BANK – I LIKE IT!!!

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 5:56 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: EVICT THE BANK – I LIKE IT!!!

(Neil Garfield) EDITOR’S COMMENT: I was talking with an expert in landlord tenant law and I received an interesting suggestion. The case involved someone who has just been served with a writ of restitution where the owner had to peaceably leave her home — or it wouldn’t be so peaceful. The suggestion was that the owner file a forcible detainer action of her own against the current party that evicted her and accuse them of trespass as well. If she has proof, and in this case she does, that the documents were forged (even the verified complaint for eviction was forged) then there were many false parties and false documents.

So I squeezed my source a little more and the following is the line of reasoning he was suggesting that we follow from a fact standpoint. The names and details are redacted except for the pretenders. Comments anyone?

1. Petitioner’s primary residence has just been served with a writ of restitution requiring her to vacate the premises.

2. Petitioner is the legal owner of the property.

3. Petitioner cooperated with law enforcement, but states affirmatively that she has proof that the verified complaint filed by US Bank for the forcible detainer from her primary residence was a forged document with a false notary.

4. Further, Petitioner now has in her possession proof that the documents by which US Bank claims to be the creditor were also forged, fabricated and misrepresented to the court intentionally and with willful disregard for the consequences or the truth.

5. Petitioner asserts that US Bank used trickery and falsehood to falsely represent facts to the Court that it knew were untrue.

6. The Substitution of Trustee was a false, forged and fabricated document that was misrepresented by US BANK and their counsel as being authentic.

7. Using the false Substitution of trustee, US BANK caused a false, fabricated notice of default, despite payments being made under contract to the creditors.

8. Using the false Notice of Default, US Bank caused a false Notice of Sale to be issued despite the fact that it was neither the beneficiary nor the lender, nor a successor thereto by any means, nor had US Bank ever parted with anything of value that would constitute consideration or an interest in Petitioner’s obligation to creditors.

9. Using the false Notice of Sale and the false substitute of trustee, a false auction was held by the false substitute trustee, where the false substitute trustee represented US Bank as the false creditor and the false trustee “Accepted” a non-existent bid (US Bank was not present at the false auction) in which the false substitute trustee issued a deed upon “foreclosure” without receiving any consideration of any kind.

10. The false substitute trustee was at all times under the direct control and instructions of US BANK. US Bank had in substance substituted itself as the false trustee using the CalWestern entity.

11. Using the fraudulently created and fraudulently obtained deed from the false substitute trustee US Bank initiated an FED action against the Petitioner.

12. Using the false, forged, fabricated and unauthorized documentation described above, and using the rules of eviction to its advantage, US Bank obtained a Judgment for Eviction and Restitution of the premises against the Petitioner.

13. Using the fraudulently obtained Judgment for Restitution and Eviction, US Bank filed the required documents for a writ of restitution to issue.

14. Petitioner is now legally evicted from a home that she legally owns since the deeds used by US Bank were wild deeds, unauthorized and not in the chain of title.

15. Petitioner demands possession of her home.

16. The actions of US Bank constitute slander of title, trespass, and have caused severe emotional distress to the Petitioner.

To allow US Bank to continue on this march of theft would make this court a co-venturer in a gross miscarriage of justice.

AHMSI sues LPS and DocX over robo-signing scandal

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 9:11 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: AHMSI sues LPS and DocX over robo-signing scandal

http://www.housingwire.com/2011/08/23/ahmsi-sues-lps-and-docx-over-robo-signing-scandal

Thanks April

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

Gomes and Supremes

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:59 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Gomes and Supremes

Petition attached…thanks to Ed Peckham…San Diego attorney…

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

Petition for Certiorari.pdf

The Post finds problem in 92% of bank foreclosure filings

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 9:36 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: The Post finds problem in 92% of bank foreclosure filings

NY POST: 92% —BANKS STILL FORECLOSING WITHOUT ANY RIGHT

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Neil Garfield

IF THE BANKS DON’T OWN THE PROPERTY OR THE MORTGAGE, WHO DOES?

EDITOR’S NOTE: My figures tracking thousands of foreclosures indicate the same thing that the New York Post found. There are a scattered few foreclosures that are good old-fashioned foreclosures of valid mortgages. The borrower didn’t pay and there were no third party payments; the mortgage documents were the normal variety without nominees, MERS, substitutions of Trustee, and new parties that are clearly outside the chain of title. It can be expressed as a rule: if there is a substitution of trustee, there is a 99% chance the loan was (a) securitized and (b) invalid, without any valid transfers of authority or ownership. If MERS was involved, the same rule applies.

So the question is not one of probability or theory — the forgery of documents, the origination of the loan, the fabrication of documents, the intentional misrepresentation by counsel (with plausible deniability, but nonetheless knowing) — all contribute to the same conclusion. The substitutions of counsel were in virtually ALL CASES faked, which means that the notice of default, the notice of sale, the auction, the auction sale, the deed upon foreclosure are all void or voidable, depending upon state law. The proof of claim in bankruptcy is faked.

So now what? Those of you who have been following the blog for years know what I am going to say. Unless we change our legal system and throw out hundreds of years of statutory law, common law and standard practices in the real estate transactions, the last owner of the property still owns it. That would be the homeowner. The implications of this are enormous, I know. It means that even people who were foreclosed and evicted (illegally) from their homes have a right to claim ownership, move in, and possess the property — regardless of when it was. It means that there is a 92% probability that out of the 5 million families dispossessed from their homes, at least 4,500,000 of them could return to those properties.

So what would be the status of their ownership, possession and their obligation when their loan was funded? There are many technical issues that present themselves in this scenario, but generally speaking, if you check with any duly licensed attorney in the jurisdiction in which your property is located you will probably find that the following applies:

1. Legally the home is owned in fee simple absolute by the homeowner.

2. Other documents on the title registry will need to be removed through a lawsuit called “Quiet Title.” If there is any legislation required it will be to streamline the Quiet Title procedures.

3. Among the other documents to be removed or ignored, depending upon state law, is the mortgage or deed of trust signed at closing by the homeowner. See my next post on the validity of the original mortgage.

4. All of the foreclosure documents and all of the sale and deed documents from the foreclosure must be removed to have clear title.

5. If the arriving homeowner has purchased the home from another homeowner who was subject to one of these mortgages and/or foreclosures or if there is prior foreclosure the chain of title, all of those must be cleared in order to have clear title.

6. A title company will no longer issue title insurance (unless it is one of the under-capitalized shill title carriers started by the banks) without stating an exception to their commitment with respect to the issue of title in securitized loans and claims arising out of the fact that the foreclosures, transfers or satisfactions were not within the chain of title.

7. The obligation owed to unknown undisclosed creditors is not as was stated in the note on any of those securitized context transactions. There are varying degrees of misstatement in the note but the usual defects are that the actual creditor was never specified and the terms that the actual creditor received included promises from third parties (in the PSA) about payment of the monthly payment, payment of the interest and payment of the principal on each securitized mortgage. Thus the balance can never be known until the parties — all of them — provide an accounting.

8. In each state there is a cause of action for accounting, not necessarily known exactly under that name. You might also want to seek appointment of a receiver to make sure that the payments have been committed properly and not diverted, but that last point probably has the issue of standing attached to it — i.e., it is more properly brought by the investor.

9. If there is a balance due under the obligation it is unsecured, discharged in bankruptcy, and not subject to any security agreement in which any person or entity can make a claim to ownership of anything the homeowner owned, including the house that was the subject of foreclosure or will be subject to foreclosure.

10. Occupied homes by virtue of foreclosure sales that fall under this scope are probably subject to eviction or forcible detainer or unlawful detainer, depending upon the state. Thus the arriving homeowner would need to evict the people who are now living in the home. Again if legislation is to be passed, it should be to smooth the transition in such circumstances and establish a clear right of action for damages for those evicted through no fault of their own.

11. If there is a balance due under the obligation that arose when the loan was funded, then it is subject to offset for any damage claims that are owned by the homeowner for slander of title, trespass, civil theft, fraud, TILA violations, RESPA violations etc.

The Post finds problem in 92% of bank foreclosure filings

August 15, 2011 |

Filed underLenders <http://www.texasforeclosuredefensenetwork.com/blog/category/finance-sector/lenders/http://www.texasforeclosuredefensenetwork.com/blog/category/courts-nationwide/new-york/;
Posted by Istvan Fekete <
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Since last fall when the whole robo-signing scandal started banks are promising they won’t do it again. But evidences around every corner show the exact opposite: banks are still foreclosing on properties without any right to do it.

A recent probe comes from the New York Post. And the result: In a staggering 92 percent of the claims brought by creditors asserting the right to foreclose against bankrupt families in New York City and the close-in suburbs, banks and mortgage servicers couldn’t prove they had the right to kick the families out on the street, a three-month probe by The Post has shown.

The Post discovered that robosigned documents are still included in the foreclosure paperwork, or – another situation– banks are pressing foreclosures without the proper paperwork and so on.

After reviewing more than 150 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings from June 2010 in New York’s Eastern and Southern federal court districts the team “put together a random sample of 40 cases where creditors such as banks – but more often loan servicers – filed proofs of claim for first mortgage debt.

The research unearthed claims riddled with robosigners, suspicious documents and outrageous fees. And in a stunning 37 out of 40 cases, The Post discovered a broken chain of title from the original lender to the company now making claim against a local family for its home and thousands of dollars in questionable fees,” the Post writes.

The paperwork was seen by experienced foreclosure defense lawyers, and these experts agreed that the findings reflect a widespread pattern of malfeasance by banks and loan servicers.

“In-court borrowers are by definition broke and can’t hire document experts, but anybody who knows this terrain knows that stuff that looks this suspicious almost certainly is fraud,” says financial industry expert Yves Smith. “There are too many miraculous copies of documents showing up at the eleventh hour and nonsense like that to think this is clean.”

“The largest financial institutions in the US are doing it every day, and I have not seen it slow down or stop,” says Westchester attorney Linda Tirelli. “The game is always the same: Make up documents and foreclose as fast as you can.”

When the troubled homeowners face the foreclosure lawsuit they don’t have any lawyer to help them see through the paperwork servicers file. However, there are a few judges that have a critical eye, such as Judge Arthur Schack, or New York’s chief judge Jonathan Lippman.

In its investigation, the Post uncovered a pattern of problems centered on mortgage assignments – used when a mortgage is sold to a third party – and endorsements of notes, which is the paperwork that rides with the transfer of the mortgage giving the holder a rightful claim to foreclose.

These included:
* Missing or highly questionable endorsements of notes.
* Questionable timing of documents, including mortgage assignments by companies that were no longer in business on the date of the assignment.
* Signatures by robosigners — individuals who slapped their signature on hundreds of affidavits without attesting to their accuracy — on mortgage assignments.
* Proof-of-claim filings by mortgage servicers without documentation of their legal right to do so on behalf of the owner of the loan.
* Assignments created after the debtor filed for bankruptcy, when the law prevents a creditor from making any new claims.
* Mortgage assignments directly from the originator to the trustee for the securitized trust, bypassing the necessary intervening steps of transfer to the sponsor and depositor.

THE MYTH OF FANNIE OR FREDDIE ACTUALLY “BUYING” MORTGAGES (In other words…check into CONSIDERATION…these are “contracts” afterall)

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 3:20 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: THE MYTH OF FANNIE OR FREDDIE ACTUALLY "BUYING" MORTGAGES (In other words…check into CONSIDERATION…these are "contracts" afterall)

Neil Garfield – EDITOR’S ANALYSIS: I keep encountering the same myth, which is being overlooked by people on all sides; virtually none of the mortgages were ever sold to Fannie or Freddie. It doesn’t matter if they have it on their website as being owned by them. It doesn’t matter that pretenders are using false representations, fabricated documents and forged documents. The property was not sold pure and simple.

The "seller" in virtually every case was NOT the originator. And the originator never sold or transferred the obligation, note and mortgage to anyone. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist: ergo the property was not sold. Fannie and Freddie are holding zippo. Any money they paid was paid for nothing. Any property interest they are showing on their books is false.

TAXPAYERS are getting the shaft over and over again, while hidden liabilities for slander of title, trespass and a myriad of other claims pile up, for which the GSEs (Fannie and Freddie) could be liable. The money for the purchase of these loans came from taxpayers. What did taxpayers get? ZIPPO.

BY JENNIFER DIXON

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Key documents

Last summer, Fannie Mae executives decided the mortgage giant was “suffering delays in the processing of its foreclosures.”

These documents reveal how Fannie Mae addressed those delays, including a letter to GMAC Mortgage spelling out its new policies to assess compensatory fees and require banks to get its written permission to delay foreclosure sales on loans more than 12 months in arrears. The records also include letters to six lenders setting performance goals for the third quarter of 2010.

Tell us your story

Have you been through the nightmare of foreclosure? Have you struggled to get help from the federal government’s Making Home Affordable programs or the Hardest Hit Fund? Do you have a tale to tell? E-mail your story, 300 words or less, along with your e-mail address and phone number, to getpublished or by using the "Submit News" tab on the Free Press smartphone app. We’ll select the best and share them on freep .com .

Related Links

· Inside Fannie Mae: Confidential records show how Fannie Mae breaks the rules

· Programs for financially troubled homeowners haven’t helped much to date

· Who are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

· How metro Detroit homeowners can get help

· One family’s story of heartbreak in mortgage scandal

· Homeowners share their frustrations: We got roadblocks, not help

· Persistence pays off after 18 months of faxes and late fees

· The true cost of foreclosure for lenders, homeowners, communities, neighbors all end up paying

· Mortgage principal reductions mired in controversy

· Trying to do the right thing leaves homeowner in shambles

· Disabled vet trades war in Iraq for battle over home

· Not getting it in writing costs Clawson grandma

· Income was too much — and too little

· Know your rights — and how to get help

· Fighting to save their homes

· How metro Detroit homeowners can get help

· Real estate brokers just want to move homes

· Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s fire sales dilute metro Detroit home values

· Who are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac?

· Interactive map: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac metro Detroit foreclosures sales compared to market value

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Part one of a three-part series.

Part two: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s fire sales are crippling metro Detroit communities, leaders say

Part three: Homeowners share their frustrations: We got roadblocks, not help

Inside Fannie Mae: Confidential records show how Fannie Mae breaks the rules | How metro Detroit homeowners can get help | Who are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? | Programs for financially troubled homeowners haven’t helped much to date | One family’s story of heartbreak in mortgage scandal | How this report was compiled | Accountability, answers are lacking

In early December, a senior executive at Fannie Mae assured members of the Senate Banking Committee in Washington that the mortgage giant was doing everything possible to address the foreclosure crisis.

"Preventing foreclosures is a top priority for Fannie Mae," Terence Edwards, an executive vice president, told the panel. "Foreclosures hurt families and destabilize communities."

But confidential documents obtained by the Free Press show that Fannie Mae has pushed an agenda at odds with those public assurances.

The records cover Fannie Mae’s foreclosure decisions on more than 2,300 properties, a snapshot from among the millions of mortgages Fannie handles nationally. The documents show Fannie Mae has told banks to foreclose on some delinquent homeowners — those more than a year behind — even as the banks were trying to help borrowers save their houses, a violation of Fannie’s own policy.

Fannie Mae has publicly maintained that homeowners would not lose their houses while negotiating changes to mortgages under the federal Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP.

The Free Press also obtained internal records revealing that the taxpayer-supported mortgage giant has told banks that it expected them to sell off a fixed percentage of foreclosed homes. In one letter sent to banks around the country last year, a Fannie vice president made clear that Fannie expected 10%-12% of homes in foreclosure to proceed to sale.

Taken together, the documents offer an unprecedented window into how Fannie decides whether to allow borrowers to exhaust all options to keep their homes. "It’s scary, it really is," said Leisa Fenton of Clarkston, who is among an untold number of people whose homes were sold in foreclosure even though they had been assured their homes were safe while they sought mortgage relief from Washington.

Her family’s home was sold at auction in October. "We just keep praying the Lord is going to work it out," she said.

Alan White, a law professor at Valparaiso University and a leading national expert on the foreclosure crisis, reviewed the records for the Free Press and said they show Fannie Mae — which is regulated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency — is sabotaging the nation’s foreclosure prevention efforts and helping drive down home values.

"Fannie just wants to clean up its balance sheet and get these loans off the books while taxpayers are eating these losses," White said, referring to the multibillion-dollar federal bailout of Fannie Mae in 2008 and the rising cost to taxpayers.

"And Treasury and the FHFA are letting them get away with it. It’s a huge waste. Wealth is being destroyed, people are losing houses needlessly, and taxpayers are losing money."

Fannie Mae officials declined to be interviewed and would not address the issues raised in the records obtained by the Free Press, including a lengthy series of questions provided by e-mail.

But a former Fannie Mae executive, Javid Jaberi, whose name is on some of the documents, said the internal records merely reflect an effort by Fannie Mae to get banks to respond more quickly when loans are delinquent, even if that means pushing some foreclosed homes to sale.

In an interview Wednesday, Jaberi said there is plenty of blame to go around. Borrowers often didn’t understand their options. Banks weren’t doing enough to help borrowers to get mortgage relief. And HAMP’s documentation rules, he said, were too complex.

"Everyone is to blame," Jaberi said, including Fannie Mae.

Fannie spokesman Andrew Wilson said in a statement Fannie is "committed to preventing foreclosures whenever possible."

"We encourage homeowners to reach out as early as possible … to pursue modifications and other foreclosure prevention solutions."

Various lenders — Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage, CitiMortgage and Chase — would not discuss Fannie’s policies.

Records reveal foreclosure tactics

Fannie Mae and many of the nation’s top banks have faced considerable criticism for doing little to stem foreclosure sales, which grew by 1.6 million last year. Investigations by other news media outlets showed that Fannie Mae (and the banks that directly service home loans) help only a sliver of people promised relief, and often delay or bungle applications for modifications. Other reports showed Fannie has punished banks that were too slow to foreclose.

The documents obtained by the Free Press indicate, for the first time, that Fannie wasn’t simply indifferent to helping homeowners, but launched a concerted effort to force seriously delinquent borrowers from their homes.

Fannie’s foreclosure policy — what an August 2010 document calls "our new delay initiative" — focused on homeowners more than 12 months late on their mortgages, including people actively negotiating loan modifications. That stance conflicts with the government’s (and Fannie’s) rules, which are meant to insulate people while they seek loan relief under HAMP.

Mortgage companies, of course, can’t wait forever for delinquent borrowers to catch up on their payments. But critics argue that Fannie Mae’s confidential foreclosure policy is not only at odds with its public assurances, but adds to the inventory of vacant homes across the nation and lowers property values for everyone.

According to White, the Valparaiso professor, foreclosing on a home typically costs Fannie Mae far more than a successful loan modification. But, he and others say, Fannie is willing to absorb higher losses because it knows taxpayers — not Fannie Mae — will eventually reimburse the loss.

Since 2008, when the government took over Fannie Mae and its sister company, Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants have cost taxpayers $141 billion, with estimates that the bill could eventually reach as high as $389 billion.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are significant players in the foreclosure crisis; they own or guarantee more than half of all existing single-family mortgages and about two-thirds of all new U.S. home mortgages. Fannie also administers the U.S. Treasury Department’s $29.9-billion foreclosure prevention initiative — Making Home Affordable, which includes HAMP — that was launched by President Barack Obama in 2009.

Everyone loses

Fannie Mae doesn’t lend directly to homeowners. It buys loans from banks, guarantees them, and relies on the banks to service the loans directly. Fannie funds its mortgage investments by issuing debt securities in domestic and international capital markets.

Fannie Mae, according to rules outlined on its Web site, has told banks that service its loans that they "should not proceed with a foreclosure sale" until a borrower has been evaluated for a loan modification under HAMP. That squares with HAMP’s written rules, which forbid banks from completing foreclosures without first weighing a person’s eligibility for a modification.

According to RealtyTrac, which tracks U.S. foreclosures, 1.6 million homes were sold in foreclosure last year, including 78,704 in Michigan. It’s unclear from the records how many could have kept their homes had Fannie not enacted its confidential foreclosure policy.

Metro Detroit leaders say Fannie Mae’s actions are destabilizing neighborhoods and driving down home values. They pleaded with federal regulators to help.

"Local governments are trying to keep people in their homes and keep property values up, and here you have a government bureaucracy ripping (those efforts) to shreds," said Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.

"It doesn’t make sense."

Adam Taub, a Southfield lawyer who works with people trying to save their homes, said Fannie is "being very, very aggressive, very proactive, in trying to kick people out. … They’re putting a lot of pressure on" the banks.

He said he had several cases in which banks were willing to modify loans but Fannie Mae was unwilling to cooperate. He said he had no way to know whether Fannie’s policy affected those cases.

"They’re making their books look better, and making neighborhoods look worse, and that hurts everybody’s property values," Taub said.

The confidential records reviewed by the Free Press include notations on more than 2,300 homes in which banks asked Fannie to delay foreclosure sales while homeowners sought modifications or other relief, including short sales — in which a lender lets the borrower sell a home for less than what is owed.

In one instance, from August 2010, Bank of America requested a 45-day delay for a Wisconsin homeowner who owed $124,610 and was 32 months delinquent. The bank said the borrower was applying for a loan modification through HAMP and "it appears that all financial documents have been received and we are waiting for an underwriter to be assigned."

Fannie Mae’s response: "Per our new delay initiative, any loan over 12 months deliq must be on an active payment plan with monthly payments coming in. Therefore, this request to postpone is declined. Please proceed to sale."

IndyMac Mortgage Services sought a delay for a Hawaii borrower who provided all records required by HAMP. The homeowner, 22 months behind, owed $412,225. Fannie: "Proceed with foreclosure."

The records do not identify any homeowners by name.

Wilson, the Fannie Mae spokesman, would not address these or other specific documents, saying only that Fannie evaluates delay requests case by case and has approved some delays "if the situation warranted it."

Indeed, Fannie officials approved some brief delays, records show — with conditions.

In October, Bank of America sought a delay for a California borrower who was 24 months behind, owed $230,449 and had filled out a HAMP loan package. Fannie agreed to delay sale until early November, but noted:

"BANK OF AMERICA RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL FEES/COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS POSTPONEMENT DUE TO DELAY IN PROCESSING … DOCS TIMELY."

Meg Burns, chief of policy at FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae, said foreclosure sales are delayed "all the time. We suspend foreclosure processing all the time. … There are plenty of postponements."

Burns said if anyone is to blame for home losses, it’s the banks for not dealing sooner with homeowners.

FHFA officials also noted that Fannie and Freddie are adopting new rules in October that provide incentives and penalities to encourage servicers to work with delinquent borrowers at an early stage.

Edward DeMarco, FHFA’s acting director, has said the new policies should give homeowners a greater understanding of the process and minimize taxpayer losses by ensuring loans are serviced efficiently and fairly.

FHFA also noted that since Fannie and Freddie were taken into conservatorship, they have completed more than 900,000 loan modifications.

Fannie Mae’s foreclosure policy is also being applied to seriously delinquent borrowers in programs other than HAMP, records show.

In one case last October, Bank of America sought a delay for a Michigan borrower seeking a loan modification who owed $65,542 and was two years behind, but whose finances were improving.

"Borrower is reflecting positive monthly cash flow of $914.77 and may be able to afford a modified payment," the bank wrote. Fannie refused, noting the lengthy delinquency: "Proceed to sale."

Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, said, "It’s rarely in anyone’s best interest to kick out a struggling homeowner who is trying to stay in their home, particularly in cities like Detroit whose housing market is devastated."

He said it’s absurd Fannie is taking actions "devastating to the homeowners and communities they’re supposed to be serving. It really is obscene."

Jamison Brewer, a lawyer with Michigan Legal Services in Detroit, said Fannie’s actions are contrary to what borrowers seeking modifications are being told — that foreclosure sales are put on hold while they apply for HAMP.

"Our tax money went into Fannie," he said. "It’s just ridiculous."

Requests for short sale delays are likewise being denied, the internal records show.

In October, Bank of America sought a delay for a California borrower who owed $416,786, was 13 months behind, and trying to close a short sale. "LOAN IS IN DOCUMENT COLLECTION PHASE," the bank noted. "FILE HAS HAD 0 PREVIOUS POSTPONEMENTS." Fannie Mae declined, noting simply, "Too delinquent."

Sticking taxpayers with the losses

White, the Valparaiso professor, said Fannie’s decision to target homeowners who are more than a year delinquent doesn’t allow for changes in some people’s financial situations, such as a new job or higher pay.

He is among a bipartisan collection of critics who say Fannie is less concerned with helping homeowners than in pushing the cost of troubled mortgages to taxpayers.

For example, White said, if a home with a $200,000 mortgage is foreclosed and Fannie nets $80,000 from its sale, Fannie loses $120,000. But because Congress authorized the Treasury Department to reimburse Fannie as part of the government’s takeover, taxpayers eat the losses.

"Fannie would rather foreclose all the bad and marginal mortgages now, even at very high loss rates, while losses are on the taxpayer, so that when it is once again a private company, these risky mortgages will be gone, and will not result in losses for its shareholders," he said.

"Treasury and Congress have given Fannie a blank check, but Fannie knows the checkbook will be taken away sooner or later."

Fannie Mae has made it difficult in other ways for borrowers to keep their homes.

Take the case of a woman represented by lawyer Lorray Brown of the Michigan Poverty Law Program.

The Eaton County woman lost her home in foreclosure and was facing eviction when she persuaded a bank to lend her $170,000 to buy the property back from Fannie Mae. Brown said Fannie initially rejected her client’s offer, insisting on the full $184,000 the woman owed — $14,000 more than the woman could raise.

Fannie did not accept the woman’s offer until January, after months of wrangling. Had Fannie Mae won the fight, it would certainly have spent more than $14,000 on legal fees and foreclosures costs while displacing a family and leaving another home vacant.

Fannie lawyers referred questions to headquarters, which declined to comment.

Well before Edwards, the Fannie Mae executive, testified before the Senate committee that the mortgage giant was doing all it could to prevent foreclosures, Fannie Mae was making plans to punish banks that were not selling foreclosed homes quickly enough, records show. The records obtained by the Free Press buttress documents reported by the Washington Post earlier this year.

"Fannie Mae is suffering delays in the processing of its foreclosures," according to one unsigned, Aug. 31, 2010, memo. The memo, a "talking points" summary for Fannie Mae management, outlined its plans to fine banks for delaying foreclosure on seriously delinquent homeowners.

As an example, the memo notes, a bank would be fined $5,218 at the time of foreclosure on a house with a mortgage balance of $121,000 and 22 months late.

The memo said Fannie Mae was initially targeting mortgages 18 or more months delinquent to "scrub and clean up servicers’ existing portfolios."

In a June 18, 2010, letter, Jaberi, then Fannie Mae’s vice president, also cited fines in a letter to GMAC.

"Fannie Mae urges you to begin more closely managing delays in the processing of our foreclosure cases as soon as possible," Jaberi wrote, adding: "You must keep the contents of this letter and the requirements confidential."

In the interview Wednesday, Jaberi confirmed that versions of that letter went to all banks that serviced Fannie Mae mortgages.

Fannie Mae also sent letters in June 2010 warning at least six lenders that Fannie projected and expected "approximately 10%-12% of monthly foreclosure inventory will go to sale."

Bert Ely, a banking consultant based in Alexandria, Va., who reviewed the letters for the Free Press, said they show Fannie "wants to force these default situations into a foreclosure sale" and raised questions about whether Fannie is setting arbitrary targets.

"When you have a uniform approach like that, it makes you wonder whether they are just pushing action by the servicers irrespective of local market conditions," he said.

Kurt Eggert, a law professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., who has testified before Congress on mortgage issues, said it’s unrealistic to expect banks to hit uniform targets because "they have a different mix of mortgages. … And some are much better at modifying mortgages than others."

Jaberi denied that Fannie took a cookie-cutter approach with banks. Fannie was merely "trying to create a dialogue between Fannie Mae and the servicer. … These are nonperforming assets and need to be resolved. … We were putting more pressure on the servicers to do their jobs."

Alys Cohen, staff attorney for the National Consumer Law Center, noted that Fannie threatened no punishment to banks that denied a loan modification to qualified homeowners, but did threaten to punish banks that didn’t foreclose fast enough.

"That results in many qualified homeowners ending up in foreclosure," she said.

MOST ORIGINAL MORTGAGE LIENS INVALID

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 9:41 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: MOST ORIGINAL MORTGAGE LIENS INVALID

MOST ORIGINAL MORTGAGE LIENS INVALID

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Neil Garfield

I held back on writing this post until I was sure beyond a reasonable doubt that I was right. I’ve said it one form or another, but not like this. It is my opinion (to be checked with licensed attorney) that most mortgage liens over the last 10 years+ were never perfected and improperly filed. If you check with cases involving mechanics liens, mortgage liens, bankruptcy etc., the issue is always about priority of liens and perfection of liens. The essential tests I have distilled from many sources are as follows:

  1. The most important test of the perfection of a lien is whether the lienholder could issue a satisfaction of that lien.
  2. The other statutory steps in establishing the lien and giving it the right place in the priority of the lien must be fulfilled to the letter. Each state differs slightly on such procedures.

Be careful here because this is not one size fits all. There are two classes of such mortgages, and this conclusion regarding the perfection, priority, enforcement and viability of the lien only applies to one class. The first class is the minority by far, but it is a significant minority. There were some actual lenders, apparently like World Savings, that did in fact make loans out of their own cash or credit. That they were later sold into the secondary market does nothing for you if you are challenging the original loan, which presumably was otherwise executed and properly filed. Hence, at the time of origination neither misrepresentation of the creditor nor the PSA were involved.

The other class, including subclasses, accounts for at least 85% of all loans during this period. In most cases the loan originator was either a thinly capitalized mortgage broker who was called “the lender” even though they never gave the borrower one penny and never intended to do so. If there were any borrower claims arising out of the loan transaction itself it would, the strategy goes, be filed against the loan originator (except now we know they were not the lender and were acting as an agent for an undisclosed principal).

The fact that the loan originator was not the lender/creditor means that the real creditor was outside the transaction. Thus a satisfaction of the obligation could only be given by or on behalf of the undisclosed creditor. By definition there is no way of knowing, but for off-record communication, who to go to for a satisfaction. Factually the Promissory Note is a lie. And therefore the “Security instrument” which misstates the terms itself, is based upon a document that does not properly recite the terms of repayment (i.e., including the terms of the PSA).

It does not properly recite the terms of repayment because (1) it provides a nominee instead of the real name of the creditor/lender and (2) it does include all the terms and parties to the deal (see the PSA). If MERS was used, you have a nominee for title, a nominee for creditor, and therefore no real party on the side of the lender, in terms of on-record activity. This results in the lien being imperfect or never perfected. Check the cases and statutes. This conclusion is unavoidable based upon the factual assumptions I have made here.

The focus on forgery, fabrication and misrepresentation (robo-signing) is important. After all this shows fraudulent intent. But it begs the question as to whether the original lien was perfected. And by the way (see previous post) invalidating the lien does not eliminate the obligation or even the possibility of a judgment lien if it is available to the creditor (depends upon the state).

So the narrow issue addressed here ONLY relates to the perfection of the mortgage or deed of trust, which is only one method of enforcement of a debt. These issues are important as to discharge-ability of the obligation in bankruptcy and enforceability of the putative lien in state or Federal Court. There are obvious ramifications as to lawsuits to Quiet Title as well.

WTF?

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:26 PM
To: Nancie Koerber
Subject: WTF?

The judge is Michael Mosman of the USDC for the District of Oregon, Portland Division. MERS is gloating over these decisions. Check out their newsroom – http://www.mersinc.org/newsroom/press_details.aspx?id=300

Although Judge Mosman cites Hooker, IMHO, his interpretation is way off. Mosman did what Florida’s 5th DCA did in the Taylor v. Deutsche ruling – take an extremely winding path in order to reach the conclusion that MERS has some sort of authority. To this extent, Mosman states that the infamous clause in every mortgage granting MERS certain rights "if necessary to comply with law or custom" grants MERS the right to receive payment of the obligation.

TILA Rescission – Maine Supreme Court – Tender Not Necessary When “Bank” Failed to Perform

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 7:59 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: TILA Rescission – Maine Supreme Court – Tender Not Necessary When "Bank" Failed to Perform

Although the Pelletiers have not yet tendered to the bank the proceeds of the loan that they received from Ameriquest, the statute specifies that tender is not required until the creditor has performed its obligations under the law.

15 U.S.C.S. § 1635(b). The facts established in this summary judgment record indicate that the creditor—the bank—has not yet performed its obligation to “return to the obligor any money or property given as earnest money,

downpayment, or otherwise.” Id. Thus, the Pelletiers were not yet required to tender the proceeds to the bank, and the court did not err in imposing the remedy of rescission on summary judgment. Further proceedings are necessary, however, to define the scope of that remedy. Because the parties have not followed the process specified by statute with precision and clarity, the court may “otherwise order[]” appropriate procedures to give effect to the remedy of rescission. Id. Accordingly, although we affirm the court’s judgment granting the Pelletiers’ request for

rescission, we remand the matter for the court to determine how this rescission should be effectuated.

The entry is:

Summary judgment for the Pelletiers on the foreclosure complaint affirmed. Remanded for further proceedings to effectuate the rescission of the January 18, 2006, agreements.

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

62165655-Deutsche-v-Pelletier-ME-Supreme-Rescission.pdf

Bank of America Uses Attack Dog to Smear NY AG Schneiderman

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 7:59 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Bank of America Uses Attack Dog to Smear NY AG Schneiderman

The Roundup for August 15, 2011 »

Bank of America Uses Attack Dog to Smear NY AG Schneiderman
By: David Dayen Sunday August 14, 2011 6:02 pm Tweet10

I could barely suppress a laugh when reading about Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan begging Tim Geithner to settle the foreclosure fraud issue so they can get out from under their liability. As Yves Smith points out, if Tim Geithner had the power to get Bank of America out of their mess, he surely would have done it by now, before their stock dipped 36% in the last three weeks. Geithner simply doesn’t have jurisdiction over state courts, where many judges are simply not going to allow foreclosures when standing to foreclose cannot be proven (Moynihan apparently distinguished on a conference call between “states where foreclosure can take place” and “states where foreclosure is going through very slowly,” and he might as well have been distinguishing between states that respect the rule of law and states that don’t). Geithner may try, but he cannot compel Attorneys General in both parties to settle for pennies on the dollar and relinquish all of their liability for consumer protection violations and fraud upon state courts. He cannot influence investors who see a giant meal ticket in the form of forcing big banks to repurchase faulty mortgage backed securities. If there was a magic bullet in this debacle, it would already have been fired.

The problem is enough AGs are proceeding with mortgage lawsuits against banks so as to render that advantage moot. New York’s Eric Schneiderman is moving ahead in a very systematic way, and Delaware’s Beau Biden seems to be moving in concert. Massachusetts’ Martha Coakley is also pushing ahead, albeit on different mortgage issues. Nevada’s Catherine Masto has a major anti-Countrywide suit outstanding that she has no intention of dropping. Kamala Harris in California has nibbled at some foreclosure related issues and may proceed on a broader basis. Colorado’s John Suthers is apparently also likely not to participate in the settlement, which means he may file litigation.

Moreover, any state AG settlement does not restrict private parties’ rights to sue. It won’t stop the $10+ billion AIG action against Countrywide, nor will it bar the various private efforts to derail BofA’s $8.5 billion mortgage settlement. And it will not stop borrowers from using chain of title issues to fight foreclosures.

Best part of this article was learning in the last line that Lawrence DiRita, a former spokesman for Donald Rumsfeld, now flaks for Bank of America. Poetic.

So having figured out that the Feds cannot come riding to the rescue with another back-door bailout, Bank of America has settled on Plan B. They’ve decided to smear the AGs who are doing their job.

And they’re doing it in a very roundabout way. They’ve trotted out Kathryn Wylde, the President of the Partnership for New York City, to attack Eric Schneiderman for his intervention in the Bank of America settlement with investors over mortgage backed securities. Wylde is going to bat for BofA as well as the Bank of New York Mellon, the trustee for the MBS in the settlement. And she is actually arguing that Schneiderman, by defending the rights of investors and seeking the truth on out and out securitization fraud, is threatening the existence of the financial sector in New York City. No, really.

A BNY Mellon spokesman told me the bank didn’t want to comment on the broader implications of the AG’s filing, but directed me to Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a business development non-profit. She said that the AG’s “careless action” hurts New York’s standing as a financial center.

“It’s disappointing from the standpoint of the business community that the AG would make a fraud accusation against a major financial institution — in the press,” she told me. “And to not have any consultation with the institution? The bank was blindsided by what appears to be an outrageous charge.” (The AG’s press office didn’t respond to my request of comment.)

BNYM DIRECTED the reporter to Wylde, incidentally. Wylde has done this before, back in November 2009, arguing that breaking up big banks would hurt New York City. This would be outrageous enough on its own. But Wylde happens to sit on the board of directors for the New York Federal Reserve (sub. reqd.).

So you have a board member for an federal overseer of banks on Wall Street (Wylde claims that the NY Fed “serves no regulatory function,” which is just absolutely not true) attacking a state regulator for stepping into a settlement where he has found massive fraud in a preliminary investigation. She’s taking up for BNYM, which the NY Fed oversees, against the state Attorney General. This is just a classic case of regulatory capture.

There’s almost no way this is not coordinated. Wylde is pretty powerful in New York circles, I understand, and she’s raising fears of a slowdown to New York City’s main economic engine to stall regulatory oversight. The banks must continue looting, the story goes, or they’ll stop creating jobs in Manhattan. I don’t think Schneiderman is likely to fold under this attempt at pressure, especially because the evidence keeps moving in his favor, rather than the other way. The New York Post, of all papers, has a damning story on this today.

In a staggering 92 percent of the claims brought by creditors asserting the right to foreclose against bankrupt families in New York City and the close-in suburbs, banks and mortgage servicers couldn’t prove they had the right to kick the families out on the street, a three-month probe by The Post has shown […]

The Post dug through more than 150 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings from June 2010 in New York’s Eastern and Southern federal court districts — covering the five boroughs, Long Island and nearby northern counties including Westchester–in search of local foreclosure or pre-foreclosure cases. We then put together a random sample of 40 cases where creditors such as banks — but more often loan servicers — filed proofs of claim for first mortgage debt.

The research unearthed claims riddled with robosigners, suspiciousdocuments and outrageous fees. And in a stunning 37 out of 40 cases, The Post discovered a broken chain of title from the original lender to the company now making claim against a local family for its home and thousands of dollars in questionable fees.

This is essentially the same investigation that Abigail Field undertook for Fortune a couple months ago. The New York freakin’ Post now joins Fortune in having done more of an investigation into foreclosure fraud than the 50-state foreclosure fraud task force.

But some of the AGs who believe in their job description are starting to catch up here. And try as the elites and oligarchs might to stop them, a tipping point is being reached where the public may understand just how much the mortgage industry wrecked the system of private property in this country.

UPDATE: Clearing up something from up above – Wylde specifically claimed that the board of directors of the NY Fed serves no regulatory function, not that the NY Fed itself doesn’t. She’s on solid ground with that statement, which I misinterpreted. It hardly negates the position she’s put herself into with this attack. There is such a thing as appearance of impropriety. And Wylde has played this game before, equating any regulatory effort on a bank to destroying New York City. And that’s not in any way above board.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/08/14/bank-of-america-uses-attack-dog-to-smear-ny-ag-schneiderman/

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

WEISBAND APPEAL: IS EVIDENCE REQUIRED OR CAN WE JUST TAKE THE BANKS’ WORD FOR IT?

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 11:43 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: WEISBAND APPEAL: IS EVIDENCE REQUIRED OR CAN WE JUST TAKE THE BANKS’ WORD FOR IT?

WEISBAND APPEAL: IS EVIDENCE REQUIRED OR CAN WE JUST TAKE THE BANKS’ WORD FOR IT?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Neil Garfield

SEE WEISBAND STATEMENT OF ISSUES ON APPEAL 10-1239 – attached…

FILED BY RONALD RYAN, ESQ. IN TUCSON, AZ

Debtor informed the Bankruptcy Court (herein, “Court” as the trial court) that it had expert testimony to support Debtor’s challenge to the Motion, and informed the Court that the evidence in the record contained certain indicators that also supported Debtor’s challenge. Primarily Debtor contends that the Loan, Note and Deed of Trust (“DOT”) were intended for Securitization into a Mortgage Backed Security (“MBS”) Trust, and that Appellee was not, either at the time the bankruptcy case was filed, nor at the time the motion for relief from stay was filed: the real Article 3 Holder of the Note; nor the owner of the Loan; nor the party possessed of the DOT rights, including the security interest in the Property. Debtor alleged that the merger agreement was irrelevant. Debtor alleged that the Loan, Note and DOT rights had been sold or otherwise transferred to a completely separate entity, within weeks after the original loan closed, to a completely separate entity from either FHHLC, FTBNA and FHHL.

The Court did not hold a single evidentiary hearing. It did not require a single piece of evidence or testimony to be admitted in a legal proceeding, subject to cross examination and the right to present controverting evidence. The Court did not require that the evidence and the purport of said evidence met even the standard of summary judgment evidence. Debtor was not afforded an opportunity to perform reasonable discovery, despite the fact that Debtor informed the Court that they intended to immediately serve written discovery requests.

  1. Did the Court err in finding that FHHL proved itself to have Constitutional Standing and Real Party in Interest status (“RPI”) (Prudential Standing), without having to present any evidence in an admissible form, over Debtor’s objection?
  2. Even if FHHL had established a prima faci case that it had Constitutional Standing and Prudential Standing, was it a denial of due process, or in contravention of statutory law or the applicable rules of procedure to deny Debtor an evidentiary hearing?
  3. was it error to deny Debtor the right to a reasonable amount of discovery within a reasonable period of time in this case?
  4. What evidence is necessary to prove Constitutional Standing and Prudential Standing in the context of a Motion for Relief from Stay in Bankruptcy Court on residential real estate?

weisband-statement-of-issues-on-appeal-10-1239.pdf

SUPERSEDEAS BOND USED AS WEAPON AGAINST HOMEOWNERS TO STIFLE CLAIMS

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 10:11 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: SUPERSEDEAS BOND USED AS WEAPON AGAINST HOMEOWNERS TO STIFLE CLAIMS

SUPERSEDEAS BOND USED AS WEAPON AGAINST HOMEOWNERS TO STIFLE CLAIMS

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Neil Garfield

JUDGES: ASSUME THE BORROWER IS WRONG

So you have denied the claims of the pretenders and put that in issue. You have even alleged fraud, forgery and fabrication and the catch-word “robosigning”. But the Judge, alleging that he did not want to “make new law” (which wasn’t true) or allegedly because he didn’t want to start an avalanche of litigation interfering with judicial economy (and therefore allowing fraud and theft on the largest scale ever known to human history) has not only denied your claims and motions, but refused to even put the matter at issue, thus enabling you to at least use discovery to prove your point.

So the pretenders have their way: no evidence has been introduced into the record. You have proffered, they have proffered, but somehow their proffer means something more than your proffer even though no proffer is evidence.

Attorneys recognize this as low hanging fruit on appeal, where the trial judge is going to get the case back on remand with instructions to listen to the evidence and allow each side to produce real evidence, not proffers from counsel, and allow each side to conduct discovery. It’s not guaranteed but it is very likely. And the pretenders know that if it ever gets down to real evidence as opposed to arguments of counsel, they are dead in the water, subject to sanctions and liability for slander of title and other claims.

So they have come up with this strategy of setting supersedeas bond higher and higher so that the order appealed from goes into effect and they are able to kick the can down the road with a foreclosure sale, more transfers etc in the title chain, thus enabling them to argue the deed is done and the “former” homeowner must be relegated to only claiming damages, not the home itself. People can be kicked out by eviction proceedings that typically are conducted in courts of limited jurisdiction where in most states you are not allowed to even allege that the title is not real or that it was illegally obtained.

Initially supersedeas bond was set at levels that could be met by homeowners — sometimes as little as $500 or a monthly amount equal to a small fraction of the former monthly payment. Now, Judges who are heavily influenced by banks and large law firms, especially chief Judges who stick their noses into cases not assigned to them, are making sure that the case does NOT go to jury trial and essentially influencing the presiding Judge ex parte, to set a high supersedeas bond thus preventing the homeowner from obtaining a stay of execution on the eviction or the final judgment regarding title.

Of course it is wrong. But it is happening. You counter this by (1) making the record on appeal as to the merits of the appeal (2) adding to the record actual affidavits and testimony as to value, rental value etc. and (3) of course demanding and evidential hearing on the proper amount of the bond. Here you want to search out and produce the bond set in similar cases in the county in which your case is pending. Make sure you have a court reporter and a transcript on appeal and that the record on appeal is complete. It is not uncommon for certain documents to get “lost” or allegedly not “introduced” so when the appellate court gets it you can be met with the question of “what document?”

The other reason they are increasing supersedeas bond is because of a misconception by many pro se litigants and even some attorneys. They have the impression that the appeal is over if the bond is NOT posted with the clerk. And they have the impression that they can’t challenge the amount of bond set, or even go to the appellate court just on that issue and ask the appellate court to set bond — something they might not do but when they remand it, it is usually with instructions to the trial judge to hear evidence on the relevant issues — again something the pretenders don’t want.

Supersedeas bond ONLY applies to execution of the order or judgment that you are appealing. You can AND should continue with the appeal and if you win, the Judgment might be overturned — which means by operation of law you probably get your house back.

All these things are technical matters. Listening to other pro se litigants or even relying upon this other sites intended to help you is neither wise nor helpful. Before you act or fail to act, you should be in close contact with an attorney licensed in the jurisdiction in which your property is located. Local rules can sometimes spell the difference between the life or death of your case.

CALIFORNIA FRAUD DEFINED

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 11:43 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: CALIFORNIA FRAUD DEFINED

CALIFORNIA FRAUD DEFINED

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Neil Garfield

Submitted on 2011/08/08 at 8:38 pm

Sorry the supporting PDF documents did not come through but if any lawyers out there are interested and send me a reply email and I will forward the supporting PDF copies along with the text

by Forrest Hazard

Hold onto your hats Folks…

There are not just two separate frauds here: I finally figured out how to stop MERS [Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc] as foreclosing entity and assignee in California and possibly throughout the United States and it applies to all previous mortgages as well Follow the logic:

The block in totality applies to every mortgage entered into or foreclosed upon since the name MERS {Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc] was suspended by official action of the Franchise Tax Board and the Secretary of State the name cannot be used by MERS [either California or Delaware] because of Section 201B of the Corporation as both Names were/are identical and still remain suspended thereby invoking at least during the known period of suspension [since 2004] [See below] and activate the following bar to conducting any real estate transaction

(d) If a taxpayer’s powers, rights, and privileges are forfeited or suspended pursuant to Section 23301, 23301.5, or 23775, without limiting any other consequences of such forfeiture or suspension, the taxpayer shall not be entitled to sell, transfer, or exchange real property in California during the period of forfeiture or suspension

CALIFORNIA CODES CORPORATIONS CODE SECTION 200-213

Undoubtedly two identical names are likely to deceive the public

201. (a) The Secretary of State shall not file articles setting forth a name in which “bank,” ” trust,” “trustee” or related words appear, unless the certificate of approval of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions is attached thereto. This subdivision does not apply to the articles of any corporation subject to the Banking Law on which is endorsed the approval of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions.

(b) The Secretary of State shall not file articles which set forth a name which is likely to mislead the public or which is the same as, or resembles so closely as to tend to deceive, the name of a domestic corporation, the name of a foreign corporation which is authorized to transact intrastate business or has registered its name pursuant to Section 2101, a name which a foreign corporation has assumed under subdivision (b) of Section 2106, a name which will become the record name of a domestic or foreign corporation upon the effective date of a filed corporate instrument where there is a delayed effective date pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 110 or subdivision

c) of Section 5008, or a name which is under reservation for another corporation pursuant to this section, Section 5122,Section 7122, or Section 9122, except that a corporation may adopt a name that is substantially the same as an existing domestic corporation or foreign corporation which is authorized to transact intrastate business or has registered its name pursuant to Section 2101, upon proof of consent by such domestic or foreign corporation and a finding by the Secretary of State that under the circumstances the public is not likely to be misled. The use by a corporation of a name in violation of this section may be enjoined notwithstanding the filing of its articles by the Secretary of State. (c) Any applicant may, upon payment of the fee prescribed therefore in the Government Code, obtain from the Secretary of State a certificate of reservation of any name not prohibited by subdivision(b), and upon the issuance of the certificate the name stated therein shall be reserved for a period of 60 days.

The Secretary of State shall not, however, issue certificates reserving the same name for two or more consecutive 60-day periods to the same applicant or for the use or benefit of the same person, partnership, firm or corporation; nor shall consecutive reservations be made by or for the use or benefit of the same person, partnership, firm or corporation of names so similar as to fall within the prohibitions of subdivision (b).

23303. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 23301 or 23301.5,any corporation that transacts business or receives income within the period of its suspension or forfeiture shall be subject to tax under the provisions of this chapter.

Identically MERS has no exemption to use of the state Real Property registry authorizing it to use EDS/LPS or MERSREGISTRY therefore they owe significant fees under the following statute: [Unjust Enrichment] These are triggered any time MERS conducts a foreclosure or completes an assignment of s mortgage on part of its primary

MERS either California or Delaware is additionally in violation of the following state-county statute

CALIFORNIA CODES REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE SECTION 11911-11913

11911. (a) The board of supervisors of any county or city and county, by an ordinance adopted pursuant to this part, may impose, on each deed, instrument, or writing by which any lands, tenements, or other realty sold within the county shall be granted, assigned, transferred, or otherwise conveyed to, or vested in, the purchaser or purchasers, or any other person or persons, by his or their direction, when the consideration or value of the interest or property conveyed (exclusive of the value of any lien or encumbrance remaining thereon at the time of sale) exceeds one hundred dollars($100) a tax at the rate of fifty-five cents ($0.55) for each five hundred dollars ($500) or fractional part thereof. (b) The legislative body of any city which is within a county which has imposed a tax pursuant to subdivision (a) may, by an ordinance adopted pursuant to this part, impose, on each deed, instrument, or writing by which any lands, tenements, or other realty sold within the city shall be granted, assigned, transferred, or otherwise conveyed to, or vested in, the purchaser or purchasers, or any other person or persons, by his or their direction, when the consideration or value of the interest or property conveyed(exclusive of the value of any lien or encumbrance remaining thereon at the time of sale) exceeds one hundred dollars ($100), a tax at the rate of one-half the amount specified in subdivision (a) for each five hundred dollars ($500) or fractional part thereof. (c) A credit shall be allowed against the tax imposed by a county ordinance pursuant to subdivision (a) for the amount of any tax due to any city by reason of an ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision(b). No credit shall be allowed against any county tax for a city tax which is not in conformity with this part.

11912. Any tax imposed pursuant to Section 11911 shall be paid by any person who makes, signs or issues any document or instrument subject to the tax, or for whose use or benefit the same is made, signed or issued.

Causes of action are set forth below:

CALIFORNIA CODES CIVIL CODE SECTION 1565-1590

1571. Fraud is either actual or constructive.

1572. Actual fraud, within the meaning of this Chapter, consists in any of the following acts, committed by a party to the contract, or with his connivance, with intent to deceive another party thereto, or to induce him to enter into the contract:

1. The suggestion, as a fact, of that which is not true, by one who does not believe it to be true;

2. The positive assertion, in a manner not warranted by the information of the person making it, of that which is not true, though he believes it to be true;

3. The suppression of that which is true, by one having knowledge or belief of the fact; 4. A promise made without any intention of performing it; or,

5. Any other act fitted to deceive.

1573. Constructive fraud consists:

1. In any breach of duty which, without an actually fraudulent intent, gains an advantage to the person in fault, or any one claiming under him, by misleading another to his prejudice, or to the prejudice of any one claiming under him; or,

2. In any such act or omission as the law specially declares to be fraudulent, without respect to actual fraud.

1574. Actual fraud is always a question of fact.

QUESTIONS OF FACT ARE DECIDED BY JURIES

CALIFORNIA CODES CIVIL CODE SECTION 1708-1725

1708. Every person is bound, without contract, to abstain from injuring the person or property of another, or infringing upon any of his or her rights.

1709. One who willfully deceives another with intent to induce him to alter his position to his injury or risk, is liable for any damage which he thereby suffers.

1710. A deceit, within the meaning of the last section, is either:

1. The suggestion, as a fact, of that which is not true, by one who does not believe it to be true;

2. The assertion, as a fact, of that which is not true, by one who has no reasonable ground for believing it to be true;

3. The suppression of a fact, by one who is bound to disclose it, or who gives information of other facts which are likely to mislead for want of communication of that fact; or,

4. A promise, made without any intention of performing it.

1711. One who practices a deceit with intent to defraud the public, or a particular class of persons, is deemed to have intended to defraud every individual in that class, who is actually misled by the deceit.

1712. One who obtains a thing without the consent of its owner, or by a consent afterwards rescinded, or by an unlawful exaction which the owner could not at the time prudently refuse, must restore it to the person from whom it was thus obtained, unless he has acquired a title thereto superior to that of such other person, or unless the transaction was corrupt and unlawful on both sides.

Is MERS responsible for the actions taken by corporate signors Officers California law says YES

2337. An instrument within the scope of his authority by which an agent intends to bind his principal, does bind him if such intent is plainly inferable from the instrument itself.

CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE AGENCY SECTIONS 2295-2300, 2304-2326, 2330-2339, 2342-2345, 2349-2351

2295. An agent is one who represents another, called the principal, in dealings with third persons. Such representation is called agency.

2296. Any person having capacity to contract may appoint an agent, and any person may be an agent.

2297. An agent for a particular act or transaction is called a special agent. All others are general agents.

2298. An agency is either actual or ostensible.

2299. An agency is actual when the agent is really employed by the principal.

2300. An agency is ostensible when the principal intentionally, or by want of ordinary care, causes a third person to believe another to be his agent who is not really employed by him.

2304. An agent may be authorized to do any acts which his principal might do, except those to which the latter is bound to give his personal attention.

2305. Every act which, according to this Code, may be done by or to any person, may be done by or to the agent of such person for that purpose, unless a contrary intention clearly appears.

2306. An agent can never have authority, either actual or ostensible, to do an act which is, and is known or suspected by the person with whom he deals, to be a fraud upon the principal.

2307. An agency may be created, and an authority may be conferred, by a precedent authorization or a subsequent ratification.

2308. A consideration is not necessary to make an authority, whether precedent or subsequent, binding upon the principal.

2309. An oral authorization is sufficient for any purpose, except that an authority to enter into a contract required by law to be in writing can only be given by an instrument in writing.

2310. A ratification can be made only in the manner that would have been necessary to confer an original authority for the act ratified, or where an oral authorization would suffice, by accepting or retaining the benefit of the act, with notice thereof.

2311. Ratification of part of an indivisible transaction is a ratification of the whole.

2312. A ratification is not valid unless, at the time of ratifying the act done, the principal has power to confer authority for such an act.

2313. No unauthorized act can be made valid, retroactively, to the prejudice of third persons, without their consent.

2314. A ratification may be rescinded when made without such consent as is required in a contract, or with an imperfect knowledge of the material facts of the transaction ratified, but not otherwise.

2315. An agent has such authority as the principal, actually or ostensibly, confers upon him.

2316. Actual authority is such as a principal intentionally confers upon the agent, or intentionally, or by want of ordinary care, allows the agent to believe himself to possess.

2317. Ostensible authority is such as a principal, intentionally or by want of ordinary care, causes or allows a third person to believe the agent to possess.

2318. Every agent has actually such authority as is defined by this Title, unless specially deprived thereof by his principal, and has even then such authority ostensibly, except as to persons who have actual or constructive notice of the restriction upon his authority.

2319. An agent has authority:
1. To do everything necessary or proper and usual, in the ordinary course of business, for effecting the purpose of his agency; and,
2. To make a representation respecting any matter of fact, not including the terms of his authority, but upon which his right to use his authority depends, and the truth of which cannot be determined by the use of reasonable diligence on the part of the person to whom the representation is made.

2320. An agent has power to disobey instructions in dealing with the subject of the agency, in cases where it is clearly for the interest of his principal that he should do so, and there is not time to communicate with the principal.

2321. When an authority is given partly in general and partly in specific terms, the general authority gives no higher powers than those specifically mentioned.

2322. An authority expressed in general terms, however broad, does not authorize an agent to do any of the following:
(a) Act in the agent’s own name, unless it is the usual course of business to do so.
(b) Define the scope of the agency.
(c) Violate a duty to which a trustee is subject under Section 16002, 16004, 16005, or 16009 of the Probate Code.

2323. An authority to sell personal property includes authority to warrant the title of the principal, and the quality and quantity of the property.

2324. An authority to sell and convey real property includes authority to give the usual covenants of warranty.

2325. A general agent to sell, who is entrusted by the principal with the possession of the thing sold, has authority to receive the price.

2326. A special agent to sell has authority to receive the price on delivery of the thing sold, but not afterwards.

2330. An agent represents his principal for all purposes within the scope of his actual or ostensible authority, and all the rights and liabilities which would accrue to the agent from transactions within such limit, if they had been entered into on his own account, accrue to the principal.

2331. A principal is bound by an incomplete execution of an authority, when it is consistent with the whole purpose and scope thereof, but not otherwise.

2332. As against a principal, both principal and agent are deemed to have notice of whatever either has notice of, and ought, in good faith and the exercise of ordinary care and diligence, to communicate to the other.

2333. When an agent exceeds his authority, his principal is bound by his authorized acts so far only as they can be plainly separated from those which are unauthorized.

2334. A principal is bound by acts of his agent, under a merely ostensible authority, to those persons only who have in good faith, and without want of ordinary care, incurred a liability or parted with value, upon the faith thereof.

2335. If exclusive credit is given to an agent by the person dealing with him, his principal is exonerated by payment or other satisfaction made by him to his agent in good faith, before receiving notice of the creditor’s election to hold him responsible.

2336. One who deals with an agent without knowing or having reason to believe that the agent acts as such in the transaction, may set off against any claim of the principal arising out of the same, all claims which he might have set off against the agent before notice of the agency.

2337. An instrument within the scope of his authority by which an agent intends to bind his principal, does bind him if such intent is plainly inferable from the instrument itself.

2338. Unless required by or under the authority of law to employ that particular agent, a principal is responsible to third persons for the negligence of his agent in the transaction of the business of the agency, including wrongful acts committed by such agent in and as a part of the transaction of such business, and for his willful omission to fulfill the obligations of the principal.

2339. A principal is responsible for no other wrongs committed by his agent than those mentioned in the last section, unless he has authorized or ratified them, even though they are committed while the agent is engaged in his service.

2342. One who assumes to act as an agent thereby warrants, to all who deal with him in that capacity, that he has the authority which he assumes.

2343. One who assumes to act as an agent is responsible to third persons as a principal for his acts in the course of his agency, in any of the following cases, and in no others:
1. When, with his consent, credit is given to him personally in a transaction;
2. When he enters into a written contract in the name of his principal, without believing, in good faith, that he has authority to do so; or,
3. When his acts are wrongful in their nature.

2344. If an agent receives anything for the benefit of his principal, to the possession of which another person is entitled, he must, on demand, surrender it to such person, or so much of it as he has under his control at the time of demand, on being indemnified for any advance which he has made to his principal, in good faith, on account of the same; and is responsible therefor, if, after notice from the owner, he delivers it to his principal.

2345. The provisions of this Article are subject to the provisions of Part I, Division First, of this Code.

2349. An agent, unless specially forbidden by his principal to do so, can delegate his powers to another person in any of the following cases, and in no others:
1. When the act to be done is purely mechanical;
2. When it is such as the agent cannot himself, and the sub-agent can lawfully perform;
3. When it is the usage of the place to delegate such powers; or,
4. When such delegation is specially authorized by the principal.

2350. If an agent employs a sub-agent without authority, the former is a principal and the latter his agent, and the principal of the former has no connection with the latter.

2351. A sub-agent, lawfully appointed, represents the principal in like manner with the original agent; and the original agent is not responsible to third persons for the acts of the sub-agent.

CALIFORNIA CODES REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE SECTION 23301-23305e

23301. Except for the purposes of filing an application for exempt status or amending the articles of incorporation as necessary either to perfect that application or to set forth a new name, the corporate powers, rights and privileges of a domestic taxpayer may be suspended, and the exercise of the corporate powers, rights and privileges of a foreign taxpayer in this state may be forfeited, if any of the following conditions occur: (a) If any tax, penalty, or interest, or any portion thereof, that is due and payable under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 19001)of Part 10.2, or under this part, either at the time the return is required to be filed or on or before the 15th day of the ninth month following the close of the taxable year, is not paid on or before 6p.m. on the last day of the 12th month after the close of the taxable year. (b) If any tax, penalty, or interest, or any portion thereof, due and payable under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 19001) of Part 10.2, or under this part, upon notice and demand from the Franchise Tax Board, is not paid on or before 6 p.m. on the last day of the 11th month following the due date of the tax. (c) If any liability, or any portion thereof, which is due and payable under Article 7 (commencing with Section 19131) of Chapter 4of Part 10.2, is not paid on or before 6 p.m. on the last day of the 11th month following the date that the tax liability is due and payable.

23301.6. Sections 23301, 23301.5, and 23775 shall apply to a foreign taxpayer only if the taxpayer is qualified to do business in California. A taxpayer that is required under Section 2105 of the Corporations Code to qualify to do business shall not be deemed to have qualified to do business for purposes of this article unless the taxpayer has in fact qualified with the Secretary of State.

23302. (a) Forfeiture or suspension of a taxpayer’s powers, rights, and privileges pursuant to Section 23301, 23301.5, or 23775 shall occur and become effective only as expressly provided in this section in conjunction with Section 21020, which requires notice prior to the suspension of a taxpayer’s corporate powers, rights, and privileges.

(b) The notice requirements of Section 21020 shall also apply to any forfeiture of a taxpayer’s corporate powers, rights, and privileges pursuant to Section 23301, 23301.5, or 23775 and to any voidability pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 23304.1.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board shall transmit the names of taxpayers to the Secretary of State as to which the suspension or forfeiture provisions of Section 23301, 23301.5, or 23775 are or become applicable, and the suspension or forfeiture therein provided for shall thereupon become effective. The certificate of the Secretary of State shall be prima facie evidence of the suspension or forfeiture.

(d) If a taxpayer’s powers, rights, and privileges are forfeited or suspended pursuant to Section 23301, 23301.5, or 23775, without limiting any other consequences of such forfeiture or suspension, the taxpayer shall not be entitled to sell, transfer, or exchange real property in California during the period of forfeiture or suspension.23303. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 23301 or 23301.5,any corporation that transacts business or receives income within the period of its suspension or forfeiture shall be subject to tax under the provisions of this chapter.

23304.1. (a) Every contract made in this state by a taxpayer during the time that the taxpayer’s corporate powers, rights, and privileges are suspended or forfeited pursuant to Section 23301,23301.5, or 23775 shall, subject to Section 23304.5, be voidable at the instance of any party to the contract other than the taxpayer.

(b) If a foreign taxpayer that neither is qualified to do business nor has a corporate account number from the Franchise Tax Board, fails to file a tax return required under this part, any contract made in this state by that taxpayer during the applicable period specified in subdivision (c) shall, subject to Section 23304.5, be voidable at the instance of any party to the contract other than the taxpayer.

(c) For purposes of subdivision (b), the applicable period shall be the period beginning on January 1, 1991, or the first day of the taxable year for which the taxpayer has failed to file a return, whichever is later, and ending on the earlier of the date the taxpayer qualified to do business in this state or the date the taxpayer obtained a corporate account number from the Franchise Tax Board.

(d) If a taxpayer fails to file a tax return required under this part, to pay any tax or other amount owing to the Franchise Tax Board under this part or to file any statement or return required under Section 23772 or 23774, within 60 days after the Franchise Tax Board mails a written demand therefor, any contract made in this state by the taxpayer during the period beginning at the end of the 60-day demand period and ending on the date relief is granted under Section 23305.1, or the date the taxpayer qualifies to do business in this state, whichever is earlier, shall be voidable at the instance of any party to the contract other than the taxpayer. This subdivision shall apply only to a taxpayer if the taxpayer has a corporate account number from the Franchise Tax Board, but has not qualified to do business under Section 2105 of the Corporations Code. In the case of a taxpayer that has not complied with the 60-day demand, the taxpayer’s name, Franchise Tax Board corporate account number, date of the demand, date of the first day after the end of the 60-day demand period, and the fact that the taxpayer did not within that period pay the tax or other amount or file the statement or return, as the case may be, shall be a matter of public record.23304.5. A party that has the right to declare a contract to be voidable pursuant to Section 23304.1 may exercise that right only in a lawsuit brought by either party with respect to the contract in a court of competent jurisdiction and the rights of the parties to the contract shall not be affected by Section 23304. 1 except to the extent expressly provided by a final judgment of the court, which judgment shall not be issued unless the taxpayer is allowed a reasonable opportunity to cure the voidability under Section 23305.1.If the court finds that the contract is voidable under Section 23304.1, the court shall order the contract to be rescinded. However, in no event shall the court order rescission of a taxpayer’s contract unless the taxpayer receives full restitution of the benefits provided by the taxpayer under the contract.23305. Any taxpayer which has suffered the suspension or forfeiture provided for in Section 23301 or 23301.5 may be relieved there from upon making application therefor in writing to the Franchise Tax Board and upon the filing of all tax returns required under this part, and the payment of the tax, additions to tax, penalties, interest, and any other amounts for nonpayment of which the suspension or forfeiture occurred, together with all other taxes, additions to tax, penalties, interest, and any other amounts due under this part, and upon the issuance by the Franchise Tax Board of a certificate of revivor. Application for the certificate on behalf of any taxpayer which has suffered suspension or forfeiture may be made by any stockholder or creditor, by a majority of the surviving trustees or directors thereof, by an officer, or by any other person who has interest in the relief from suspension or forfeiture.

CALIFORNIA CODES BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION 17900-17930

17903. As used in this chapter, “registrant” means a person or entity who is filing or has filed a fictitious business name statement, and who is the legal owner of the business.

17910. Every person who regularly transacts business in this state for profit under a fictitious business name shall do all of the following: (a) File a fictitious business name statement in accordance with this chapter not later than 40 days from the time the registrant commences to transact such business. (b) File a new statement after any change in the facts, in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 17920. (c) File a new statement when refiling a fictitious business name statement.

17910.5. (a) No person shall adopt any fictitious business name which includes “Corporation,” “Corp.,” “Incorporated,” or “Inc.” unless that person is a corporation organized pursuant to the laws of this state or some other jurisdiction.

In 2005 I sued MERS and MERSCORP both successfully I also sued the California Department of Corporations and California Secretary of State in small claims court I settled those small claims cases for a Certificate of a Non Filing entity and a letter see below

17918. No person transacting business under a fictitious business name contrary to the provisions of this chapter, or his assignee, may maintain any action upon or on account of any contract made, or transaction had, in the fictitious business name in any court of this state until the fictitious business name statement has been executed, filed, and published as required by this chapter.

This is one of the items obtained from that small claims suit

According to the Enforcement Division of the SEC in Washington which I spoke to both under Paul Cox and Mary Schapiro Ace Securities a Chinese Shadow Bank doing business under a Japanese Division of the Karachi stock Exchange fraudulently filed 85000 documents with the SEC and loaned out over 39 Trillion dollars [One
trillion dollars is a stack of 100 dollar bills 700 miles in height] never paid any state or federal taxes claiming that it was a Delaware business trust [A
trust declared to be illegal outside of Delaware by the IRS an abusive trust] but loaned mostly to Bank of America Wachovia Wells Fargo CountryWide Washington Mutual and a host of others including Ownit Mortgage [From CNN
Special A house of cards infamy] mostly through HSBC as Trustee and securitized through MERS [Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc]

To this the Franchise Tax Board sent the following response:

In the case of MERS they stated the following:

Apparently they refuse to follow this Corporation law in this matter

All of my documents having been issued by California state and Delaware state regulatory agencies were granted Judicial Notice [Court authenticity] in the courtroom of Judge Laura Halgren September 17 2007 in multiple cases most notably El Cajon California East County San Diego case number 2007-33928. There are 6 – 1000 page folders in that case alone

No action was ever taken by any entity against either MERS or Ace to the best of my knowledge

DFI counsel Kenneth Sayre Peterson stated

The California Attorney General Issued one of many letters seen below (there is nothing below, sorry…)

MERS: The Unreported Effects of Lost Chain of Title on Real Property Owners”

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 9:27 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: MERS: The Unreported Effects of Lost Chain of Title on Real Property Owners"

“MERS: The Unreported Effects of Lost Chain of Title on Real Property Owners”

White paper by David Woolley

Not sure if I sent this out before or not.

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

MERS Report Exhibits Combined Reduced.pdf

April Charney on Case distinguishing Agard – thread

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 11:20 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: April Charney on Case distinguishing Agard – thread

From one of my real estate attorney blogs…

Bank of America’s back-door TARP

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 11:20 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Bank of America’s back-door TARP

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/10/bank-of-americas-back-door-tarp/

It never ends with these dirt-bags…

Charles
Charles Wayne Cox – Oregon State Director for the National Homeowners Cooperative
Email: mailto:Charles
Websites: http://CharlesCox.HersID.com; www.BayLiving.com; and www.ForensicLoanAnalyst.com
P.O. Box 3065
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 727-2240 direct
(541) 610-1931 eFax

MERScurseProtect America’s Dream

The LEGAL GroupPRO-NETWORK

JOIN NHC, IT’S FREE

Paralegal; CA Licensed Real Estate Broker; Certified Forensic Loan Analyst. Litigation Support; Mortgage and Real Estate Expert Witness Services.

Standing to Invoke PSAs as a Foreclosure Defense

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 6:57 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Standing to Invoke PSAs as a Foreclosure Defense

Standing to Invoke PSAs as a Foreclosure Defense

posted by Adam Levitin

A major issue arising in foreclosure defense cases is the homeowner’s ability to challenge the foreclosing party’s standing based on noncompliance with securitization documentation. Several courts have held that there is no standing to challenge standing on this basis, most recently the 1st Circuit BAP in Correia v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Company. (See Abigail Caplovitz Field’s cogent critique of that ruling here.) The basis for these courts’ rulings is that the homeowner isn’t a party to the PSA, so the homeowner has no standing to raise noncompliance with the PSA.

I think that view is plain wrong. It fails to understand what PSA-based foreclosure defenses are about and to recognize a pair of real and cognizable Article III interests of homeowners: the right to be protected against duplicative claims and the right to litigate against the real party in interest because of settlement incentives and abilities.

The homeowner is obviously not party to the securitization contracts like the PSA (query, though whether securitization gives rises to a tortious interference with the mortgage contract claim because of PSA modification limitations…). This means that the homeowner can’t enforce the terms of the PSA. The homeowner can’t prosecute putbacks and the like. But there’s a major difference between claiming that sort of right under a PSA and pointing to noncompliance with the PSA as evidence that the foreclosing party doesn’t have standing (and after Ibanez, it’s just incomprehensible to me how this sort of decision could be coming out of the 1st Circuit BAP with a MA mortgage).

Let me put it another way. Homeowners are not complaining about breaches of the PSA for the purposes of enforcing the PSA contract. They are pointing to breaches of the PSA as evidence that the loan was not transferred to the securitization trust. The PSA is being invoked because it is the document that purports to transfer the mortgage to the trust. Adherence to the PSA determines whether there was a transfer effected or not because under NY trust law (which governs most PSAs), a transfer not in compliance with a trust’s documents is void. And if there isn’t a valid transfer, there’s no standing. This is simply a factual question–does the trust own the loan or not? (Or in UCC terms, is the trust a "party entitled to enforce the note"–query whether enforcement rights in the note also mean enforcement rights in the mortgage…) If not, then it lacks standing to foreclosure.

It’s important to understand that this is not an attempt to invoke investors’ rights under a PSA. One can see this by considering the other PSA violations that homeowners are not invoking because they have no bearing whatsoever on the validyt of the transfer, and thus on standing. For example, if a servicer has been violating servicing standards under the PSA, that’s not a foreclosure defense, although it’s a breach of contract with the trust (and thus the MBS investors). If the trust doesn’t own the loan because the transfer was never properly done, however, that’s a very different thing than trying to invoke rights under the PSA.

I would have thought it rather obvious that a homeowner could argue that the foreclosing party isn’t the mortgagee and that the lack of a proper transfer of the mortgage to the foreclosing party would be evidence of that point. But some courts aren’t understanding this critical distinction.

Even if courts don’t buy this distinction, there are at least two good theories under which a homeowner should have the ability to challenge the foreclosing party’s standing. Both of these theories point to a cognizable interest of the homeowner that is being harmed, and thus Article III standing.

First, there is the possibility of duplicative claims. This is unlikely, although with the presence of warehouse fraud (Taylor Bean and Colonial Bank, eg), it can hardly be discounted as an impossibility. The same mortgage loan might have been sold multiple times by the same lender as part of a warehouse fraud. That could conceivably result in multiple claimants. The homeowner should only have to pay once. Similarly, if the loan wasn’t properly securitized, then the depositor or seller could claim the loan as it’s property. Again, potentially multiple claimants, but the homeowner should only have to pay one satisfaction.

Consider a case in which Bank A securitized a bunch of loans, but did not do the transfers properly. Bank A ends up in FDIC receivership. FDIC could claim those loans as property of Bank A, leaving the securitization trust with an unsecured claim for a refund of the money it paid Bank A. Indeed, I’d urge Harvey Miller to be looking at this as a way to claw back a lot of money into the Lehman estate.

Second, the homeowner had a real interest in dealing with the right plaintiff because different plaintiffs have different incentives and ability to settle. We’d rather see negotiated outcomes than foreclosures, but servicers and trustees have very different incentives and ability to settle than banks that hold loans in portfolio. PSA terms, liquidity, capital requirements, credit risk exposure, and compensation differ between services/trustees and portfolio lenders. If the loans weren’t properly transferred via the securitization, then they are still held in portfolio by someone. This means homeowners have a strong interest in litigating against the real party in interest.

I’m not enough of a procedure jock to know if there’s a way for a homeowner to force an interpleader among the potential claimants-trust, depositor, seller, etc, but that seems like the right way to handle this. In any event, I think the fact that the homeowner isn’t a party to the securitization is kind of beside the point. The homeowner should be able to challenge standing because the homeowner has real legal interests at stake in litigating against the right party.

STUDY: Mortgage Assignments to Washington Mutual Trusts Are Fraudulent

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2011 2:01 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: STUDY: Mortgage Assignments to Washington Mutual Trusts Are Fraudulent

STUDY: Mortgage Assignments to Washington Mutual Trusts Are Fraudulent

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Neil Garfield

EDITOR’S NOTE: We know the foreclosures were gross misrepresentations of fact to the Courts, to the Borrowers and to the Investors. This article shows the crossover between the MegaBanks — sharing and diluting the responsibility for these fabrications as they went along. If you are talking about one big bank you are talking about all the megabanks.

The evidence is overwhelming. The reasons are many. But the fundamental theme here is that Banks are committing widespread fraud using the appearance of credibility just because they are banks.

Thus the strategy of pushing hard in discovery and persevering through adverse rulings appears to be getting increasing traction. Every time anyone, including judges, take a close look at this mess the conclusion is the same — the Banks’ foreclosures have been a sham. The homeowners still legally own their home and the lien is unenforceable or non-existent.

What part of the obligation of the borrower still exists? To whom is it payable? These are questions the Banks as servicers refuse to answer. It’s a simple set of questions that never had any bite to them until now.

From Lynn Symoniak

Mortgage Fraud

Bank of America
JP Morgan Chase
Lender Processing Services
WaMu Trusts
Washington Mutual
WMABS Trusts
WMALT Trusts

Action Date: August 6, 2011
Location: Jacksonville, FL

An examination of over 5,000 Mortgage Assignments to Washington Mutual
Trusts shows that these Trusts (WaMu, WMALT and WMABS) used Mortgage
Assignments signed by employees of JP Morgan Chase to foreclose. The
most prolific of the Chase signers, all from Jacksonville, Florida,
include Elizabeth Boulton, Margaret Dalton, Barbara Hindman, Patricia
Miner, Roderick Seda and Shelley Thieven. These Chase employees sign
as MERS officers on behalf of at least 30 different mortgage companies
to convey mortgages AND NOTES to Washington Mutual trusts that closed
years earlier.

In the vast majority of these cases, Bank of America is the Trustee.

Because the original loan documents are missing, Bank of America
allows Chase to make up new documents as needed to foreclose. The vast
majority of these Assignments state that the Trusts acquired these
mortgages in 2009 and 2010.

There are two separate frauds here:

1. not having the documents despite the promises to investors that the
documents were obtained and safely held; and

2. fabricating the replacement documents to foreclose.

In almost every case, Bank of America is the Trustee.

Did the FDIC just not notice any of this? There are thousands of these
specially-made Assignments signed by Chase employees for WaMu, WMALT
and WMABS trusts used across the country.

When Bank of America did not use documents fabricated by Chase to
foreclose, it used documents fabricated by LPS in Dakota County, MN.

New York AG Schneiderman Comes out Swinging at BofA, BoNY

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2011 4:42 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: New York AG Schneiderman Comes out Swinging at BofA, BoNY

SPECTRE OF FRAUD OF ALL TYPES HAUNTING BOFA, CITI, CHASE, WELLS ET AL

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Neil Garfield

New York AG Schneiderman Comes out Swinging at BofA, BoNY
Posted By igradman On August 5, 2011 (4:28 pm) In Attorneys General

This is big. Though we’ve seen leading indicators over the last few weeks that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman might get involved in the proposed Bank of America settlement over Countrywide bonds, few expected a response that might dynamite the entire deal. But that’s exactly what yesterday’s filing before Judge Kapnick could do.

Stating that he has both a common law and a statutory interest “in protecting the economic health and well-being of all investors who reside or transact business within the State of New York,” Schneiderman’s petition to intervene takes a stance that’s more aggressive than that of any of the other investor groups asking for a seat at the table.

Rather than simply requesting a chance to conduct discovery or questioning the methodology that was used to arrive at the settlement, the AG’s petition seeks to intervene to assert counterclaims against Bank of New York Mellon for persistent fraud, securities fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.

Did you say F-f-f-fraud? That’s right. The elephant in the room during the putback debates of the last three years has been the specter of fraud. Sure, mortgage bonds are performing abysmally and the underlying loans appears largely defective when investors are able to peek under the hood, but did the banks really knowingly mislead investors or willfully obstruct their efforts to remedy these problems? Schneiderman thinks so. He accuses BoNY of violating:

Executive Law § 63(12)’s prohibition on persistent fraud or illegality in the conduct of business: the Trustee failed to safeguard the mortgage files entrusted to its care under the Governing Agreements, failed to take any steps to notify affected parties despite its knowledge of violations of representations and warranties, and did so repeatedly across 530 Trusts. (Petition to Intervene at 9)

By calling out BoNY for failing to enforce investors’ repurchase rights or help investors enforce those rights themselves, the AG has turned a spotlight on the most notoriously uncooperative of the four major RMBS Trustees. Of course, all of the Trustees have engaged in this type of heel-dragging obstructionism to some degree, but many have softened their stance.

since investors started getting more aggressive in threatening legal action against them. BoNY, in addition to remaining resolute in refusing to aid investors, has now gone further in trying to negotiate a sweetheart deal for Bank of America without allowing all affected investors a chance to participate. This has drawn the ire of the nation’s most outspoken financial cop.

And lest you think that the NYAG focuses all of his vitriol on BoNY, Schneiderman says that BofA may also be on the hook for its conduct, both before and after the issuance of the relevant securities. The Petition to Intervene states that:

Countrywide and BoA face liability for persistent illegality in:
(1) repeatedly breaching representations and warranties concerning loan quality;
(2) repeatedly failing to provide complete mortgage files as it was required to do under the Governing Agreements; and
(3) repeatedly acting pursuant to self-interest, rather than
investors’ interests, in servicing, in violation of the Governing Agreements. (Petition to Intervene at 9)

Though Countrywide may have been the culprit for breaching reps and warranties in originating these loans, the failure to provide loan files and the failure to service properly post-origination almost certainly implicates the nation’s largest bank. And lest any doubts remain in that regard, the AG’s Petition also provides, “given that BoA negotiated the settlement with BNYM despite BNYM’s obvious conflicts of interest, BoA may be liable for aiding and abetting BNYM’s breach of fiduciary duty.” (Petition at 7) So much for Bank of America’s characterization of these problems as simply “pay[ing] for the things that Countrywide did.

As they say on late night infomercials, “but wait, there’s more!” In a step that is perhaps even more controversial than accusing Countrywide’s favorite Trustee of fraud, the AG has blown the cover off of the issue of improper transfer of mortgage loans into RMBS Trusts. This has truly been the third rail of RMBS problems, which few plaintiffs have dared touch, and yet the AG has now seized it with a vice grip.

In the AG’s Verified Pleading in Intervention (hereinafter referred to as the “Pleading,” and well worth reading), Schneiderman pulls no punches in calling the participating banks to task over improper mortgage transfers. First, he notes that the Trustee had a duty to ensure proper transfer of loans from Countrywide to the Trust. (Pleading ¶23). Next, he states that, “the ultimate failure of Countrywide to transfer complete mortgage loan documentation to the Trusts hampered the Trusts’ ability to foreclose on delinquent mortgages, thereby impairing the value of the notes secured by those mortgages. These circumstances apparently triggered widespread fraud, including BoA’s fabrication of missing documentation.” (Id.) Now that’s calling a spade a spade, in probably the most concise summary of the robosigning crisis that I’ve seen.

The AG goes on to note that, since BoNY issued numerous “exception reports” detailing loan documentation deficiencies, it knew of these problems and yet failed to notify investors that the loans underlying their investments and their rights to foreclose were impaired. In so doing, the Trustee failed to comply with the “prudent man” standard to which it is subject under New York law. (Pleading ¶¶28-29)

The AG raises all of this in an effort to show that BoNY was operating under serious conflicts of interest, calling into question the fairness of the proposed settlement. Namely, while the Trustee had a duty to negotiate the settlement in the best interests of investors, it could not do so because it stood to receive “direct financial benefits” from the deal in the form of indemnification against claims of misconduct. (Petition ¶¶15-16) And though Countrywide had already agreed to indemnify the Trustee against many such claims, Schneiderman states that, “Countrywide has inadequate resources” to provide such indemnification, leading BoNY to seek and obtain a side-letter agreement from BofA expressly guaranteeing the indemnification obligations of Countrywide and expanding that indemnity to cover BoNY’s conduct in negotiating and implementing the settlement. (Petition ¶16) That can’t be good for BofA’s arguments that it is not Countrywide’s successor-in-interest.

I applaud the NYAG for having the courage to call this conflict as he sees it, and not allowing this deal to derail his separate investigations or succumbing to the political pressure to water down his allegations or bypass “third rail” issues. Whether Judge Kapnick will ultimately permit the AG to intervene is another question, but at the very least, this filing raises some uncomfortable issues for the banks involved and provides the investors seeking to challenge the deal with some much-needed backup. In addition, Schneiderman has taken pressure off of the investors who have not yet opted to challenge the accord, by purporting to represent their interests and speak on their behalf. In that regard, he notes that, “[m]any of these investors have not intervened in this litigation and, indeed, may not even be aware of it.” (Pleading ¶12).

As for the investors who are speaking up, many could take a lesson from the no-nonsense language Schneiderman uses in challenging the settlement. Rather than dancing around the issue of the fairness of the deal and politely asking for more information, the AG has reached a firm conclusion based on the information the Trustee has already made available: “THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT IS UNFAIR AND INADEQUATE.” (Pleading at II.A) Tell us how you really feel.

[Author’s
Note: Though the proposed BofA settlement is certainly a landmark legal
proceeding, there is plenty going on in the world of RMBS litigation aside from
this case. While I have been repeatedly waylaid in my efforts to turn to these
issues by successive major developments in the BofA case, I promise a roundup
of recent RMBS legal action in the near future. Stay tuned…]

Article taken from The Subprime Shakeout – http://www.subprimeshakeout.com

URL to article: http://www.subprimeshakeout.com/2011/08/new-york-ag-schneiderman-comes-out-swinging-at-bofa-bony.html

California reportedly subpoenas BofA over toxic securities – and – FLORIDA BAR OPINION- TOXIC TITLES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FORECLOSURE SALES IN PERIL

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 7:55 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: California reportedly subpoenas BofA over toxic securities – and – FLORIDA BAR OPINION- TOXIC TITLES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FORECLOSURE SALES IN PERIL

California reportedly subpoenas BofA over toxic securities

California is trying to determine whether BofA and its Countrywide Financial subsidiary sold investments backed by risky mortgages to investors in California under false pretenses, a source says.

By Alejandro Lazo and E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times

October 20, 2011

Investigators with the state attorney general’s office have subpoenaed Bank of America Corp. in connection with the sale and marketing of troubled mortgage-backed securities to California investors, according to a person familiar with the probe.

The state is trying to determine whether the bank and its Countrywide Financial subsidiary sold investments backed by risky mortgages to institutional and private investors in California under false pretenses, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested confidentiality.

The subpoenas, which were served Tuesday, come as talks continue for a broad foreclosure settlement by a coalition of state attorneys general and federal agencies. California walked away from those discussions with major banks more than two weeks ago, saying what the banks were offering was not enough and the state would pursue its own investigations.

California has left the door open to signing on to a bigger settlement, and the BofA subpoenas were seen as a move to exert further pressure on the bank. The person familiar with the matter would not say how much the securities in question cost investors.

"I think the California AG is seeking leverage here," Nancy Bush, an independent bank analyst and contributing editor to research firm SNL Financial, said. "They have backed out of whatever 50-state AG settlement that is coming down the road, and they want more from that settlement, so, you know, why not bring a little extra pressure to bear?"

State and federal officials are also trying to entice California back into talks, this week floating an idea for helping creditworthy homeowners refinance loans that are underwater, or higher than the values of the homes. But the subpoenas could also indicate that Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris is widening her own probe of big mortgage lenders.

Harris has created a mortgage fraud strike force with a mandate of looking into all aspects of mortgage fraud, including securitization.

Many of these investments plunged in value as the housing market collapsed. Under California’s False Claims Act, which makes it a crime to defraud the state, damages of up to three times the amount of the claim can be awarded if the victim was an institutional investor, such as one of the state’s pension funds.

Bank of America declined to comment.

The person familiar with the investigation would not name any of the alleged victims but said that the list would include institutional investors and could potentially include private individuals.

The subpoenas are the latest assault resulting from Bank of America’s 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corp. as the Calabasas-based lender, then the nation’s No.1 home lender, skidded toward bankruptcy.

Countrywide helped fuel the housing boom and bust by trying to out-compete all rivals in the high-risk niches of the business: subprime loans to people with bad or nonexistent credit histories, "liar" loans made without verifying income and assets, and mortgages that allowed borrowers to pay so little that their loan balances rose instead of falling.

The Calabasas-based goliath bundled up many of the riskiest loans to back private-label securities that proved toxic to banks and investors. It also lobbied heavily to relax the standards at government-sponsored mortgage finance companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which are now wards of the government and have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

BofA has also been strapped with massive losses from legal settlements over Countrywide loans.

Within months of acquiring Countrywide, Bank of America agreed with then-California Atty. Gen Jerry Brown and his counterparts in other states to cut payments by as much as $8.6 billion on mortgages that the officials said had abused borrowers.

Other settlements included a 2010 promise to forgive up to $3 billion in principal for Countrywide borrowers in Massachusetts; an agreement last year to pay $600 million to former Countrywide shareholders to settle a securities fraud lawsuit; and billions of dollars in payments to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to settle demands for buybacks of flawed home loans.

Then last June, Bank of America disclosed an agreement to pay out $8.5 billion to 22 institutional investors to settle demands that it repurchase bonds backed by Countrywide mortgages, with an additional $5.5 billion set aside to beef up reserves for similar claims filed by other investors in mortgage bonds.

It wasn’t clear whether those litigation reserves would include funds to cover any liability for demands by Harris.

BarEthics.pdf

The United States Supreme Court has denied a writ of certiorari in a case involving MERS, refusing to reconsider a California court ruling, which upheld MERS’ right to initiate foreclosures.

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 7:02 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: The United States Supreme Court has denied a writ of certiorari in a case involving MERS, refusing to reconsider a California court ruling, which upheld MERS’ right to initiate foreclosures.

The United States Supreme Court has denied a writ of certiorari in a case involving MERS, refusing to reconsider a California court ruling, which upheld MERS’ right to initiate foreclosures.

After calming down, it was apparent this would be more likely than not to happen.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/11-195.htm

Suit alleges banks and mortgage companies cheated veterans and U.S. taxpayers

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 9:26 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Suit alleges banks and mortgage companies cheated veterans and U.S. taxpayers

Suit alleges banks and mortgage companies cheated veterans and U.S. taxpayers

By Steve Vogel, Published: October 4

Some of the nation’s biggest banks and mortgage companies have defrauded veterans and taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars by disguising illegal fees in veterans’ home refinancing loans, according to a whistleblower suit unsealed in federal court in Atlanta.

The suit accuses the companies, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and GMAC Mortgage, of engaging in “a brazen scheme to defraud both our nation’s veterans and the United States treasury” of millions of dollars in connection with home loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“This is a massive fraud on the American taxpayers and American veterans,” James E. Butler Jr., one of the lawyers bringing the suit, said Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of the VA loans have gone into default or resulted in foreclosures, resulting in “massive damages” to the U.S. government, the suit alleges. The faulty loans will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, with the costs rising as more VA loans go into default, according to the suit.

The two mortgage brokers who brought the suit said in an interview that they were instructed by the lenders not to show attorney’s fees on their estimates, but to add them to the title examination fee.

Under VA rules, lenders can charge veterans for recording fees and taxes, credit reports and other customary fees, but they are not allowed to charge attorney’s fees or settlement closing fees. “It was gut-wrenching to us, seeing the brazenness” of the lenders, broker Victor E. Bibby said.

The case involves refinanced loans that are available to retired or active-duty veterans on homes they already own. The program is aimed at giving veterans the opportunity to lower their interest rates or shorten the terms of existing home mortgages.

The whistleblower suit, which was unsealed Monday, seeks to recover damages and civil penalties on behalf of the U.S. government. The Justice Department has notified the U.S. District Court that it is not taking over the case but is reserving the right to intervene at a later date, according to court papers.

“The government has not yet made a decision about whether to intervene in this case,” Sally Quillian Yates, United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said Tuesday. “As the case develops, we will continue to evaluate the merits of the case, and we will consider intervening . . . if it becomes appropriate to do so.”

“This is a very significant case,” Patrick Burns, spokesman for the nonprofit Taxpayers Against Fraud, said Tuesday. “It deals with widespread fraud from veterans who were personally pickpocketed for hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and the liability has been shoved on the federal government.”

During the past decade, more than 1.2 million of the refinanced loans have been made to veterans and their families, and up to 90 percent may have been affected by the alleged fraud, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.

“The banks collected hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden fees from veterans, and they obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in loan guarantees they otherwise wouldn’t have received,” said Mary Louise Cohen, a Washington attorney who is also representing the whistleblowers.

United-States-of-America-Ex-Rei-Victor-e-Bibby-and-Brian-j-Donnelly-Vs-Wells-Fargo-Country-Wide-Bank-of-America-Jpmorgan-Chase-Et-Al.pdf

ONEWEST SANCIONED FOR PRETENDING TO BE A LENDER – remember, motions to compel can go either way!

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2011 6:57 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: ONEWEST SANCIONED FOR PRETENDING TO BE A LENDER – remember, motions to compel can go either way!

ONEWEST SPANKED FOR PRETENDING TO BE A LENDER

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Neil Garfield

(Onewest Bank Gets a Spanking)

Onewest Bank filed a motion to compel responses to Discovery against me.

Thanks to the Info on Neil’s site- I knew Onewest bank was not a real party in interest. I refused to respond to their bogus discovery.

I had to educate my Probate Attorney as to the issues.

It helped that I obtained email FOIA response from the FDIC that indicated their sale of the assests of INDYMAC bank in March 2009 did not include the “loan” that has been under litigation now for 25 months.

Instead of OWB attorneys getting their requested $2,300 in sanctions against me, as the Personal Representative of My 88 year old dads Estate- The Judge “got it” and sanction them for $750.

For the record- this California Judge relied on C.C.P 378(A) to based his decision to sanction the Onewest Bank “tall building” Attorney(s)

I hope this info will help others fighting the good fight here in California.

Stay Strong,

Steven Rosenberg

OneWest-Bank-Sanctioned-in-Probate-Case-For-Not-Being-Real-Party-In-Interest.pdf

Replacing Economic Democracy with Financial Oligarchy

Michael Hudson: Replacing Economic Democracy with Financial Oligarchy

By Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City and a research associate at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Cross posted from CounterPunch.

Soon after the Socialist Party won Greece’s national elections in autumn 2009, it became apparent that the government’s finances were in a shambles. In May 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy took the lead in rounding up €120bn ($180 billion) from European governments to subsidize Greece’s unprogressive tax system that had led its government into debt – which Wall Street banks had helped conceal with Enron-style accounting.

The tax system operated as a siphon collecting revenue to pay the German and French banks that were buying government bonds (at rising interest risk premiums). The bankers are now moving to make this role formal, an official condition for rolling over Greek bonds as they come due, and extend maturities on the short-term financial string that Greece is now operating under. Existing bondholders are to reap a windfall if this plan succeeds. Moody’s lowered Greece’s credit rating to junk status on June 1 (to Caa1, down from B1, which was already pretty low), estimating a 50/50 likelihood of default. The downgrade serves to tighten the screws yet further on the Greek government. Regardless of what European officials do, Moody’s noted, “The increased likelihood that Greece’s supporters (the IMF, ECB and the EU Commission, together known as the “Troika”) will, at some point in the future, require the participation of private creditors in a debt restructuring as a precondition for funding support.”

The conditionality for the new “reformed” loan package is that Greece must initiate a class war by raising its taxes, lowering its social spending – and even private-sector pensions – and sell off public land, tourist sites, islands, ports, water and sewer facilities. This will raise the cost of living and doing business, eroding the nation’s already limited export competitiveness. The bankers sanctimoniously depict this as a “rescue” of Greek finances.

What really were rescued a year ago, in May 2010, were the French banks that held €31 billion of Greek bonds, German banks with €23 billion, and other foreign investors. The problem was how to get the Greeks to go along. Newly elected Prime Minister George Papandreou’s Socialists seemed able to deliver their constituency along similar lines to what neoliberal Social Democrat and Labor parties throughout Europe had followed –privatizing basic infrastructure and pledging future revenue to pay the bankers.

The opportunity never had been better for pulling the financial string to grab property and tighten the fiscal screws. Bankers for their part were eager to make loans to finance buyouts of public gambling, telephones, ports and transport or similar monopoly opportunities. And for Greece’s own wealthier classes, the EU loan package would enable the country to remain within the Eurozone long enough to permit them to move their money out of the country before the point arrived at which Greece would be forced to replace the euro with the drachma and devalue it. Until such a switch to a sinking currency occurred, Greece was to follow Baltic and Irish policy of “internal devaluation,” that is, wage deflation and government spending cutbacks (except for payments to the financial sector) to lower employment and hence wage levels.

What actually is devalued in austerity programs or currency depreciation is the price of labor. That is the main domestic cost, inasmuch as there is a common world price for fuels and minerals, consumer goods, food and even credit. If wages cannot be reduced by “internal devaluation” (unemployment starting with the public sector, leading to falling wages), currency depreciation will do the trick in the end. This is how the Europe’s war of creditors against debtor countries turns into a class war. But to impose such neoliberal reform, foreign pressure is necessary to bypass domestic, democratically elected Parliaments. Not every country’s voters can be expected to be as passive in acting against their own interests as those of Latvia and Ireland.

Most of the Greek population recognizes just what has been happening as this scenario has unfolded over the past year. “Papandreou himself has admitted we had no say in the economic measures thrust upon us,” said Manolis Glezos on the left. “They were decided by the EU and IMF. We are now under foreign supervision and that raises questions about our economic, military and political independence.” On the right wing of the political spectrum, conservative leader Antonis Samaras said on May 27 as negotiations with the European troika escalated: “We don’t agree with a policy that kills the economy and destroys society. … There is only one way out for Greece, the renegotiation of the [EU/IMF] bailout deal.”

But the EU creditors upped the ante: To refuse the deal, they threatened, would result in a withdrawal of funds causing a bank collapse and economic anarchy.

The Greeks refused to surrender quietly. Strikes spread from the public-sector unions to become a nationwide “I won’t pay” movement as Greeks refused to pay road tolls or other public access charges. Police and other collectors did not try to enforce collections. The emerging populist consensus prompted Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker to make a similar threat to that which Britain’s Gordon Brown had made to Iceland: If Greece would not knuckle under to European finance ministers, they would block IMF release of its scheduled June tranche of its loan package. This would block the government from paying foreign bankers and the vulture funds that have been buying up Greek debt at a deepening discount.

To many Greeks, this is a threat by finance ministers to shoot themselves in the foot. If there is no money to pay, foreign bondholders will suffer – as long as Greece puts its own economy first. But that is a big “if.” Socialist Prime Minister Papandreou emulated Iceland’s Social Democratic Sigurdardottir in urging a “consensus” to obey EU finance ministers. “Opposition parties reject his latest austerity package on the grounds that the belt-tightening agreed in return for a €110bn ($155bn) bail-out is choking the life out of the economy.” (Ibid.)

At issue is whether Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the rest of Europe will roll back democratic reform and move toward financial oligarchy. The financial objective is to bypass parliament by demanding a “consensus” to put foreign creditors first, above the economy at large. Parliaments are being asked to relinquish their policy-making power. The very definition of a “free market” has now become centralized planning – in the hands of central bankers. This is the new road to serfdom that financialized “free markets” are leading to: markets free for privatizers to charge monopoly prices for basic services “free” of price regulation and anti-trust regulation, “free” of limits on credit to protect debtors, and above all free of interference from elected parliaments. Prying natural monopolies in transportation, communications, lotteries and the land itself away from the public domain is called the alternative to serfdom, not the road to debt peonage and a financialized neofeudalism that looms as the new future reality. Such is the upside-down economic philosophy of our age.

Concentration of financial power in non-democratic hands is inherent in the way that Europe centralized planning in financial hands was achieved in the first place. The European Central Bank has no elected government behind it that can levy taxes. The EU constitution prevents the ECB from bailing out governments. Indeed, the IMF Articles of Agreement also block it from giving domestic fiscal support for budget deficits. “A member state may obtain IMF credits only on the condition that it has ‘a need to make the purchase because of its balance of payments or its reserve position or developments in its reserves.’ Greece, Ireland, and Portugal are certainly not short of foreign exchange reserves … The IMF is lending because of budgetary problems, and that is not what it is supposed to do. The Deutsche Bundesbank made this point very clear in its monthly report of March 2010: ‘Any financial contribution by the IMF to solve problems that do not imply a need for foreign currency – such as the direct financing of budget deficits – would be incompatible with its monetary mandate.’ IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn and chief economist Olivier Blanchard are leading the IMF into forbidden territory, and there is no court which can stop them.”

The moral is that when it comes to bailing out bankers, rules are ignored – in order to serve the “higher justice” of saving banks and their high-finance counterparties from taking a loss. This is quite a contrast compared to IMF policy toward labor and “taxpayers.” The class war is back in business – with a vengeance, and bankers are the winners this time around.

The European Economic Community that preceded the European Union was created by a generation of leaders whose prime objective was to end the internecine warfare that tore Europe apart for a thousand years. The aim by many was to end the phenomenon of nation states themselves – on the premise that it is nations that go to war. The general expectation was that economic democracy would oppose the royalist and aristocratic mind-sets that sought glory in conquest. Domestically, economic reform was to purify European economies from the legacy of past feudal conquests of the land, of the public commons in general. The aim was to benefit the population at large. That was the reform program of classical political economy.

European integration started with trade as the path of least resistance – the Coal and Steel Community promoted by Robert Schuman in 1952, followed by the European Economic Community (EEC, the Common Market) in 1957. Customs union integration and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were topped by financial integration. But without a real continental Parliament to write laws, set tax rates, protect labor’s working conditions and consumers, and control offshore banking centers, centralized planning passes by default into the hands of bankers and financial institutions. This is the effect of replacing nation states with planning by bankers. It is how democratic politics gets replaced with financial oligarchy.

Finance is a form of warfare. Like military conquest, its aim is to gain control of land, public infrastructure, and to impose tribute. This involves dictating laws to its subjects, and concentrating social as well as economic planning in centralized hands. This is what now is being done by financial means, without the cost to the aggressor of fielding an army. But the economies under attacked may be devastated as deeply by financial stringency as by military attack when it comes to demographic shrinkage, shortened life spans, emigration and capital flight.

This attack is being mounted not by nation states as such, but by a cosmopolitan financial class. Finance always has been cosmopolitan more than nationalistic – and always has sought to impose its priorities and lawmaking power over those of parliamentary democracies.

Like any monopoly or vested interest, the financial strategy seeks to block government power to regulate or tax it. From the financial vantage point, the ideal function of government is to enhance and protect finance capital and “the miracle of compound interest” that keeps fortunes multiplying exponentially, faster than the economy can grow, until they eat into the economic substance and do to the economy what predatory creditors and rentiers did to the Roman Empire.

This financial dynamic is what threatens to break up Europe today. But the financial class has gained sufficient power to turn the ideological tables and insist that what threatens European unity is national populations acting to resist the cosmopolitan claims of finance capital to impose austerity on labor. Debts that already have become unpayable are to be taken onto the public balance sheet – without a military struggle, needless to say. At least such bloodshed is now in the past. From the vantage point of the Irish and Greek populations (perhaps soon to be joined by those of Portugal and Spain), national parliamentary governments are to be mobilized to impose the terms of national surrender to financial planners. One almost can say that the ideal is to reduce parliaments to local puppet regimes serving the cosmopolitan financial class by using debt leverage to carve up what is left of the public domain that used to be called “the commons.” As such, we now are entering a post-medieval world of enclosures – an Enclosure Movement driven by financial law that overrides public and common law, against the common good.

Within Europe, financial power is concentrated in Germany, France and the Netherlands. It is their banks that held most of the bonds of the Greek government now being called on to impose austerity, and of the Irish banks that already have been bailed out by Irish taxpayers.

On Thursday, June 2, 2011, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet spelled out the blueprint for how to establish financial oligarchy over all Europe. Appropriately, he announced his plan upon receiving the Charlemagne prize at Aachen, Germany – symbolically expressing how Europe was to be unified not on the grounds of economic peace as dreamed of by the architects of the Common Market in the 1950s, but on diametrically opposite oligarchic grounds.

At the outset of his speech on “Building Europe, building institutions,” Mr. Trichet appropriately credited the European Council led by Mr. Van Rompuy for giving direction and momentum from the highest level, and the Eurogroup of finance ministers led by Mr. Juncker. Together, they formed what the popular press calls Europe’s creditor “troika.” Mr. Trichet’s speech refers to “the ‘trialogue’ between the Parliament, the Commission and the Council.”

Europe’s task, he explained, was to follow Erasmus in bringing Europe beyond its traditional “strict concept of nationhood.” The debt problem called for new “monetary policy measures – we call them ‘non standard’ decisions, strictly separated from the ‘standard’ decisions, and aimed at restoring a better transmission of our monetary policy in these abnormal market conditions.” The problem at hand is to make these conditions a new normalcy – that of paying debts, and re-defining solvency to reflect a nation’s ability to pay by selling off its public domain.

“Countries that have not lived up to the letter or the spirit of the rules have experienced difficulties,” Mr. Trichet noted. “Via contagion, these difficulties have affected other countries in EMU. Strengthening the rules to prevent unsound policies is therefore an urgent priority.” His use of the term “contagion” depicted democratic government and protection of debtors as a disease. Reminiscent of the Greek colonels’ speech that opened the famous 1969 film “Z”: to combat leftism as if it were an agricultural pest to be exterminated by proper ideological pesticide. Mr. Trichet adopted the colonels’ rhetoric. The task of the Greek Socialists evidently is to do what the colonels and their conservative successors could not do: deliver labor to irreversible economic reforms.

Arrangements are currently in place, involving financial assistance under strict conditions, fully in line with the IMF policy. I am aware that some observers have concerns about where this leads. The line between regional solidarity and individual responsibility could become blurred if the conditionality is not rigorously complied with.

In my view, it could be appropriate to foresee for the medium term two stages for countries in difficulty. This would naturally demand a change of the Treaty.

As a first stage, it is justified to provide financial assistance in the context of a strong adjustment programme. It is appropriate to give countries an opportunity to put the situation right themselves and to restore stability.

At the same time, such assistance is in the interests of the euro area as a whole, as it prevents crises spreading in a way that could cause harm to other countries.

It is of paramount importance that adjustment occurs; that countries – governments and opposition – unite behind the effort; and that contributing countries survey with great care the implementation of the programme.

But if a country is still not delivering, I think all would agree that the second stage has to be different. Would it go too far if we envisaged, at this second stage, giving euro area authorities a much deeper and authoritative say in the formation of the country’s economic policies if these go harmfully astray? A direct influence, well over and above the reinforced surveillance that is presently envisaged? … (my emphasis)

The ECB President then gave the key political premise of his reform program (if it is not a travesty to use the term “reform” for today’s counter-Enlightenment):

We can see before our eyes that membership of the EU, and even more so of EMU, introduces a new understanding in the way sovereignty is exerted. Interdependence means that countries de facto do not have complete internal authority. They can experience crises caused entirely by the unsound economic policies of others.

With a new concept of a second stage, we would change drastically the present governance based upon the dialectics of surveillance, recommendations and sanctions. In the present concept, all the decisions remain in the hands of the country concerned, even if the recommendations are not applied, and even if this attitude triggers major difficulties for other member countries. In the new concept, it would be not only possible, but in some cases compulsory, in a second stage for the European authorities – namely the Council on the basis of a proposal by the Commission, in liaison with the ECB – to take themselves decisions applicable in the economy concerned.

One way this could be imagined is for European authorities to have the right to veto some national economic policy decisions. The remit could include in particular major fiscal spending items and elements essential for the country’s competitiveness. …

By “unsound economic policies,” Mr. Trichet means not paying debts – by writing them down to the ability to pay without forfeiting land and monopolies in the public domain, and refusing to replace political and economic democracy with control by bankers. Twisting the knife into the long history of European idealism, he deceptively depicted his proposed financial coup d’état as if it were in the spirit of Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman and other liberals who promoted European integration in hope of creating a more peaceful world – one that would be more prosperous and productive, not one based on financial asset stripping.

Jean Monnet in his memoirs 35 years ago wrote: “Nobody can say today what will be the institutional framework of Europe tomorrow because the future changes, which will be fostered by today’s changes, are unpredictable.”

In this Union of tomorrow, or of the day after tomorrow, would it be too bold, in the economic field, with a single market, a single currency and a single central bank, to envisage a ministry of finance of the Union? Not necessarily a ministry of finance that administers a large federal budget. But a ministry of finance that would exert direct responsibilities in at least three domains: first, the surveillance of both fiscal policies and competitiveness policies, as well as the direct responsibilities mentioned earlier as regards countries in a “second stage” inside the euro area; second, all the typical responsibilities of the executive branches as regards the union’s integrated financial sector, so as to accompany the full integration of financial services; and third, the representation of the union confederation in international financial institutions.

Husserl concluded his lecture in a visionary way: “Europe’s existential crisis can end in only one of two ways: in its demise (…) lapsing into a hatred of the spirit and into barbarism ; or in its rebirth from the spirit of philosophy, through a heroism of reason (…)”.

As my friend Marshall Auerback quipped in response to this speech, its message is familiar enough as a description of what is happening in the United States: “This is the Republican answer in Michigan. Take over the cities in crisis run by disfavored minorities, remove their democratically elected governments from power, and use extraordinary powers to mandate austerity.” In other words, no room for any agency like that advocated by Elizabeth Warren is to exist in the EU. That is not the kind of idealistic integration toward which Mr. Trichet and the ECB aim. He is leading toward what the closing credits of the film “Z” put on the screen: The things banned by the junta include: “peace movements, strikes, labor unions, long hair on men, The Beatles, other modern and popular music (‘la musique populaire’), Sophocles, Leo Tolstoy, Aeschylus, writing that Socrates was homosexual, Eugène Ionesco, Jean-Paul Sartre, Anton Chekhov, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Mark Twain, Samuel Beckett, the bar association, sociology, international encyclopedias, free press, and new math. Also banned is the letter Z, which was used as a symbolic reminder that Grigoris Lambrakis and by extension the spirit of resistance lives (zi = ‘he (Lambrakis) lives’).”

As the Wall Street Journal accurately summarized the political thrust of Mr. Trichet’s speech, “if a bailed-out country isn’t delivering on its fiscal-adjustment program, then a ‘second stage’ could be required, which could possibly involve ‘giving euro-area authorities a much deeper and authoritative say in the formation of the county’s economic policies …’” Eurozone authorities – specifically, their financial institutions, not democratic institutions aimed at protecting labor and consumers, raising living standards and so forth – “could have ‘the right to veto some national economic-policy decisions’ under such a regime. In particular, a veto could apply for ‘major fiscal spending items and elements essential for the country’s competitiveness.’

Paraphrasing Mr. Trichet’s lugubrious query, “In this union of tomorrow … would it be too bold in the economic field … to envisage a ministry of finance for the union?” the article noted that “Such a ministry wouldn’t necessarily have a large federal budget but would be involved in surveillance and issuing vetoes, and would represent the currency bloc at international financial institutions.”

My own memory is that socialist idealism after World War II was world-weary in seeing nation states as the instruments for military warfare. This pacifist ideology came to overshadow the original socialist ideology of the late 19th century, which sought to reform governments to take law-making power, taxing power and property itself out of the hands of the classes who had possessed it ever since the Viking invasions of Europe had established feudal privilege, absentee landownership and financial control of trading monopolies and, increasingly, the banking privilege of money creation.

But somehow, as my UMKC colleague, Prof. Bill Black commented recently in the UMKC economics blog: “One of the great paradoxes is that the periphery’s generally left-wing governments adopted so enthusiastically the ECB’s ultra-right wing economic nostrums – austerity is an appropriate response to a great recession. … Why left-wing parties embrace the advice of the ultra-right wing economists whose anti-regulatory dogmas helped cause the crisis is one of the great mysteries of life. Their policies are self-destructive to the economy and suicidal politically.”

Greece and Ireland have become the litmus test for whether economies will be sacrificed in attempts to pay debts that cannot be paid. An interregnum is threatened during which the road to default and permanent austerity will carve out more and more land and public enterprises from the public domain, divert more and more consumer income to pay debt service and taxes for governments to pay bondholders, and more business income to pay the bankers.

If this is not war, what is?

MERS Has Trouble, Right There in Ohio, With a Capital ‘T’.(Martin Andleman Piece)

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 7:54 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: MERS Has Trouble, Right There in Ohio, With a Capital ‘T’.(Martin Andleman Piece)

MERS Has Trouble, Right There in Ohio, With a Capital ‘T’…

Geauga County’s prosecuting attorney, David P. Joyce has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the county “and all other similarly situated counties in Ohio,” against MERS and everybody else who used the MERS “scheme,” alleging that they violated Ohio law requiring that, “each and every mortgage assignment must be recorded in the proper Ohio county recording office,” and that by doing so, they avoided paying the counties the attendant recording fees.

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann says the case does accurately represent what he referred to as “black letter law” in the State of Ohio for the last 200 years. He also described the case as being fairly narrow in that it’s really going after the recording fees that were not paid to each county when the defendants used the MERS system, but in doing so, the case is also going to have to establish the problems with the over all MERS operation.

According to Dann, “Ohio law requires that transfers of beneficial interest be recorded in the appropriate county, so either they avoided paying the fees to the counties for what was otherwise a valid transfer, or perhaps the transfers were invalid, in which case many, many foreclosures should not have been allowed to happen.”

Geauga County is a small, rural county near Cleveland, Ohio, and Dann, who has his law office in Cleveland, has been fighting for the rights of Ohio homeowners since serving as the state’s Attorney General in 2007-08. He says that if Geauga County’s prosecutor wins this case, he may be reopening thousands of foreclosures.

“This case asks court very directly whether the MERS system complies with state law. If it doesn’t then I’m going to go back and reopen all of the foreclosures alleging that the transfers were invalid,” says Dann without hesitation.

The class action lawsuit, however, is about damages, and they could be substantial. Dann says that the county recording fees are in the $30-$40 range, so in a state with over 80,000 foreclosures a year, and I have no idea how many mortgages that have been securitized over the last so many years, the amounts of fees avoided by easily reach into the millions.

The complaint alleges that the MERS system is a “scheme” designed to evade the required recording fees and the suit specifically seeks payment of those fees, saying that in the securitization process mortgages are assigned at least twice.

Also included in the complaint is the allegation that the defendants “systematically broke chains of land title throughout Ohio counties’ public land records by creating ‘gaps’ due to missing mortgage assignments they failed to record, or by recoding patently false and/or misleading mortgage assignments. Further the complaint states that the “defendants’ failure to record has eviscerated the accuracy of Ohio’s counties’ public land records, rendering them unreliable and unverifiable.”

I asked renowned consumer bankruptcy attorney Max Gardner what he thought would happen if the case were to be successful and he said it could put MERS out of business, or certainly make it a costly mistake for all involved.

“MERS INC. is a wholly owned subsidiary of MERSCORP and has no assets to speak of, and MERSCORP has some assets but it looks to me like a multi-million dollar judgment would be beyond their ability to pay,” Max said.

“So, I guess they’d need a bailout,” he quips. “If it even looks like the prosecutor is going to be able to win this case, it’ll definitely be time for MERS to make a call to Houston, you know to say, we’ve got a problem… and it’s a big problem,” Gardner adds.

Max says that, although this case is somewhat similar to a case previously filed in Minnesota, he’s not aware of “any other case alleging this theory filed by a state or county to-date.”

The complaint states that the “defendant’s purposeful failure” to record the mortgage assignments in compliance with state law has caused “far-reaching, devastating consequences for Ohio counties and their public land records.” And further, that those damages “may never be entirely remedied.” (Emphasis added.)

The lawsuit, which was filed on October 13, 2011, names as defendants: MERSCORP, INC. and Mortgage Electronic Registration System, Inc., but also names:

Home Savings and Loan Inc., Bank of America Corp, CCO Mortgage Corp, Chase Home Mortgage Corp, Citimortgage Inc, Corelogic, Corinthian Mortgage Corp, Everhome Mortgage Corp, GMAC, Guaranty Bank, HSBC Bank, MGIC Investors Services, Nationwide Advantage Mortgage, PMI Mortgage Services Company, Suntrust Mortgage, United Guaranty Corp, Wells Fargo Bank, and Doe Corporations – names and addresses unknown.

So, obviously this is one to watch, both for the homeowners in Ohio, and elsewhere. The ramifications, should the case be successful, could very well spread to other states, as the Ohio counties involved could receive hundreds of thousands or millions of much-needed dollars.

Once again, the arrogance of MERS and the industry that created it is astounding. I mean, to simply disregard out of hand, 200 years of Ohio state law, without a second thought, is remarkable. And when I read that it may never be entirely remedied, I can’t help but wonder what the ultimate cost of what was done will be and who will one day be forced to pay it.

From talking with Marc Dann and Max Gardner, it looks like this is a case that will cause great concern back at MERS headquarters, and all I can say is… it’s about time.

You can find a copy of the complaint attached.

Mandelman out.

State-of-Ohio-v-MERS-and-Banks.pdf

Maybe it’s true…hmmm!

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 6:22 AM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Maybe it’s true…hmmm!

I thought this was BS when I first saw it but the video below shows maybe I’m wrong:

California Governor and Attorney General Get served

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1234/335/California_Governor_And_Attorney_General_Get_Served.html

Does anybody know about this organization? and what it means?

725,000 judgment against Wells Fargo for Misapplying $2,212 Mortgage Payment (from 4foreclosurefraud.org)

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 12:34 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: 725,000 judgment against Wells Fargo for Misapplying $2,212 Mortgage Payment (from 4foreclosurefraud.org)

See the attached:

725,000 judgment against Wells Fargo for Misapplying $2,212 Mortgage Payment

Below is a story of an attorney that has been battling the banks on behalf of many Northern Nevada homeowners for several years. His first experience with the banksters’ egregious conduct towards borrowers began in September 2004 and resulted in a $725K judgment against Wells Fargo Bank. The judgment was entered in April 2009 and is currently being appealed for the second time.

After almost 3 years of litigation, an internal electronic office memorandum dated on or about May 2005 contained an admission from Wells Fargo that it had mistakenly applied the mortgage payment to the wrong account and that it should correct its error. However, Wells Fargo refused to correct its admitted error and has begun a campaign trying to wear down and outlast his client. A campaign that began in September 2004 when it first misapplied his client’s mortgage payment (”$2200″). The action was filed in the federal district Court of Northern Nevada in May 2005 and was finally agreed to submit the matter to binding arbitration in January 2009.

An arbitration award was issued in February 2009 and I moved for an award of attorney’s fees and costs in the amount of about $500,000. In Wells Fargo’s opposition to the fee application, it admitted that “plaintiff’s fees and costs pale in comparison to the fees it paid.” Regardless the arbitrator award all of my client’s fees and costs. Wells Fargo then moved to have the arb award vacated pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act in the district court. The district court refused to rule on its motion because the parties’ stipulation to proceed to binding arbitration was with the understanding that the losing party would appeal the award directly to the 9th Circuit.

In August 2009, Wells Fargo appealed the arbitration award. In February, 2011, the 9th Circuit remanded the motion back to the district court with instructions to rule on the motion. On August 17, 2011, the district court issued its memorandum of decision and order denying Wells Fargo’s motion. And, despite the standard for vacating an arbitration award being next to impossible to meet, Wells Fargo filed another appeal to the 9th Circuit on or about September 10, 2011.

The following is a summary of the attached award and findings of fact by the arbitrator, retired California Appellate Court Justice Michael Nott.

This dispute arose out of Wells Fargo inadvertently applying Johnson’s $2,212.00 September 2004 mortgage payment to the wrong mortgage account. Despite Wells Fargo having discovered and admitting its mistake on or about May 2005, Wells Fargo refuses to this very day, October 11, 2011 (over 7 years later), to remedy its admitted wrong doing and continues to employ 2 expensive law firms to employ expensive delaying tactics to postpone the inevitable payment of the arbitration award.

Retired California Appellate Court Justice Michael Nott after 3 1/2 days of trial and reviewing all the evidence and testimony presented by the Parties concluded that despite Wells Fargo having eventually admitted that it had been wrong all along, Wells Fargo refused to correct its error. In an overview of all the evidence presented, he concluded that this matter should have never taken so long to resolve. It just wasn’t complicated and, more poignantly, the evidence is overwhelming that Johnson provided sufficient documentary proof to back his assertion from Day 1 that all appropriate payments had been made to Loans 55 and 56. Id. In his final analysis, Justice Nott concluded that there wasn’t any reason to rush to reporting any negative comments to the CRAs (after the first report) until the problem was finally resolved. Justice Nott noted that Wells Fargo was servicing 8 of Johnson’s other mortgage loans and did not have to report any of them delinquent.

Justice Nott’s ultimate conclusion was that on the face of the documents presented at trial by Johnson, the investigation by Wells Fargo was inadequate, unreasonable, and untimely under the rules of the FCRA. Further, the yoyo reporting and clearing of late payments from October through May, and the continued foreclosure proceedings on Loan 56 were unnecessary and improper.

Johnson was awarded $260,910 including the attorney’s fees and costs he incurred from September 2004 through the end of the arbitration on or about February 2009. Almost 4 1/2 years of litigation that included, but not limited to, trips to California, North Carolina, and Iowa. Attorney fees awarded were $427,739, and cost in the amount of $37,069.

The attorney on the case is:

Tory M. Pankopf
TORY M. PANKOPF, LTD.
A Foreclosure Defense Law Firm
10471 Double R Blvd., Suite C
Reno, Nevada 89521
Tel. (775) 384-6956
Fax (775) 384-6958

NV-Arb-Award.pdf
NV-Amended-Arb-Award.pdf
NV-Judgment-and-Order-Re-Arb-Award.pdf
NV-Wells-Fargo-WJ-Opinion.pdf
NV-Order-Motion-Vacate.pdf

SINGLE TRANSACTION RULE REVISITED

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2011 2:58 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: SINGLE TRANSACTION RULE REVISITED

New post on Livinglies’s Weblog

blavatar-default.png

SINGLE TRANSACTION RULE REVISITED

by Neil Garfield

Many questions are piling in as lawyers start to drill down into the whole securitization scheme. The COMBO helps; yet in order to properly present the case in court you need to understand more than just your transaction. When I started the blog, and periodically thereafter, I made reference to a doctrine that was created in the context of tax litigation but which applies and has been applied in commercial situations. Sometimes you have to figure out the goal of the transaction in order to determine the parties. The doctrines that apply are the SINGLE TRANSACTION DOCTRINE and the STEP TRANSACTION DOCTRINE. The key question that is answered is what was the goal — or to put it another way, if you take out that piece, would the same transaction have otherwise still occurred in some other fashion?

Applied to debt, whether it is mortgage or otherwise, it is stated as follows: If investment bankers were not selling mortgage bonds to investors, would the loan have been otherwise been made? If the answer is no, there would have been no transaction, then the doctrines apply. If the doctrines apply, then the nature of the transaction is determined by its goal — the issuance of mortgage bonds, and all the exotic hedge and credit enhancements products that went along with it. Once that is determined, the real parties in interest emerge — the mortgage bonds were sold for the purpose of funding loans. So the loans and the bonds are the evidence of the total transaction. The borrowers and the investors are the real parties in interest. Most interpretations of RPIT come down to money — who gave it and who got it?

It might be that the more significant party in interest on the borrower side is not the homeowner at all, but rather the investment banker who created a promise to pay the investors under false pretenses. The homeowner did not know about that promise and certainly had no idea of the false pretenses. The issue is whether the mortgage, deed of trust or other security instrument is enforceable as to power of sale, foreclosure or otherwise. That can only be true if the right party has signed it and the right party enforces it. But it is also restricted to enforcement of a valid outstanding obligation, which is described in other instruments.

Usually, in a mortgage loan, the obligation is described in a note. In our current situation the obligation is described in a convoluted series of documents, some of the them fabricated, including the PSA,, prospectus etc. because the lender investor didn’t get a document from the homeowner, they received it from the investment banker. Thus the totality of the documentation with the investor and with the borrower might be used to describe the obligation — but then you have that pesky problem of Truth in Lending where all the documents must be revealed and disclosed to the borrower.

The only reasonable interpretation in securitization transactions is that the entire risk of loss would have shifted to a different party if the mortgage bonds were not being sold. This is what caused all the intermediaries to abandon normal underwriting standards. This ALL parties involved in ALL parts of the transaction are mere intermediaries or conduits and not possessed of any economic interest int he transaction, except those arising out of their role as a conduit. For example, if you write a check to Target to buy a TV, the goal was to purchase a TV. the fact that you wrote a check, that TARGET took the check tot heir bank, that the check was cleared through Federal Reserve or other intermediaries, and presented to your bank who sent it to their account processor which then provided the information as to wheth er the funds were present to cover the check, which led your bank authorizing payment is all irrelevant to the issue of the purchase of the TV.

In our current crisis, all those intermediaries are vying for the TV when one of them has any economic interest in it. In this example, the intermediaries would have that opportunity if Target didn’t care whether or not they got back their TV or didn’t care to fight about it for whatever reason. The vacuum and opportunity for disinterested intermediaries to pretend to be interested and pretend to have rights to the TV would be almost irresistible if you had no ethics, morality or conscience. The single transaction doctrine and step transaction doctrine were created to sort out such situations.

In the mortgage context, that is exactly what is happening. I predicted 4 years ago that litigation results would depend entirely upon whether the Banks could be successful at misdirecting the attention of the court to the parts of the transaction instead of the totality of it — the money processing through conduits and intermediaries — or if they were correctly instructed by borrowers that they now know that the real transaction was the purchase of a mortgage bond by investors and that the borrowers signature was merely incident to, and necessary for the completion of the transaction such that the investment banker would not be required to return the money to the investor.

Like Target in the example above, the investors have decided, so far, not to fight with the homeowner but rather to take their fight to the investment banker who sold them the bonds under false pretenses. But if the investors and borrowers did get together and settle the obligation in any manner or with any means, the issue of foreclosure would be over. There would be no obligation or at least there would be no default.

There are issues as to how to characterize the fraudulent foreclosures, unlawful detainer, seizure of personal property, etc. And the related question is whether those involve transfers of interests in property or if they involve instruments that are investments, securities or whatever. I have concluded as an expert that the documents of “transfer” (forgetting their foundation and authenticity for a moment) are in actuality part of a larger scheme whose end purpose was the issuance of multiple forms of securities or other instruments exempted from security regulation. Even if exempted, it doesn’t make it a real estate transaction.

It does make it a fraudulent scheme, if the the property owner was fraudulently induced into executing documents under the pretense that this was a conventional mortgage loan situation, when hidden from the property owner, it was really part of the loop of issuing “mortgage bonds” (certificated or noncertificated to investors. Since the goal was to get money from investors and then have them abandon their interests in the “mortgages” or the “property” the property aspects seem incidental to the real nature of the transaction.

In fact, when you take a step back, you will see that the borrowers were duped into becoming "issuers" of paper that they had no idea was going to be used for bonuses on Wall Street. Borrowers did not know that the amount loaned to them or for their benefit fell far short of the amount collected from investors.

Under that scenario, their was, as I have said from beginning, a single transaction. That transaction was between the investor and the property owner, which was undocumented since neither were in privity to a written instrument in which both of them appeared. Or it could be said that the note is one small part of the documentation, in which the PSA, A&A, prospectus, bond, etc. were in TOTAL, the documentation. If those documents are, in total, the only documentation of the transaction, then the note cannot be accepted into evidence without the rest of the evidence.

And the security instrument or agreement (Deed of trust) might only mention the note. If it does that, then it has referred to a piece of paper that does not have all the terms of the transaction. Since they were intentionally hiding the existence of a the securitization chain from the borrower, it can’t be said that the omission of the other documents was accidental. Thus the security instrument would be invalid on the most fundamental grounds — it does not secure the obligation — evidence of which is contained in multiple instruments, it attempts to secure only the note, which does not contain all the evidence of the obligation and terms of repayment.

As such, if that is accepted by the Court, the security instrument would need to be reformed in order to be effective. Whether that reformation would relate back to the original recording is a question I cannot answer. But in my opinion, no security instrument is capable of being enforced if it makes reference to a single document that is to be used as evidence of an obligation, the performance of which triggers the enforcement provisions of the security instrument — unless that single document contains all the evidence of the obligation.

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Bankruptcy for Countrywide or Liquidation for BofA?

From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@bayliving.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 2:27 PM
To: Charles Cox
Subject: Bankruptcy for Countrywide or Liquidation for BofA?

The LATimes reported that Bryan Moynihan wouldn’t rule out bankruptcy for Bank of America. Chris Whalen urged the bank to go bankrupt. Now rumors are swirling that BofA will try to dodge all Countrywide’s lawsuit liability by putting Countrywide into bankruptcy, saving BofA in the process.

Whether BofA succeeds in ducking Countrywide’s liabilities depends mostly on one question: will the bankruptcy court apply Delaware law, which prizes form over substance, or law like New York or California’s, which looks at substance over form? That choice of law factor is what got BofA off the hook of Countrywide liability in one case, and left it on the hook in another, as detailed by Isaac Gradman at the Subprime Shakeout. And if you think about it, the idea is incredibly galling.

Delaware is home to many corporations, because corporate law in Delaware is unusually pro-corporation. One way of being pro-corporation is to prize form over substance. Form—drafting documents in a certain way, invoking all the magic words in the right order—can force the world to treat a business as if it’s doing what it says it is doing, even though it’s not. The corporation is in control of how the law treats it.

See, if a corporation is really doing what it says in its documents, then an analysis of substance and form should get to the same place. The only time a form-versus-substance analysis ends in different places is when a corporation wants to invoke specific legal protections with magic words instead of earning them by acting accordingly.

The specific issue is this: Is Countrywide a separate company within BofA, or was it merged into BofA? The documents governing BofA’s acquisition of BofA surely treat it like a separate company, but myriad actions by BofA show it integrated Countrywide, made it part of the BofA borg. So will BofA’s words or its actions control the analysis?

If Delaware law applies, BofA can likely ditch its Countrywide problem, and corporate rigging of the legal system will have triumphed again.

Liability Beyond Countrywide

Not that ditching Countrywide’s liability solves BofA’s lawsuit problems. Consider, for example, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Masto’s lawsuit, charges that “The course of unlawful conduct described in this Complaint began with Countrywide…After acquiring Countrywide, Bank of America engaged in new, repeated and systematic violations of Nevada law…” (at paragraph 7; see also paragraphs 4-6 and the complaint generally.) Or consider that the Federal Housing Finance Authority sued Bank of America for its actions separate from that of Countrywide. Finally, bankruptcy of Countrywide can’t protect BofA from the MBIA case that has BofA on the hook for Countrywide (the New York law case above.)

Just how bad the MBIA case is for BofA may be determined at an October 5th hearing, reports Patrick Gallagher of Westfair Online. MBIA is suing BofA for the insurer’s losses on Countrywide securities. At issue on October 5 is just what MBIA has to prove to get paid by BofA.

Does MBIA simply have to prove that it would never have insured the securities if it knew the truth about the mortgages Countrywide was stuffing in them? Or does it have to prove Countrywide’s lies are why the securities tanked and the insurer lost so much? If MBIA has to prove the lies caused the losses, Countrywide has a chance to argue that the recession or other factors drove the securities’ collapse instead. According to analysts cited by Gallagher, what the judge says is worth about $9 billion to BofA.

Still, ditching Countrywide’s liability would be a huge relief to BofA. BofA, much less Countrywide, doesn’t have the assets to pay 100 cents on the dollar of every Countrywide litigation claim. As a result, if BofA succeeds in isolating those liabilities in a Countrywide bankruptcy, everyone Countrywide defrauded will get much less than they deserve. That is, homeowners, investors (including pension funds), insurers and all Countrywide’s other victims will be victimized again. That’s why I think that if BofA tries to put Countrywide into bankruptcy, the feds should liquidate BofA and all its assets in service of paying off those liabilities.

The feds can liquidate BofA anytime BofA meets the criteria in the Dodd-Frank Act, regardless of whether BofA or any of its subsidiaries, like Countrywide, are in bankruptcy. Now I realize if BofA tries to put Countrywide in bankruptcy, the Obama administration has probably signed off on it, if not actively pushed it. But that doesn’t mean the public need grin and bear it.

BofA Executives Punished in a Liquidation

If the feds decide to liquidate BofA, the Dodd-Frank process is swift, gratifyingly brutal to the executives, and effective: BofA would cease to exist, replaced with smaller companies not too big to fail. On paper, that is. If BofA is liquidated, no one really knows what would happen.

On paper, BofA’s executives would be fired, could be made to cough up the last two years of their compensation and could be held personally liable for damages. Even Angelo Mozillo, that Countrywide crook-in-chief, could be rendered virtually middle-class, because when the issue is fraud, executives’ and former executives’ compensation can be taken back for an unlimited number of years. More: any BofA shares executives own surely would be worthless; equity holders are at the bottom of the creditor list. Finally, any of these executives could be banned from the industry for life.

I say “on paper” because the fed track record for going after big bank execs is non-existent. So maybe the executives wouldn’t be taken to the cleaners, their ill-gotten massive compensation left untouched; maybe the feds wouldn’t even go after Mozillo’s money.

Broader Consequences of a BofA Liquidation

As grateful as I would be to see Mozillo and BofA management get hosed, I have to acknowledge that liquidating BofA would be a big risk. What would the markets think?

Perhaps liquidation would be Lehman like, causing cascading disruptions. For example, I hear corporate debt markets aren’t particularly liquid, though the financial sector section of the market is; would liquidating BofA cause the corporate debt market to freeze?

Maybe the market would view BofA as a one off case, and the consequences would be contained. BofA is certainly a type of worst-case scenario. Other big banks have similar problems, but perhaps to a meaningfully lesser degree. I’d be really interested to hear informed comments on what a BofA liquidation’s impacts would look like, if you know.

The only thing I’m certain of is this: if the Feds wanted to liquidate BofA, they could manufacture the power to do it right now.

What it Takes to Liquidate BofA

Here’s the checklist before the Feds could liquidate BofA (see Title II):

–Is BofA a “Covered Financial Company”? Check.

–Is BofA a “Systemic Risk”? Check, though the process for making that declaration has a high bar: 2/3 of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve each must vote yes, and then Geithner would have to speak with Obama and they would have to decide yes too. They have to document their decision, tell Congress, and let the GAO check their math, after the fact. So while common sense dictates that, by definition, a too big to fail bank poses systemic risk, I suppose it’s possible that not everyone will cooperate.

In justifying the decision, Geithner (the buck officially stops with him) has to find:

–BofA in default, or in danger of defaulting.

If BofA files for bankruptcy, this is met. Arguably—I’m persuaded—BofA’s lawsuit liability already has it in danger of defaulting. Hence BofA’s obsession with trying to minimize and settle its lawsuit exposure. Check. Or almost check, depending on the view the government wants to take.

–Letting BofA fail in the usual way would have “serious adverse effects on the financial system”.

Well, that’s the very definition of “too big to fail”, right? And everyone claimed BofA was, leading to its bailout. Check.

–No private sector alternative is available. Check. (Who would want to take on Countrywide?)

–The impacts on the financial system of letting BofA fail the regular way would be worse than using the liquidation authority. Check. Again, that’s the whole point of too big to fail and the liquidation authority.

–The proposed course of action would mitigate the impacts of a BofA failure. Check. Again, that’s the point.

–It’s been ordered by the government to convert its convertible debt into equity. This only applies if the government decides to require banks to hold debt that can be converted to equity at times of financial stress, meaning it helps the banks’ balance sheet while hurting equity holders. But if the feds require any bank to hold such debt, this factor isn’t really a hurdle; the government can simply order the conversion whenever it wants to liquidate. So at worst, this is checkable.

In sum, if the feds find the political will, they can liquidate BofA, punish the executives of it and Countrywide in meaningful ways, and make at least one big bank no longer too big to fail. Along the way they can help Countrywide and BofA’s victims get paid as best as possible.

Will the feds liquidate BofA? I doubt it, unless a) Bank of America fails to ditch its Countrywide liability; b) Bank of America’s other liabilities become overwhelmingly great; c) the markets panic because people start realizing just how much trouble the banks are in, d) people start rioting because they just can’t take the government’s pro-bank anti-person bias any longer or e) protest movements reach such a critical mass that Washington is scared into acting.

In the meantime, the lawsuits against BofA and Countrywide will continue to pile up. BofA and/or the feds will eventually be forced to do something. Let’s hope they do the right thing.

View article…

Lessons from Merkel in Germany Applied Here at Home: Why Can’t We Be Brave Like That?

by Neil Garfield

“We are paying way too high a price to protect the employment of those who didn’t do their jobs as fund managers for the investors who bought these bogus mortgage bonds.” Neil F. Garfield
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The Banks were, as usual, dictating the terms of their own bailout with threats that if they go down the whole system would go down. Sound familiar? This premise wasn’t true and Germany’s Merkel and France’s Sarkozy knew it. But most of the economic and foreign ministers in the EU were scared that it COULD be true. But the only ones in the room who really knew for sure were the Bankers themselves, some of whom had spread the lie so often in so many ways they were coming to believe it themselves.
The implicit threat was that if Europe didn’t capitulate, surrendering their list bit of dignity to the Banks, the system would fall and that the bankers as people would be just fine because they were rich bond words. I liken it to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Somebody had to blink. Merkel showed the guts we need from a national leader. She ordered the printing of Germany’s currency back into circulation and the printing presses went to work. She told the Bankers they either take a 50% haircut on this mess the bankers created or simply take the consequences of default of Greece, Spain, Italy et al.
It was obvious she meant it. And Sarkozy agreed. We’ll take our chances with the system, rather than surrender control to the Bankers. The result was easily predictable for those of us who are students of this remarkable moment in history. The Banks caved. 50% write-down is what they are accepting which means that they are willing to accept the responsibility of paying for 50% of the damage they created with bonds, pools, derivatives, credit default swaps etc. They caved because their threat did not have a thread of truth to it. If the big bankers go down the smaller bankers go up. That’s the way it is and always will be.
We have plenty of objective, quantifiable data to measure the damage here in America. The nominal amount of debt is beyond imagination because it literally exceeds all the money in the world by a factor of at least 2.5. Amount of nominal debt: $125 trillion, minimum. Amount of money in the world including all currencies: $50 trillion. Bankers here should get the same treatment that the Bankers in Europe received. You created this and you will pay for at least 50% of the damage. As we will see later, I actually have a plan to make that happen out in the trenches of the economic wars in the marketplace. More on that soon, very soon.
The trouble with pursuing any solution is that the business of America is now accounted for by measuring “financial services.” And if you really look at the corporate culture and behavior of these companies, their business is not any service at all. Their business is making executive bonuses and compensation as high as the sky will allow. I’m not talking about the whole income and wealth inequality debate here, I’m talking day to day business and the reason why we are not even close to a solution that will put America back on track, back in the game — never mind being the number one player.
Here is the obstacle to resolution: nobody is telling the truth because they are preserving their next bonus and their next raise. As long as the pension fund managers don’t report to their beneficiaries and the Board that they lost 50% of their assets, they keep their jobs, their bonuses and their compensation packages.
That is why Wall Street has created intermediaries to grab houses on which they made no loan — they know that in order for the pension fund to stop them, the pension fund manager would need to admit that there is a loss that was previously unreported. So even though the loss is getting larger and larger by allowing the servicing companies and banks to grab millions of free homes, the fund manager gets to keep one more bonus, one more year of compensation. “screw the pensioners…They’re going to die anyway.” (I actually heard that from someone who will go unnamed, for now).
This column has been an advocate of principal correction because, whether it’s a mortgage, credit card, auto loan or student loan debt, the amount was and remains too high, piled on high with absurd fees and accrued interest that once upon a time (30 years ago) was deemed criminal — you know, like you could be jailed as a loan shark for charging those rates. That was back in the days when we listened to economists instead of bankers as to what was good for the country. By listening to bankers we replaced real wages with debt and now there is simply no place left to insert debt, savings are near zero, consumer confidence is near zero, and joblessness is at an all-time high. Just what do you think is going to happen this holiday season?
Defaults are rising and will continue to rise because they have no place else to go except up. The tooth fairy won’t fix this one. Obama must develop the same set of cayungas that it took a woman to demonstrate — Merkel in Germany. He’s got to be willing to walk from the table and insist on extracting a very high price from bankers who sucked a very high price out of our society for the last 35 years. Specifically, the Market has set the bar, whether we agree with the level or not, at 50%. Requiring the Banks, investors (pension funds etc.) to tell the truth about the debt they are carrying on their books as assets, and requiring them to agree to reality — it isn’t worth more than half of the nominal value and in fact it probably isn’t worth more than 15% of nominal value. Anything the banks and investors get over 15% is gravy.
So correcting the loan principal on mortgages to less than 50% is merely reflecting reality. The value used at closing by the lender, in fact, certified by the lender, was a lie and the borrower depended upon it as did the investor whose fund manager doesn’t want to admit he never looked under the hood of the vehicle. Correcting the rest of consumer loans would similarly bring the debt in line with the value of the debt. We are paying way too high a price to protect the employment of those who didn’t do their jobs as fund managers for the investors who bought these bogus mortgage bonds.

This fraud; 70 times as bad as the Savings and Loan Crisis…and not ONE has gone to jail yet!!!

Delaware suing MERS Video

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908//vp/45070527#45070527

Delaware suing MERS video

Delaware AG’s MERS suit should strike fear in MBS industry

From: Jake Naumer

Lawyers for MBS investors and bond insurers have already poured untold hours into scrutinizing mortgage loan file documents for breach of contract cases against issuers. They’ve generally focused on whether the underlying mortgage pools live up to the representations and warranties MBS issuers made about things such as owner income and loan-to-value ratios. But imagine if they can argue, as the Delaware AG does in Thursday’s MERS suit, that trusts never owned the loans in MBS pools at all. We’re looking at a whole new world of put-back liability.

________________________________________

http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/ViewNews.aspx?id=31220&terms=%40ReutersTopicCodes+CONTAINS+%27ANV%27

http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/ViewNews.aspx?id=31220&terms=%40ReutersTopicCodes+CONTAINS+%27ANV%27

http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2011/10_-_October/Pauley_s_BofA_MBS_ruling_is_boon_to_New_York,_Delaware_AGs/


Jake Naumer
Resolution Advisors
3187 Morgan Ford
St Louis Missouri 63116
314 961 7600
Fax Voice Mail 314 754 9086

Delaware v. MERS Complaint

MERS-Complaint Delaware

United States of America v Allied Home Mortgage | Feds File Massive Fraud Case Against Allied Home Mortgage

Feds File Massive Fraud Case Against Allied Home Mortgage
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein ProPublica,
Federal prosecutors sued Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp. and two top executives Tuesday, accusing them of running a massive fraud scheme that cost the government at least $834 million in insurance claims on defaulted home loans.
Houston-based Allied and its founder and chief executive, Jim Hodge, were the subject of July 2010 stories by ProPublica [1], which detailed a trail of alleged misconduct, lawsuits and government sanctions spanning at least 18 states [2] and seven years. Borrowers recounted how they had been lied to by Allied employees, who in some cases had siphoned their loan proceeds for personal gain. Some lost their homes.
Despite years of warnings, the federal government had not — until this week — impaired the company’s ability to issue new mortgages.
The suit [3], filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, seeks triple damages and civil penalties, which could total $2.5 billion. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended the company and Hodge from issuing loans [4] backed by the Federal Housing Administration. The company was also barred from issuing mortgage-backed securities through the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).
Allied has billed itself as the nation’s largest privately held mortgage broker with some 200 branches. (At one point, the company operated more than 600.) The sprawling network made Hodge, a folksy Texan, a rich man [5] with properties in three states and St. Croix and two airplanes to get to them.
Allied and Hodge played the “lending industry equivalent of heads-I-win and tails-you-lose,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a news conference Tuesday. “The losers here were American taxpayers and the thousands of families who faced foreclosure because they could not ultimately fulfill their obligations on mortgages that were doomed to fail.”
The government’s complaint alleges that between 2001 and 2010, Allied originated 112,324 home mortgages backed by the FHA, which typically go to moderate- and low-income borrowers. Of those, nearly 32 percent — 35,801 — defaulted, resulting in more than $834 million in insurance claims paid by HUD.
In 2006 and 2007, the company’s default rate was a “staggering” 55 percent, the complaint said.
In addition, another 2,509 mortgages are currently in default, which could result in another $363 million in insurance claims paid by HUD.
Borrowers told ProPublica last year that company employees falsified records to bolster their credit worthiness and lured them into unaffordable deals by lying about the terms.
The government’s complaint says: “Allied has profited for years as one of the nation’s largest FHA lenders by engaging in reckless mortgage lending, flouting the requirements of the FHA mortgage insurance program and repeatedly lying about its compliance.”
Tuesday’s action against Allied follows criticism that the government has been slow to act on rampant fraud and abuse in the mortgage market. In the case of Allied, the government had reams of evidence of possible misconduct. Among ProPublica’s findings last year:
• Allied had the highest serious delinquency rate [6] among the top 20 FHA loan originators from June 2008 through May 2010.
• Nine states sanctioned the firm from 2009 to mid-2010 for such violations as using unlicensed brokers and misleading a borrower.
• Federal agencies cited or settled with Allied or an affiliate at least six times since 2003 for overcharging clients, underpaying workers or other offenses.
• At least five lenders sued, claiming Allied tricked them into funding loans for unqualified buyers by falsifying documents and submitting grossly inflated appraisals, among other allegations.
Allied spokesman Joe James said the company was aware of the government lawsuit but had not received a copy of it and could not comment.
Hodge did not return a phone call and email seeking comment. But last year, he told ProPublica that the problems experienced at some of Allied’s branches should not tarnish his firm’s overall record. “If you look at the volume that we did or do,” he said, “it’s not significant.”
In an interview Tuesday, Helen Kanovsky, HUD’s general counsel, defended the time it took her department to take action.
“We had tried sanctions before,” she said. “We had assessed civil monetary penalties and that had not worked.
“The extraordinary remedy that we have — to be able to terminate somebody’s FHA capacity [and] basically put them out of business — requires a very high level of evidence and a high level of proof.”
The government’s 41-page lawsuit details an alleged scheme by Allied to deceive HUD about its employees and the risks associated with its loans. For years, it operated a network of “shadow” branches that were not approved by HUD and falsely certified that they met legal requirements.
Allied also disguised the high default rates of some branches, the complaint alleges, by tinkering with their addresses to apply for new HUD identification codes for the same offices. When HUD updated its system to prevent such manipulation, Allied simply moved all of its branches to a sister company and obtained new IDs, “thus again achieving a clean slate on its default rates,” the suit said. The sister firm, Allied Home Mortgage Corp., is also named as a defendant.
Hodge created a “culture of corruption,” the suit said. He “intimidated employees by spontaneous terminations and aggressive email monitoring, and silenced former employees by actual and threatened litigation against them.”
In one case, Hodge instructed his chief information officer to capture the password for the personal email account of Jeanne Stell, the company’s executive vice president and compliance officer. Then, he installed an electronic listening device under the information officer’s desk, the complaint alleges.
Allied also was employing felons, including a state manager who had been sentenced to 60 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine and a branch manager running the office under a falsely-assumed name, the suit said.
The government joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Allied branch manager in Massachusetts, Peter Belli. In addition to Allied and Hodge, the suit also names Stell as a defendant.
Belli had filed other suits against Hodge and Allied. He said Tuesday that, while his legal pursuit of his former employer had been long and hard, “I never really ever felt like quitting because I was married to the cause.”
Allied is also facing at least one federal criminal investigation into its now-shuttered Hammond, La., branch. In multiple lawsuits, borrowers allege that the office deceived them from 2005 through 2007 by misrepresenting loan terms, falsifying records, failing to pay off prior mortgages and diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At his news conference, Bharara said Tuesday’s filing was a civil matter and that the investigation into Allied is continuing. “We will go wherever the facts lead us.”
Allied-Lawsuit

I believe it, don’t you?

Fourteen Servicers Begin Lengthy Foreclosure Review Process
By: Krista Franks 11/01/2011
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board both announced Tuesday that the independent foreclosure reviews of 14 large servicers issued in April are now under way.
About 4.5 million borrowers could have their loans reviewed and potentially be compensated for imposed financial hardship, according to a previous statement by the OCC.
According to the OCC, the review will take several months due to the volume of potential foreclosures to review.
The foreclosure review is part of a broader list of enforcement actions for the servicers to rectify missteps in the foreclosure process. The enforcement actions mandated by the OCC include improved borrower communications, greater oversight of third-party vendors, updated management information systems, and the elimination of “dual tracking” – which takes place when a servicer forecloses while a borrower is being considered for a modification.
The OCC issued enforcement actions to: Ally’s GMAC Mortgage, Aurora Bank, Bank of America, Citibank, EverBank, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife, OneWest, PNC, Sovereign Bank, SunTrust, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo.
The Federal Reserve Board issued similar mandates in April and is also requiring the four large servicers it oversees – GMAC , HSBC, SunTrust, and JPMorgan’s EMC Mortgage – to appoint a single point of contact to certain distressed borrowers.
“The independent foreclosure review is a significant component of the mortgage servicers’ compliance with our enforcement actions,” said acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh. “These requirements help ensure that the servicers provide appropriate compensation to borrowers who suffered financial harm as a result of improper practices identified in our enforcement actions.”
Independent consultants will begin reviewing cases in which borrowers believe they suffered financial harm due to foreclosure actions that occurred between 2009 and 2010.
Servicers began mailing letters to borrowers Tuesday explaining the process of requesting a review, according to the OCC.
If independent reviewers determine a borrower did face financial harm due to misrepresentations or errors by the servicer, the servicer will be required to compensate the borrower.
“Borrowers are encouraged to carefully consider the information about the review program to determine if they should participate,” stated the Fed in its Tuesday announcement. “There are no costs associated with being included in the review.”
The Fed is also calling on independent reviewers to conduct a comprehensive examination of certain categories of foreclosures. For example, they will look for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and review all cases in which a borrower filed a complaint about their foreclosure proceeding.
Borrowers’ requests for reviews will be accepted through the end of April.

FHFA OIG Report

Click to access EVL-2011-004.pdf

Should be self-explanatory…

Litigation docs from Matt Weider

The cat is way out of the bag. The lenders and banks that brought our country to the verge of collapse with fraud, misrepresentation and lies have now brought these same practices into local courtrooms. Every day judges who sign foreclosure orders are confronted with legal pleadings that do not conform to the most basic requirements of professional standards, but who really cares about that…the real issue is that because the lenders cannot produce the evidence they need to proceed with their cases, they….produce the evidence they need to proceed with their cases.
I’ve previously posted about affidavit and assignment fraud…it comes in three areas:
1) False Affidavits of Service or False Affidavits That We Could Not Serve the Defendant. (See Sewer Service);
2)False Assignments of Mortgage (MERS assigns this Mortgage to Deutsche Bank who now has the right to foreclose);
3)False Affidavits of Amounts due and owing.
A Subpoena for Every Foreclosure!
Many times these documents are false on their face, but sometimes it takes a little digging to uncover the lies and misrepresentations….that’s where a subpoena comes in. The following is text of a subpoena I use. Next is a Motion to Strike Affidavit. Now there are going to be foreclosures that are proper (such as when original lenders foreclose) but in virtually every other case (especially when a pretender lender is a Plaintiff), when pressed, you’re going to find that the evidence submitted to the court is filled with mistakes lies or outright misrepresentations. Given what we’re learning about the scope of this problem…subpoenas should be dropped in every case for every fact witness, assignor, assignee and affiant. Please share results of your work with me! Together we’ll take my beloved courts back.
________________________________________

SUBPOENA DUCES TECUM FOR RECORDS WITH DEPOSITION
STATE OF FLORIDA:
TO:
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to appear before a person authorized by law to take depositions at the law offices of MATTHEW D. WEIDNER, P.A., 1229 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, Florida 33705, on MONTH DAY, 2010, for the taking of your deposition in this action and to have with you at the above time and place the following:
1. All books, papers, records, documents and other tangible things kept by LITTON LOAN SERVICING, LP concerning the transactions alleged in the complaint against Annabel E. Montgomery.
2. Any and all other books, papers, records, documents or tangible things that relate to HSBC BANK, USA, ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR THE ACE SECURITIES CORPORATION HOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2005-AG1, ASSET BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES’ claim against ANNABEL E. MONTGOMERY.
3. All employment records that exist between Christopher Spradling and any employer who has employed Spradling within the last three years including current employers.
4. All records that purport to give Christopher Spradling the authority to sign or execute any documents on behalf of any person or entity.
5. All documents, records, books, evidence or instructions that you reviewed or relied upon in order to prepare the affidavit or assignment executed in this case.
These items will be inspected and may be copied at that time. You will not be required to surrender the original items. You have the right to object to the production pursuant to this subpoena at any time before production by giving written notice to the attorney whose name appears on this subpoena. You may condition the preparation of the copies upon the payment in advance of the reasonable cost of preparation.
If you fail to: (a) appear as specified, or (b) furnish the records instead of appearing as provided above; or (c) object to this subpoena you may be in contempt of Court. You are subpoenaed by the attorneys whose names appear on this subpoena, and unless excused from this subpoena by the attorney or the Court, you shall respond to this subpoena as directed.
DATED on XXXX X, 2010.
FOR THE COURT
Matthew D. Weidner, P.A.
1229 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
By: ________________________________
Matthew D. Weidner
FBN: 0185957
Defendant’s Motion to Strike Affidavit of Christopher Spradling and for attorney’s fees and costs
COMES NOW, the Defendant Annabel E. Montgomery (hereinafter “Defendant”), by and through the undersigned counsel MATTHEW D. WEIDNER, and respectfully MOTIONS THIS COURT TO STRIKE AFFIDAVIT OF CHRISTOPHER SPADLING AND FOR ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS, pursuant to Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510, and in support thereof states as follows:
FACTS
1. This is an action for foreclosure of real property owned by the Defendant.
2. The named plaintiff in this case is HSBC BANK, USA, NATIONAL ASSOCATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE ACE SECURITIES CORPORATION HOME EQUITY TRUST, SERIES 2005-AG1, ASSET BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATE (hereinafter “Plaintiff”).
3. On February 2, 2010 Plaintiff, by and through its counsel Florida Default Law Group, P.L. (hereinafter “Florida Default Law Group”), gave Notice of Filing of Affidavit as to Amounts Due and Owing and the accompanying Affidavit (hereinafter “Affidavit”).
4. The Affiant of the above-mention Affidavit was identified as Christopher Spradling (hereinafter “Spradling”). Spradling identified himself as a “Foreclosure Manager” for LITTON LOAN SERVICING, LP (hereinafter “Litton”). Litton, in turn, was identified as “the servicer of the loan…[Litton] is responsible for the collection of this loan transaction and pursuit of any delinquency in payments.”[1]
5. Spradling, based upon his personal knowledge, averred in the Affidavit that: (1) the Plaintiff or its assigns was owed a total of $408,809.30; (2) the Plaintiff was entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage; and (3) Plaintiff was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.[2] The Affidavit does not contain any mention as to who owes the Plaintiff the sum alleged save for one sentences line which cryptically state “[s]pecifically, I have personal knowledge of the facts regarding the sums which are due and owing to Plaintiff or its assigns pursuant to the Note and Mortgage which is the subject matter of the lawsuit” and a second which states “I am familiar with the books of account…concerning the transactions alleged in the Complaint.”[3] Emphasis added.
6. Nowhere in the Affidavit was either Litton or Spradling identified as either the Plaintiff or the Plaintiff’s authorized agent.
7. Upon information and belief, Litton is simply a “middleman” of sorts who is responsible for the transfer of funds between the various assignees of the underlying Mortgage and Note and has no knowledge of the underlying transactions between the Plaintiff and Defendant.
8. Upon information and belief, Spradling, as employee of Litton and not the Plaintiff, has no knowledge of the underlying transactions between the Plaintiff and Defendant.
LEGAL REASONING IN SUPPORT OF MOTION
1. I. Plaintiff Failed to Attach Documents Referred to in the Affidavit
1. a. Failure to Attach Documents Violates Fla. Stat. §90.901 (1989)
Florida Statue §90.901 (1989) states, in pertinent part, that “[a]uthentication or identification of evidence is required as a condition precedent to its admissibility.” The failure to authenticate documents referred to in affidavits renders the affiant incompetent to testify as to the matters referred to in the affidavit. See Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(e) (which reads, in pertinent part, that “affidavits…shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated therein”); Zoda v. Hedden, 596 So. 2d 1225, 1226 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992) (holding, in part, that failure to attach certified copies of public records rendered affiant, who was not a custodian of said records, incompetent to testify to the matters stated in his affidavit as affiant was unable to authenticate the documents referred to therein.)
Here, Spradling affirmatively states in the Affidavit that he is “familiar with the books of account and have examined all books, records, and documents kept by LITTON LOAN SERVICING, LP concerning the transactions alleged in the Complaint.”[4] Furthermore, Spradling averred that the “Plaintiff or its assigns, is owed…$408,809.30.”[5] Nevertheless, Spradling has failed to attach any of the books, records or documents referred to in the Affidavit. In addition, Spradling does not meet the definition of “custodian,” which is “a person or institution that has charge or custody (of…papers).” See Black’s Law Dictionary, 8th ed. 2004, custodian. By Spradling’s own admission “[t]he books, records, and documents which [Spradling] has examined are managed by employees or agents whose duty it is to keep the books accurately and completely.”[6] Emphasis added. Thus, Spradling has only examined the books, records, and documents which he refers to in the Affidavit while the true custodians of these documents are the employees or agents whose duty it is to keep the books accurately and completely. In essence, Spradling averred to records which he did not submit nor could he testify for the authenticity of just as the affiant in Zoda did.
Spradling’s failure to attach the documents referred to in the Affidavit without being custodian of same is a violation of the authentication rule promulgated in Fla. Stat. §90.901 (1989), which renders him incompetent to testify to the matters stated therein as the Second District in Zoda held. Therefore, the Affidavit should be struck in whole.
1. b. Failure to Attach Documents Violates Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(e)
Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(e) provides, in part, that “[s]worn or certified copies of all papers or parts thereof referred to in an affidavit shall be attached thereto or served therewith.” Failure to attach such papers is grounds for reversal of summary judgment decisions. See CSX Transp., Inc. v. Pasco County, 660 So. 2d 757 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995) (reversing summary judgment granted below where the affiant based statements on reports but failed to attach same to the affidavit.)
As previously demonstrated, Spradling referred to books, records, and documents kept by Litton which allegedly concerned the transaction referred to in the Complaint against the Defendant. Nevertheless, as previously demonstrated, Spradling has not attached any of these books, records or documents. This failure to do so is a violation of Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(e) and is grounds for a reversal of a summary judgment decision in favor of the Plaintiff. Therefore, the Affidavit should be struck in whole.
1. II. Affidavit Was Not Based Upon Spradling’s Personal Knowledge
As a threshold matter, the admissibility of an affidavit rests upon the affiant having personal knowledge as to the matters stated therein. See Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(e) (reading, in pertinent part, that “affidavits shall be made on personal knowledge”); Enterprise Leasing Co. v. Demartino, 15 So. 3d 711 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009); West Edge II v. Kunderas, 910 So. 2d 953 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005); In re Forefeiture of 1998 Ford Pickup, Identification No. 1FTZX1767WNA34547, 779 So. 2d 450 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000). Additionally, a corporate officer’s affidavit which merely states conclusions or opinion is not sufficient, even if it is based on personal knowledge. Nour v. All State Supply Co., So. 2d 1204, 1205 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986).
The Third District, in Alvarez v. Florida Ins. Guaranty Association, 661 So. 2d 1230 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995), noted that “the purpose of the personal knowledge requirement is to prevent the trial court from relying on hearsay when ruling on a motion for summary judgment and to ensure that there is an admissible evidentiary basis for the case rather than mere supposition or belief.” Id at 1232 (quoting Pawlik v. Barnett Bank of Columbia County, 528 So. 2d 965, 966 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988)). This opposition to hearsay evidence has deep roots in Florida common law. In Capello v. Flea Market U.S.A., Inc., 625 So. 2d 474 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993), the Third District affirmed an order of summary judgment in favor of Flea Market U.S.A as Capello’s affidavit in opposition was not based upon personal knowledge and therefore contained inadmissible hearsay evidence. See also Doss v. Steger & Steger, P.A., 613 So. 2d 136 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993); Mullan v. Bishop of Diocese of Orlando, 540 So. 2d 174 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989); Crosby v. Paxson Electric Company, 534 So. 2d 787 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988); Page v. Stanley, 226 So. 2d 129 (Fla. 4th DCA 1969). Thus, there is ample precedent for striking affidavits in full which are not based upon the affiant’s personal knowledge.
Here, the entire Affidavit is hearsay evidence as Spradling has absolutely no personal knowledge of the facts stated therein. As an employee of Litton, which purports to be the servicer of the loan, he has no knowledge of the underlying transaction between the Plaintiff and the Defendant. Neither Spradling nor Litton: (1) were engaged by the Plaintiff for the purpose of executing the underlying mortgage transaction with the Defendant; or (2) had any contact with the Defendant with respect to the underlying transaction between the Plaintiff and Defendant. In addition, the Affidavit fails to set forth with any degree of specificity what duties Litton performs for the Plaintiff, save for one line which states that Litton “is responsible for the collection of this loan transaction and pursuit of any delinquency in payments.”[7] At best, Litton acted as a middleman of sorts, whose primary function was to transfer of funds between the various assignees of the underlying Mortgage and Note. Litton is not the named Plaintiff in this case, nor does the Affidavit aver that either Spradling or Litton is the agent of the Plaintiff.
Because Spradling has no personal knowledge of the underlying transaction between the Plaintiff and Defendant, any statement he gives which references this underlying transaction (such as the fact that the Plaintiff is allegedly owed sums of monies in excess of $400,000) is, by its very nature, hearsay. The Florida Rules of Evidence define hearsay as “a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.” Fla. Stat. §90.801(1)(c) (2007). Here Spradling is averring to a statement (that the Plaintiff is allegedly owed sums of money) which was made by someone other than himself (namely, the Plaintiff) and is offering this as proof of the matter asserted (that Plaintiff is entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage and that Plaintiff is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.) At best, the only statements which Spradling can aver to are those which regard the transfer of funds between the various assignees of the Mortgage and Note.
The Plaintiff may argue that while Spradling’s statements may be hearsay, they should nevertheless be admitted under the “Records of Regularly Conducted Business Activity” exception. Fla. Stat. §90.803(6) (2007). This rule provides that notwithstanding the provision of §90.802 (which renders hearsay statements inadmissible), hearsay statements are not inadmissible, even though the declarant is available as a witness, if the statement is
[a] memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, in any form, of acts, events, conditions, opinion, or diagnosis, made at or near the time by, or from information transmitted by, a person with knowledge, if kept in the course of a regularly conducted business activity and if it was the regular practice of that business activity to make such memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, all as shown by the testimony of the custodian or other qualified witness, or as shown by a certification or declaration that complies with paragraph (c) and s. 90.902(11), unless the sources of information or other circumstances show lack of trustworthiness. Emphasis added.
There are, however, several problems with this argument. To begin, and as previously demonstrated, no memorandums, reports, records, or data compilation have been offered by the Plaintiff. Furthermore, the books, records, and documents referred to by Spradling in the Affidavit (which, of course, were not attached) were kept by Litton, who cannot be a person with knowledge as Litton does not have any personal knowledge of underlying transaction between the Plaintiff and the Defendant. Finally, Litton, as the source of this information, shows a lack of trustworthiness because Spradling failed to attach the books, records, and documents to the Affidavit and because neither Litton nor Spradling have knowledge of the underlying transaction between the Plaintiff and the Defendant.
Because Spradling’s statements in the Affidavit are not based upon personal knowledge, they are inadmissible hearsay evidence. As no hearsay exception applies to these statements, the Affidavit should be struck in whole.
1. III. Affidavit Included Impermissible Conclusions of Law Not Supported by Facts
An affidavit in support of a motion for summary judgment may not be based upon factual conclusions or opinions of law. Jones Constr. Co. of Cent. Fla., Inc. v. Fla. Workers’ Comp. JUA, Inc., 793 So. 2d 978, 979 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001). Furthermore, an affidavit which states a legal conclusion should not be relied upon unless the affidavit also recites the facts which justify the conclusion. Acquadro v. Bergeron, 851 So. 2d 665, 672 (Fla. 2003); Rever v. Lapidus, 151 So. 2d 61, 62 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963).
Here, the Affidavit contained conclusions of law which were not supported by facts stated therein. Specifically, Spradling averred that the Plaintiff was entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage and that the Plaintiff was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law, two legal conclusions, but did not support this conclusion with statements which referenced exactly who the Plaintiff was entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage against. In fact there is no mention of any of the parties in question save for one cryptic line in where Spradling states that “[s]pecifically, I have personal knowledge of the facts regarding the sums which are due and owing to Plaintiff or its assigns pursuant to the Note and Mortgage which is the subject matter of the lawsuit” and another which states “I am familiar with the books of account…concerning the transactions alleged in the Complaint.”[8] Nowhere in the Affidavit does Spradling state that the Plaintiff is entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage against the Defendant nor does Spradling state that the Plaintiff is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law because the Defendant owes the Plaintiff money. At best the Affidavit accuses someone of owing the Plaintiff $408,809.30 and that the Plaintiff should be able to enforce some Note and Mortgage against that particular someone. By not clearly identifying the parties in question, Spradling has not adequately supported his two legal conclusions.
Because the Affidavit contained impermissible conclusions of law which were not supported by facts stated therein, the Affidavit should be struck in whole.
1. IV. Sanction of Attorney’s Fees is Appropriate
Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.510(g) reads, in full, that
[i]f it appears to the satisfaction of the court at any time that any of the affidavits presented pursuant to this rule are presented in bad faith or solely for the purpose of delay, the court shall forthwith order the party employing them to pay to the other party the amount of the reasonable expenses which the filing of the affidavits caused the other party to incur, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, and any offending party or attorney may be adjudged guilty of contempt. Emphasis added.
The undersigned counsel has expended considerable time and resources preparing to defend against an affidavit which has, on its face, no basis in law. Both Florida Default Law Group and the Plaintiff both knew that Spradling’s affidavit lacked authenticity and reliability yet still chose to file it with the Court. In addition, this is not Florida Default Law Group’s first time filing affidavits in bad faith. Recently, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida sanctioned both Florida Default Law Group and its client, WELLS FARGO, $95,130.45 for false representations made in affidavits in that court as well as other bankruptcy courts in Florida. See In re: Fazul Haque, Case No. 08-14257-BKR-JKO (Order Granting Wells Fargo, N.A.’s Motion for Relief from Stay and Imposing Sanctions for Negligent Practice and False Representations, Oct. 28, 2008). This is indicia of a modus operandi on Florida Default Law Group’s part to present misrepresentations and false affidavits to the Court which make an award of attorney’s fees and costs an appropriate sanction.
WHEREFORE, Defendant asks this Court to GRANT its MOTION TO STRIKE AFFIDAVIT OF CHRISTOPHER SPRADLING and enter an ORDER granting ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS and any other relief the Court deems just and proper.
________________________________________
[1] See Affidavit As to Amounts Due and Owing, pg. 1.
[2] Id, pgs. 1, 2.
[3] Id.
[4] See Affidavit As to Amounts Due and Owing, pg. 1.
[5] Id, pg. 2.
[6] See Affidavit As to Amounts Due and Owing, pg. 1.
[7] See Affidavit As to Amounts Due and Owing, pg. 1.
[8] See Affidavit As to Amounts Due and Owing, pg. 1.

The Law of Capitalism THE MASS MISS JOINDER

I attended the Attorney General and state Bar hearing as to the intervention of the state bar into the law practice of Mitchell Stein and the K2 mass Joinder cases in Los Angeles in front of Judge Johnson. The tentative was a scathing implication of Mitchell Stein and his purported involvement with the “marketing companies” and the allegations of unfair business practices all needed for the AG and the State Bar to step in and confiscate 1.6 million in various accounts.

I was there to opine the status of the case itself and the merits of the cases and as to the victims rights as against the banks. If the Bar took over the practice would they defend the cases would they protect the victims right. No they are not; right now they the State Bar are telling the victims they are on there own.

Once again these suits I have been following and hoping could get past the Demur stage the Banks would be forced to answer. Then there would be motions for Summary Judgement and if the Victims could survive the Summary Judgement and thousands of requests for admissions and interrogatories propounded on the thousands of plaintiffs. It could be done I would have to associate about 10 other lawyers and 30 paralegals but it could be done for about $700,000.00. Then I believe the Banks would enter settlement negotiations with the victims witch I calculate to be about 6500 victims to date.

Mandelman characterized the case as follows:

The case at the core of the Kramer and Kaslow mass joinder lawsuit is: Ronald vs. Bank of America. Basically, the case accuses Countrywide (subsequent cases being filed include Citibank, One West, GMAC/Ally Bank, and perhaps others) of perpetrating a massive fraud upon homeowners by knowingly inflating appraisals, creating a bubble the bank knew would pop and leave homeowner equity devastated, violate privacy statutes, and then Civil Code sections when they refused to modify… you get the idea.

The case says that Countrywide execs knew and did it anyway in order to make zillions of dollars securitizing the loans and therefore only others would incur the future losses.

Here’s an overview of what the third amended complaint says in its Introduction section:

2. This action seeks remedies for the foregoing improper activities, including a massive fraud perpetrated upon Plaintiffs and other borrowers by the Countrywide Defendants that devastated the values of their residences, in most cases resulting in Plaintiffs’ loss of all or substantially all of their net worths.

6. Hand-in-hand with its fraudulently-obtained mortgages, Mozilo and others at Countrywide hatched a plan to “pool” the foregoing mortgages and sell the pools for inflated value. Rapidly, these two intertwined schemes grew into a brazen plan to disregard underwriting standards and fraudulently inflate property values – county-by- county, city-by-city, person-by-person – in order to take business from legitimate mortgage-providers, and moved on to massive securities fraud hand-in-hand with concealment from, and deception of, Plaintiffs and other mortgagees on an unprecedented scale.

7. From as early as 2004, Countrywide’s senior management led by Mozilo knew the scheme would cause a liquidity crisis that would devastate Plaintiffs’ home values and net worths. But, they didn’t care, because their plan was based on insider trading – pumping for as long as they could and then dumping before the truth came out and Plaintiffs’ losses were locked in.

9. It is now all too clear that this was the ultimate high-stakes fraudulent investment scheme of the last decade. Couched in banking and securities jargon, the deceptive gamble with consumers’ primary assets – their homes – was nothing more than a financial fraud perpetrated by Defendants and others on a scale never before seen. This scheme led directly to a mortgage meltdown in California that was substantially worse than any economic problems facing the rest of the United States. From 2008 to the present, Californians’ home values decreased by considerably more than most other areas in the United States as a direct and proximate result of the Defendants’ scheme set forth herein.

This massive fraudulent scheme was a disaster both foreseen by Countrywide and waiting to happen. Defendants knew it, and yet Defendants still induced the Plaintiffs into their scheme without telling them.

10. As a result, Plaintiffs lost their equity in their homes, their credit ratings and histories were damaged or destroyed, and Plaintiffs incurred material other costs and expenses, described herein. At the same time, Defendants took from Plaintiffs and other borrowers billions of dollars in interest payments and fees and generated billions of dollars in profits by selling their loans at inflated values.

14. Since the time Plaintiffs filed the initial Complaint herein, Defendants’ improper acts have continued, including, inter alia: (i) issuing Notices of Default in violation of Cal. Civil Code §2923.5; (ii) misrepresenting their intention to arrange loan modifications for Plaintiffs, while in fact creating abusive roadblocks to deprive Plaintiffs of their legal rights; and (iii) engaging in intrinsic fraud in this Court and in Kentucky by stalling in addressing Plaintiffs’ legitimate requests to cancel notices of default and for loan modifications, and by refusing to respond, in any way, to Plaintiffs’ privacy causes of action.

Now, there’s no question… this is a real lawsuit. Some attorneys believe it will be a very difficult case to win, while others think it’s quite viable and likely to settle. I can see both sides of that argument.

On one hand, it would seem difficult to prove that Countrywide caused the housing bubble; there were certainly many parties involved and numerous other contributing factors as well. On the other hand, the case has numerous aspects that are unquestionably true and certainly wrong.

Then there’s what’s known as “the banker factor.” Actually, I’m making that up, but you know what I mean. The banks aren’t going to lay down for this as it would open an enormous can of litigating worms… so they have to fight… or is there no percentage in that either? Well, now you’ve seen first hand why I chose not to go to law school.

I really haven’t the foggiest idea what’s going to happen… and neither does anyone else.

But then, Columbus couldn’t exactly stop and ask for directions either, which, it’s worth noting is why, when sailing for The New World, he landed in the Bahamas and named them San Salvador, but assumed he had found the Indies so he named the native people Indians (leading me to always wonder what he would have named them had he not gotten so hopelessly lost.)

(What if his favorite word was “Jujubees,” and he had named the natives “Jujubees?” Then I would have grown up playing Cowboys & Jujubees?)

So, since no one can know what’s going to happen in the future of this case, I thought I’d take a look at where it is today. From a review of the Los Angeles Superior Court’s online records database we find these events have transpired to-date or are set for the near future…
1. Original complaint was filed in March 2009.
2. First amended complaint was in June of 2009.
3. Second amended complaint March 2010.
4. August 2010: the banks try to remove the case to federal court, but fail.
5. Third amended complaint was filed July 7, 2010.
6. The defendant banksters have demurred again, but it doesn’t appear that the demurs filed in December have been heard.
7. Status conference set for Thursday, February 3rd, 2011.
8. There is a hearing date scheduled for March 29, 2011, but it’s not clear to me what will be happening at that hearing.

So, this is their third “amended complaint.” That means the defendants… the banks… have demurred twice. That means that the banks have come to court claiming that the mass joinder plaintiffs don’t state a cause of action… or in other words saying the plaintiffs have no case… and the court has allowed the plaintiffs to amend the complaint three times so far.

Like almost everything in the law, I guess you could read that a couple of different ways. On one hand it seems positive… the case brought by the mass joinder plaintiffs has not been tossed out by the judge yet. That’s good, right?
On the other hand… the court could “sustain the demur without leave to amend,” in which case the mass joinder suit would be over and done.

And that’s why litigating is always a gamble, and by no means a sure thing.
Here’s an oversimplified look at the mass joinder’s causes of action.

First Cause of Action… Fraudulent Concealment – This is saying that the bank was hiding things from the borrowers.

Second Cause of Action… Intentional Misrepresentation – This is lying when you knew you were lying. In other words, you knew an appraisal was wrong… it came in at $500,000, but you knew it was worth $400,000 and you passed it off anyway.

Third Cause of Action… Negligent Misrepresentation – This is like saying that you’re lying but it wasn’t intentional. Let’s say that you ordered an appraisal but never really looked at the appraisal to make sure it was done correctly. You include this cause of action in case the conduct doesn’t rise to the level of intentional misrepresentation, and perhaps because some insurance policies don’t cover intentional acts.

Fourth Cause if Action… Invasion of Constitutional Right to Privacy – This is saying that the banks disclosed personal information… perhaps when selling the loans to another investor.

Fifth Cause of Action… Violation of California Financial Information Privacy Act – See above or read the actual complaint.

Sixth Cause of Action… Civil Code 2923.5 – Defendants are prohibited by statute from recording a Notice of Default against the primary residential property of any Californian without first making contact with that person as required under § 2923.5 and then interacting with that person in the manner set forth in detail under § 2923.5. Nothing special here, but its been upheld by other courts in California.

Seventh Cause of Action… Civil Code 1798 – When they gave away your private information, they didn’t tell you they did it? Defendants failed to timely disclose to Plaintiffs the disclosure of their personal information as required under California Civil Code § 1798.82

Eighth Cause of Action… Unfair Competition Against All Defendants – Defendants’ actions in implementing and perpetrating their fraudulent scheme of inducing Plaintiffs to accept mortgages for which they were not qualified based on inflated property valuations and undisclosed disregard of their own underwriting standards and the sale of overpriced collateralized mortgage pools, all the while knowing that the plan would crash and burn, taking the Plaintiffs down and costing them the equity in their homes and other damages, violates numerous federal and state statutes and common law protections enacted for consumer protection, privacy, trade disclosure, and fair trade and commerce.

In Conclusion…

Attorney Phillip Kramer, in his own words, made it quite clear that his firm was not responsible for the mailer I received or the telemarketing about which I’ve been notified. Once again, he says…

“I know of no outbound calling. If asked, I would not approve of that. I knew that some law firms wanted to send out mailers. I have insisted that everyone comply with State Bar rules and that anything with my name must be pre-approved. As of this date, no one has submitted any proposed marketing for my review. That piece was done without my knowledge.

I am happy to pay a referral fee to other law firms. I do not split fees, pay commissions, nor do I pay referral fees to non-lawyers. I do not use cappers, and have never authorized anyone to robocall, telemarket, spam email, or undertake any mass marketing on my behalf.”

With that said I was going to apply to the Bar to take over the cases if they would relinquish the 1.6 to pay for the work to be done for the victims. Before making such a wild leap into this caos I called my State bar lawyer. He informed me that I should not even go close to these cases that all lawyers involved will be DISBARRED. I said wow but what about the merits of the cases the judge in the case had already overruled the demur as to some of the causes of action. The State Bar (by their actions in not finding a lawyer to protect the victims) is recommending that case be dismissed the Attorney General IS NOT PURSUING THE RIGHTS OF THE VICTIMS . I persisted with my lawyer. To which he exclaimed ” DON’T YOU GET IT MCCANDLESS THE AG AND THE BAR ARE WORKING FOR THE BANKS”.

Fannie Mae Foreclosure Lawyers Acted Improperly

Thumbnail image for Foreclosure.jpgHomeowners in Northern California have questioned the practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in foreclosure proceedings. If you are facing a foreclosure, you may be able to keep the property by filing for bankruptcy. You should consult with an attorney regarding your legal options.

After news reports in mid-2010 began to describe the dubious practices, like the routine filing of false pleadings in bankruptcy courts, Fannie Mae’s overseer started to scrutinize the conduct of its attorneys. The inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency severely criticized the FHFA’s oversight of Fannie Mae and the practices of its foreclosure attorneys in a report issued Tuesday. “American homeowners have been struggling with the effects of the housing finance crisis for several years, and they shouldn’t have to worry whether they will be victims of foreclosure abuse,” Inspector General Steve Linick told the New York Times. “Increased oversight by F.H.F.A. could help to prevent these abuses.”

According to the New York Times, the report is the second in two weeks in which the inspector general has outlined lapses at both the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the companies it oversees Federal National Mortgage Assn (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (Freddie Mac). The agency has acted as conservator for the companies since they were taken over by the government in 2008. Its duty is to ensure that their operations do not pose additional risk to the taxpayers who now own them. The companies have tapped the taxpayers to cover mortgage losses totaling about $160 billion. The new report from the inspector general tracks Fannie Mae’s dealings with the law firms handling its foreclosures from 1997, when the company created its so-called retained attorney network. At the time, Fannie Mae was a highly profitable and powerful institution, and it devised the legal network to ensure that borrower defaults would be resolved with efficiency and speed.

The law firms in the network agreed to a flat-rate fee structure and pricing model based on the volume of foreclosures they completed. The companies that serviced the loans for Fannie Mae, were supposed to monitor the law firms’ performance and practices, the report noted

After receiving information from a shareholder in 2003 about foreclosure abuses by its law firms, Fannie Mae assigned its outside counsel to investigate, according to the report. That law firm concluded in a 2006 analysis that “foreclosure attorneys in Florida are routinely filing false pleadings and affidavits,” and that the practice could be occurring elsewhere. “It is axiomatic that the practice is improper and should be stopped,” the law firm said.

The inspector general’s report said that it could not be determined whether Fannie Mae had alerted its regulator, then the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, to the legal improprieties identified by its internal investigation.

The inspector general said that both Fannie Mae and its regulator appear to have ignored other signs of problems in their foreclosure operations. For example, the Federal Housing Finance Agency did not respond to borrower complaints about improper actions taken by law firms in foreclosures received as early as August 2009, even though foreclosure abuse poses operational and financial risks to Fannie Mae.

The report cited a media report from early 2008 detailing foreclosure abuses by law firms doing work for Fannie Mae. Nevertheless, a few months later and just before its takeover by the government, Fannie Mae began requiring the banks that serviced its loans to use only those law firms that were in its network. By then, 140 law firms in 31 jurisdictions were in the group. Fannie Mae, the mortgage finance giant, learned as early as 2003 of extensive foreclosure abuses among the law firms it had hired to remove troubled borrowers from their homes. But the company did little to correct the firms’ practices,.

Finally last fall, after an outcry over apparently forged foreclosure documents and other improprieties, the Federal Housing Finance Agency began investigating the company’s process. In a report issued early this year, it determined that Fannie Mae’s management of its network of lawyers did not meet safety and soundness standards. Among the reasons: the company’s controls to prevent or detect foreclosure abuses were inadequate, as was the company’s monitoring of the law firms. “If a law firm self-reported no issues as it processed cases,” the inspector general said, “then Fannie Mae presumed the firm was doing a good job.” The agency is still deciding how to handle the lawyer network, the inspector general said.

Officials at the housing agency have agreed with the recommendations in the inspector general’s report. Corinne Russell, a spokeswoman for F.H.F.A. said the agency was concluding its supervisory work in this area and would direct Fannie Mae to take necessary action when the work was completed.

In a response, the agency said that by Sept. 29, 2012, it would review its existing supervisory practices and act to resolve “deficiencies in the management of risks associated with default-related legal services vendors.”

If you are having problems with a loan or foreclosure, we provide free legal consultations for bankruptcy in San Francisco County, Sacramento County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, Marin County, Solano County and throughout Northern California. Contact us for a free legal consultation today.925-957-9797

Are Temporary Loan And Mortgage Modifications A Scam?

As part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program financial bailout, many large national banks accepted huge sums of money from the United States government. Many of these large banks also signed agreements with the United States Treasury, in which they agreed to participate in the Home Affordable Modification Program. This program provides participating banks and mortgage servicers incentives to provide affordable mortgage loan modifications and other alternatives to foreclosure to eligible borrowers who are in danger of losing their homes.

Many banks have worked hard with homeowners to provide the homeowners with temporary trial modifications of their loans. These trial modifications, which are basically temporary modifications to the loan, are designed to lead to homeowners entering into permanent loan modifications with their banks, in order to save their homes permanently. Many homeowners have complied with temporary loan modifications on a trial basis, by providing the required documentation and making all agreed-upon payments towards the loan as it has been temporarily modified. However, many banks have not lived up to their promise to provide homeowners who have satisfied all requirements of a temporary loan modification with a permanent loan modification. This has resulted in thousands of residents across the country being deprived of the opportunity to permanently cure their delinquencies and save their homes.

The Home Affordable Modification Program has allocated to it approximately $75 billion dollars of government funds. Unfortunately, many banks have not gone far enough to make sure that their homeowners can obtain a permanent mortgage modification, even after the homeowners have satisfied all of the requirements of a temporary mortgage modification, which is supposed to lead to a permanent modification. Many of the agreements that the banks have with the homeowners state specifically that if the homeowner is in compliance with the loan modification trial period and makes all payments during the trial period, then the bank will provide the homeowner with a loan modification agreement on a permanent basis, but in practice this has not always happened.

 

These practices are not only contrary to the spirit of the federal legislation that created the Troubled Asset Relief Program, but may also violate the agreements between the banks and the homeowners. If you or someone you know has been effected by this practice, please contact us to discuss your legal options.

Forget Mass Joinder just use Consumer Legal Remedies Act Civil Code 1750

CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE
SECTION 1750 et seq
Consumers Legal Remedies Act

1750. This title may be cited as the Consumers Legal Remedies Act.

1751. Any waiver by a consumer of the provisions of this title is contrary to public policy and shall be unenforceable and void.

1752. The provisions of this title are not exclusive. The remedies provided herein for violation of any section of this title or for conduct proscribed by any section of this title shall be in addition to any other procedures or remedies for any violation or conduct provided for in any other law.
Nothing in this title shall limit any other statutory or any common law rights of the Attorney General or any other person to bring class actions. Class actions by consumers brought under the specific provisions of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1770) of this title shall be governed exclusively by the provisions of Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1780); however, this shall not be construed so as to deprive a consumer of any statutory or common law right to bring a class action without resort to this title. If any act or practice proscribed under this title also constitutes a cause of action in common law or a violation of another statute, the consumer may assert such common law or statutory cause of action under the procedures and with the remedies provided for in such law.

1753. If any provision of this title or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of the title and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

1754. The provisions of this title shall not apply to any transaction which provides for the construction, sale, or construction and sale of an entire residence or all or part of a structure designed for commercial or industrial occupancy, with or without a parcel of real property or an interest therein, or for the sale of a lot or parcel of real property, including any site preparation incidental to such sale.

1755. Nothing in this title shall apply to the owners or employees of any advertising medium, including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, billboards and transit ads, by whom any advertisement in violation of this title is published or disseminated, unless it is established that such owners or employees had knowledge of the deceptive methods, acts or practices declared to be unlawful by Section 1770.

1756. The substantive and procedural provisions of this title shall only apply to actions filed on or after January 1, 1971.

1760. This title shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes, which are to protect consumers against unfair and deceptive business practices and to provide efficient and economical procedures to secure such protection.

1761. As used in this title:

  • (a) “Goods” means tangible chattels bought or leased for use primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, including certificates or coupons exchangeable for these goods, and including goods which, at the time of the sale or subsequently, are to be so affixed to real property as to become a part of real property, whether or not severable therefrom.
  • (b) “Services” means work, labor, and services for other than a commercial or business use, including services furnished in connection with the sale or repair of goods.
  • (c) “Person” means an individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, or other group, however organized.
  • (d) “Consumer” means an individual who seeks or acquires, by purchase or lease, any goods or services for personal, family, or household purposes.
  • (e) “Transaction” means an agreement between a consumer and any other person, whether or not the agreement is a contract enforceable by action, and includes the making of, and the performance pursuant to, that agreement.
  • (f) “Senior citizen” means a person who is 65 years of age or older.
  • (g) “Disabled person” means any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
    • (1) As used in this subdivision, “physical or mental impairment” means any of the following:
      • A. Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss substantially affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; muscoloskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genitourinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; or endocrine.
      • B. Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities. The term “physical or mental impairment” includes, but is not limited to, such diseases and conditions as orthopedic, visual, speech and hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental retardation, and emotional illness.
    • (2) “Major life activities” means functions such as caring for one’ s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
  • (h) “Home solicitation” means any transaction made at the consumer’ s primary residence, except those transactions initiated by the consumer. A consumer response to an advertisement is not a home solicitation.

1770.

  • (a) The following unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by any person in a transaction intended to result or which results in the sale or lease of goods or services to any consumer are unlawful:
    • (1) Passing off goods or services as those of another.
    • (2) Misrepresenting the source, sponsorship, approval, or certification of goods or services.
    • (3) Misrepresenting the affiliation, connection, or association with, or certification by, another. (MERS)and Securitization
    • (4) Using deceptive representations or designations of geographic origin in connection with goods or services.
    • (5) Representing that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, characteristics, ingredients, uses, benefits, or quantities which they do not have or that a person has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, or connection which he or she does not have.
    • (6) Representing that goods are original or new if they have deteriorated unreasonably or are altered, reconditioned, reclaimed, used, or secondhand.
    • (7) Representing that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, or grade, or that goods are of a particular style or model, if they are of another.
    • (8) Disparaging the goods, services, or business of another by false or misleading representation of fact.
    • (9) Advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised.
    • (10) Advertising goods or services with intent not to supply reasonably expectable demand, unless the advertisement discloses a limitation of quantity.
    • (11) Advertising furniture without clearly indicating that it is unassembled if that is the case.
    • (12) Advertising the price of unassembled furniture without clearly indicating the assembled price of that furniture if the same furniture is available assembled from the seller.
    • (13) Making false or misleading statements of fact concerning reasons for, existence of, or amounts of price reductions.
    • (14) Representing that a transaction confers or involves rights, remedies, or obligations which it does not have or involve, or which are prohibited by law.
    • (15) Representing that a part, replacement, or repair service is needed when it is not.
    • (16) Representing that the subject of a transaction has been supplied in accordance with a previous representation when it has not. Sign this transaction now and when the option ARM adjusts we will refinance at no cost to you
    • (17) Representing that the consumer will receive a rebate, discount, or other economic benefit, if the earning of the benefit is contingent on an event to occur subsequent to the consummation of the transaction.
    • (18) Misrepresenting the authority of a salesperson, representative, or agent to negotiate the final terms of a transaction with a consumer.
    • (19) Inserting an unconscionable provision in the contract.
    • (20) Advertising that a product is being offered at a specific price plus a specific percentage of that price unless (1) the total price is set forth in the advertisement, which may include, but is not limited to, shelf tags, displays, and media advertising, in a size larger than any other price in that advertisement, and (2) the specific price plus a specific percentage of that price represents a markup from the seller’s costs or from the wholesale price of the product. This subdivision shall not apply to in-store advertising by businesses which are open only to members or cooperative organizations organized pursuant to Division 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Title 1 of the Corporations Code where more than 50 percent of purchases are made at the specific price set forth in the advertisement.
    • (21) Selling or leasing goods in violation of Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1797.8) of Title 1.7.
    • (22)
      • (A) Disseminating an unsolicited prerecorded message by telephone without an unrecorded, natural voice first informing the person answering the telephone of the name of the caller or the organization being represented, and either the address or the telephone number of the caller, and without obtaining the consent of that person to listen to the prerecorded message.
      • (B) This subdivision does not apply to a message disseminated to a business associate, customer, or other person having an established relationship with the person or organization making the call, to a call for the purpose of collecting an existing obligation, or to any call generated at the request of the recipient.
    • (23) The home solicitation, as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 1761, of a consumer who is a senior citizen where a loan is made encumbering the primary residence of that consumer for the purposes of paying for home improvements and where the transaction is part of a pattern or practice in violation of either subsection (h) or (i) of Section 1639 of Title 15 of the United States Code or subsection (e) of Section 226.32 of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
      A third party shall not be liable under this subdivision unless (1) there was an agency relationship between the party who engaged in home solicitation and the third party or (2) the third party had actual knowledge of, or participated in, the unfair or deceptive transaction. A third party who is a holder in due course under a home solicitation transaction shall not be liable under this subdivision.

(b)

    • (1) It is an unfair or deceptive act or practice for a mortgage broker or lender, directly or indirectly, to use a home improvement contractor to negotiate the terms of any loan that is secured, whether in whole or in part, by the residence of the borrower and which is used to finance a home improvement contract or any portion thereof. For purposes of this subdivision, “mortgage broker or lender” includes a finance lender licensed pursuant to the California Finance Lenders Law (Division 9 (commencing with Section 22000) of the Financial Code), a residential mortgage lender licensed pursuant to the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act (Division 20 (commencing with Section 50000) of the Financial Code), or a real estate broker licensed under the Real Estate Law (Division 4 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Business and Professions Code).
    • (2) This section shall not be construed to either authorize or prohibit a home improvement contractor from referring a consumer to a mortgage broker or lender by this subdivision. However, a home improvement contractor may refer a consumer to a mortgage lender or broker if that referral does not violate Section 7157 of the Business and Professions Code or any other provision of law. A mortgage lender or broker may purchase an executed home improvement contract if that purchase does not violate Section 7157 of the Business and Professions Code or any other provision of law. Nothing in this paragraph shall have any effect on the application of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1801) of Title 2 to a home improvement transaction or the financing thereof.

1780.

  • (a) Any consumer who suffers any damage as a result of the use or employment by any person of a method, act, or practice declared to be unlawful by Section 1770 may bring an action against such person to recover or obtain any of the following:
    • (1) Actual damages, but in no case shall the total award of damages in a class action be less than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
    • (2) An order enjoining such methods, acts, or practices.
    • (3) Restitution of property.
    • (4) Punitive damages.
    • (5) Any other relief which the court deems proper.
  • (b) Any consumer who is a senior citizen or a disabled person, as defined in subdivisions (f) and (g) of Section 1761, as part of an action under subdivision (a), may seek and be awarded, in addition to the remedies specified therein, up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) where the trier of fact (1) finds that the consumer has suffered substantial physical, emotional, or economic damage resulting from the defendant’s conduct, (2) makes an affirmative finding in regard to one or more of the factors set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 3345, and (3) finds that an additional award is appropriate. Judgment in a class action by senior citizens or disabled persons under Section 1781 may award each class member such an additional award where the trier of fact has made the foregoing findings.
  • (c) An action under subdivision (a) or (b) may be commenced in the county in which the person against whom it is brought resides, has his or her principal place of business, or is doing business, or in the county where the transaction or any substantial portion thereof occurred.
    If within any such county there is a municipal or justice court, having jurisdiction of the subject matter, established in the city and county or judicial district in which the person against whom the action is brought resides, has his or her principal place of business, or is doing business, or in which the transaction or any substantial portion thereof occurred, then such court is the proper court for the trial of such action. Otherwise, any municipal or justice court in such county having jurisdiction of the subject matter is the proper court for the trial thereof.
    In any action subject to the provisions of this section, concurrently with the filing of the complaint, the plaintiff shall file an affidavit stating facts showing that the action has been commenced in a county or judicial district described in this section as a proper place for the trial of the action. If a plaintiff fails to file the affidavit required by this section, the court shall, upon its own motion or upon motion of any party, dismiss any such action without prejudice.
  • (d) The court shall award court costs and attorney’s fees to a prevailing plaintiff in litigation filed pursuant to this section. Reasonable attorney’s fees may be awarded to a prevailing defendant upon a finding by the court that the plaintiff’s prosecution of the action was not in good faith.

1781.

  • (a) Any consumer entitled to bring an action under Section 1780 may, if the unlawful method, act, or practice has caused damage to other consumers similarly situated, bring an action on behalf of himself and such other consumers to recover damages or obtain other relief as provided for in Section 1780.
  • (b) The court shall permit the suit to be maintained on behalf of all members of the represented class if all of the following conditions exist:
    • (1) It is impracticable to bring all members of the class before the court.
    • (2) The questions of law or fact common to the class are substantially similar and predominate over the questions affecting the individual members.
    • (3) The claims or defenses of the representative plaintiffs are typical of the claims or defenses of the class.
    • (4) The representative plaintiffs will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.
  • (c) If notice of the time and place of the hearing is served upon the other parties at least 10 days prior thereto, the court shall hold a hearing, upon motion of any party to the action which is supported by affidavit of any person or persons having knowledge of the facts, to determine if any of the following apply to the action:
    • (1) A class action pursuant to subdivision (b) is proper.
    • (2) Published notice pursuant to subdivision (d) is necessary to adjudicate the claims of the class.
    • (3) The action is without merit or there is no defense to the action.
      A motion based upon Section 437c of the Code of Civil Procedure shall not be granted in any action commenced as a class action pursuant to subdivision (a).
    • (d) If the action is permitted as a class action, the court may direct either party to notify each member of the class of the action.
      The party required to serve notice may, with the consent of the court, if personal notification is unreasonably expensive or it appears that all members of the class cannot be notified personally, give notice as prescribed herein by publication in accordance with Section 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the transaction occurred.
    • (e) The notice required by subdivision (d) shall include the following:
      • (1) The court will exclude the member notified from the class if he so requests by a specified date.
      • (2) The judgment, whether favorable or not, will include all members who do not request exclusion.
      • (3) Any member who does not request exclusion, may, if he desires, enter an appearance through counsel.
    • (f) A class action shall not be dismissed, settled, or compromised without the approval of the court, and notice of the proposed dismissal, settlement, or compromise shall be given in such manner as the court directs to each member who was given notice pursuant to subdivision (d) and did not request exclusion.
    • (g) The judgment in a class action shall describe those to whom the notice was directed and who have not requested exclusion and those the court finds to be members of the class. The best possible notice of the judgment shall be given in such manner as the court directs to each member who was personally served with notice pursuant to subdivision (d) and did not request exclusion.

1782.

  • (a) Thirty days or more prior to the commencement of an action for damages pursuant to the provisions of this title, the consumer shall do the following:
    • (1) Notify the person alleged to have employed or committed methods, acts or practices declared unlawful by Section 1770 of the particular alleged violations of Section 1770.
    • (2) Demand that such person correct, repair, replace or otherwise rectify the goods or services alleged to be in violation of Section 1770.
      Such notice shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, to the place where the transaction occurred, such person’s principal place of business within California, or, if neither will effect actual notice, the office of the Secretary of State of California.
  • (b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), no action for damages may be maintained under the provisions of Section 1780 if an appropriate correction, repair, replacement or other remedy is given, or agreed to be given within a reasonable time, to the consumer within 30 days after receipt of such notice.
  • (c) No action for damages may be maintained under the provisions of Section 1781 upon a showing by a person alleged to have employed or committed methods, acts or practices declared unlawful by Section 1770 that all of the following exist:
    • (1) All consumers similarly situated have been identified, or a reasonable effort to identify such other consumers has been made.
    • (2) All consumers so identified have been notified that upon their request such person shall make the appropriate correction, repair, replacement or other remedy of the goods and services.
    • (3) The correction, repair, replacement or other remedy requested by such consumers has been, or, in a reasonable time, shall be, given.
    • (4) Such person has ceased from engaging, or if immediate cessation is impossible or unreasonably expensive under the circumstances, such person will, within a reasonable time, cease to engage, in such methods, act, or practices.
  • (d) An action for injunctive relief brought under the specific provisions of Section 1770 may be commenced without compliance with the provisions of subdivision (a). Not less than 30 days after the commencement of an action for injunctive relief, and after compliance with the provisions of subdivision (a), the consumer may amend his complaint without leave of court to include a request for damages. The appropriate provisions of subdivision (b) or (c) shall be applicable if the complaint for injunctive relief is amended to request damages.
  • (e) Attempts to comply with the provisions of this section by a person receiving a demand shall be construed to be an offer to compromise and shall be inadmissible as evidence pursuant to Section 1152 of the Evidence Code; furthermore, such attempts to comply with a demand shall not be considered an admission of engaging in an act or practice declared unlawful by Section 1770. Evidence of compliance or attempts to comply with the provisions of this section may be introduced by a defendant for the purpose of establishing good faith or to show compliance with the provisions of this section.

1783. Any action brought under the specific provisions of Section 1770 shall be commenced not more than three years from the date of the commission of such method, act, or practice.

1784. No award of damages may be given in any action based on a method, act, or practice declared to be unlawful by Section 1770 if the person alleged to have employed or committed such method, act, or practice

  • (a) proves that such violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error notwithstanding the use of reasonable procedures adopted to avoid any such error and
  • (b) makes an appropriate correction, repair or replacement or other remedy of the goods and services according to the provisions of subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 1782.

 


Small claims has equitable powers…….. this could work! ….. Could this Work????

Here is a crazy idea

In 2009 the California legislature gave equitable powers to the small claims court

We make up a little package that includes the deed of trust and the notice of default and show they are not the party in interest ie… The original Bank…… is not the pretender lender……… and ask the small claims court to rescind the Notice of Default

Banks have to defend without their lawyers and without demurs

Then there would be a court order rescinding the notice no damages just rescission

Here is the amended code pay close attention to (b)

California Code of Civil Procedure Section 116.220

Legal Research Home > California Laws > Code of Civil Procedure > California Code of Civil Procedure Section 116.220

(a) The small claims court has jurisdiction in the
following actions:
   (1) Except as provided in subdivisions (c), (e), and (f), for
recovery of money, if the amount of the demand does not exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000).
   (2) Except as provided in subdivisions (c), (e), and (f), to
enforce payment of delinquent unsecured personal property taxes in an
amount not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000), if the legality
of the tax is not contested by the defendant.
   (3) To issue the writ of possession authorized by Sections 1861.5
and 1861.10 of the Civil Code if the amount of the demand does not
exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000).
   (4) To confirm, correct, or vacate a fee arbitration award not
exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000) between an attorney and
client that is binding or has become binding, or to conduct a hearing
de novo between an attorney and client after nonbinding arbitration
of a fee dispute involving no more than five thousand dollars
($5,000) in controversy, pursuant to Article 13 (commencing with
Section 6200) of Chapter 4 of Division 3 of the Business and
Professions Code.
   (5) For an injunction or other equitable relief only when a
statute expressly authorizes a small claims court to award that
relief.
   (b) In any action seeking relief authorized by paragraphs (1) to
(4), inclusive, of subdivision (a), the court may grant equitable
relief in the form of rescission, restitution, reformation, and
specific performance, in lieu of, or in addition to, money damages.
The court may issue a conditional judgment. The court shall retain
jurisdiction until full payment and performance of any judgment or
order.
   (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the small claims court has
jurisdiction over a defendant guarantor as follows:
   (1) For any action brought by a natural person against the
Registrar of the Contractors' State License Board as the defendant
guarantor, the small claims jurisdictional limit stated in Section
116.221 shall apply.
   (2) For any action against a defendant guarantor that does not
charge a fee for its guarantor or surety services, if the amount of
the demand does not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars
($2,500).
   (3) For any action brought by a natural person against a defendant
guarantor that charges a fee for its guarantor or surety services,
if the amount of the demand does not exceed six thousand five hundred
dollars ($6,500).
   (4) For any action brought by an entity other than a natural
person against a defendant guarantor that charges a fee for its
guarantor or surety services or against the Registrar of the
Contractors' State License Board as the defendant guarantor, if the
amount of the demand does not exceed four thousand dollars ($4,000).
   (d) In any case in which the lack of jurisdiction is due solely to
an excess in the amount of the demand, the excess may be waived, but
any waiver is not operative until judgment.
   (e) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), in any action filed by a
plaintiff incarcerated in a Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation facility, the small claims court has jurisdiction over
a defendant only if the plaintiff has alleged in the complaint that
he or she has exhausted his or her administrative remedies against
that department, including compliance with Sections 905.2 and 905.4
of the Government Code. The final administrative adjudication or
determination of the plaintiff's administrative claim by the
department may be attached to the complaint at the time of filing in
lieu of that allegation.
   (f) In any action governed by subdivision (e), if the plaintiff
fails to provide proof of compliance with the requirements of
subdivision (e) at the time of trial, the judicial officer shall, at
his or her discretion, either dismiss the action or continue the
action to give the plaintiff an opportunity to provide that proof.
   (g) For purposes of this section, "department" includes an
employee of a department against whom a claim has been filed under
this chapter arising out of his or her duties as an employee of that
department.

Please let me know what you think on this one

produce the note ?

An individual Chapter 11 bankruptcy may be better for you than Chapter 13

 

In my 21 years of practicing bankruptcy law, I have never been as excited by anything as the development of the individual Chapter 11 case.

Traditionally, Chapter 13 has been used for personal reorganizations while Chapter 11 has been reserved for more complex corporate reorganizations.� However, a small handful of sophisticated bankruptcy lawyers, like Brett Mearkle of Jacksonville, Florida and BLN contributors Brett Weiss and Kurt O�Keefe, are taking advantage of the debtor-friendly rules of Chapter 11, to provide more meaningful debt restructuring for individual consumers.

Before 2005, individual Chapter 11 cases were virtually non-existent. However, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which has generally been horrible for individual debtors, changed a critical rule in Chapter 11 that has made it the choice for bankruptcy lawyers seeking the best restructuring options for many middle-class Americans.� That rule, known as the Absolute Priority Rule, no longer applies to individuals filing under Chapter 11.� The result is that, unlike corporate debtors, an individual (or married couple) filing under Chapter 11 does not have to repay 100% of his unsecured debts.� Rather, the individual need only pay his �disposable income� over a 5 year period, just like in Chapter 13 cases.

The challenge for bankruptcy lawyers is streamlining the Chapter 11 case for consumers to bring the overall cost of filing down.� Currently, my firm has managed to bring down the cost of a typical Chapter 11, but even so, the individual Chapter 11 case costs $10,000 to $30,000, depending on the facts.� However, in as many as half of all consumer reorganizations, these increased fees and costs are far outweighed by the savings and convenience of Chapter 11.

These savings, like �cram down� of automobiles and elimination of the trustee�s administrative fee, will be discussed in more detail in my upcoming articles.

The change to the Absolute Priority Rule has gone widely unnoticed by consumer bankruptcy lawyers, largely because so few understand Chapter 11.� However, we are starting to realize the power of Chapter 11 for consumers, and a concerted effort is being made by many to understand this complicated area of bankruptcy law.� I’ll be in Tucson next week, attending a three day seminar conducted by The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys to learn how to identify which consumers will benefit from Chapter 11 and how to file these types of bankruptcies.� Of course a three-day seminar is really the beginning of an education in Chapter 11, and I predict there will be more advanced seminars to follow.

Be on the lookout for more articles and videos by me and other BLNers on the advantages and nuances of the individual Chapter 11.

CAL. CCP. CODE § 473 After default judgement against lender… then what… WAIT 6 months

California Code – Section 473

(a)(1)The court may, in furtherance of justice, and on any terms as may be proper, allow a party to amend any pleading or proceeding by adding or striking out the name of any party, or by correcting a mistake in the name of a party, or a mistake in any other respect; and may, upon like terms, enlarge the time for answer or demurrer. The court may likewise, in its discretion, after notice to the adverse party, allow, upon any terms as may be just, an amendment to any pleading or proceeding in other particulars; and may upon like terms allow an answer to be made after the time limited by this code.

(2)When it appears to the satisfaction of the court that the amendment renders it necessary, the court may postpone the trial, and may, when the postponement will by the amendment be rendered necessary, require, as a condition to the amendment, the payment to the adverse party of any costs as may be just.

(b)The court may, upon any terms as may be just, relieve a party or his or her legal representative from a judgment, dismissal, order, or other proceeding taken against him or her through his or her mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect. Application for this relief shall be accompanied by a copy of the answer or other pleading proposed to be filed therein, otherwise the application shall not be granted, and shall be made within a reasonable time, in no case exceeding six months, after the judgment, dismissal, order, or proceeding was taken. However, in the case of a judgment, dismissal, order, or other proceeding determining the ownership or right to possession of real or personal property, without extending the six-month period, when a notice in writing is personally served within the State of California both upon the party against whom the judgment, dismissal, order, or other proceeding has been taken, and upon his or her attorney of record, if any, notifying that party and his or her attorney of record, if any, that the order, judgment, dismissal, or other proceeding was taken against him or her and that any rights the party has to apply for relief under the provisions of Section 473 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall expire 90 days after service of the notice, then the application shall be made within 90 days after service of the notice upon the defaulting party or his or her attorney of record, if any, whichever service shall be later. No affidavit or declaration of merits shall be required of the moving party. Notwithstanding any other requirements of this section, the court shall, whenever an application for relief is made no more than six months after entry of judgment, is in proper form, and is accompanied by an attorney’s sworn affidavit attesting to his or her mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect, vacate any (1) resulting default entered by the clerk against his or her client, and which will result in entry of a default judgment, or (2) resulting default judgment or dismissal entered against his or her client, unless the court finds that the default or dismissal was not in fact caused by the attorney’s mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect. The court shall, whenever relief is granted based on an attorney’s affidavit of fault, direct the attorney to pay reasonable compensatory legal fees and costs to opposing counsel or parties. However, this section shall not lengthen the time within which an action shall be brought to trial pursuant to Section 583.310.

(c)(1)Whenever the court grants relief from a default, default judgment, or dismissal based on any of the provisions of this section, the court may do any of the following:

(A)Impose a penalty of no greater than one thousand dollars ($1,000) upon an offending attorney or party.

(B)Direct that an offending attorney pay an amount no greater than one thousand dollars ($1,000) to the State Bar Client Security Fund.

(C)Grant other relief as is appropriate.

(2)However, where the court grants relief from a default or default judgment pursuant to this section based upon the affidavit of the defaulting party’s attorney attesting to the attorney’s mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect, the relief shall not be made conditional upon the attorney’s payment of compensatory legal fees or costs or monetary penalties imposed by the court or upon compliance with other sanctions ordered by the court.

(d)The court may, upon motion of the injured party, or its own motion, correct clerical mistakes in its judgment or orders as entered, so as to conform to the judgment or order directed, and may, on motion of either party after notice to the other party, set aside any void judgment or order.

Civil War Erupts On Wall Street: As Reality Finally Hits The Financial Elite, They Start Turning On Each Other

Full-Blown

September 3rd, 2011 | Filed under Economy, Feature, Hot List, News . Follow comments through RSS 2.0 feed. Click here to comment, or trackback.
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By David DeGraw

Full-Blown Civil War Erupts On Wall Street: As Reality Finally Hits The Financial Elite, They Turn On Each OtherFinally, after trillions in fraudulent activity, trillions in bailouts, trillions in printed money, billions in political bribing and billions in bonuses, the criminal cartel members on Wall Street are beginning to get what they deserve. As the Eurozone is coming apart at the seams and as the US economy grinds to a halt, the financial elite are starting to turn on each other. The lawsuits are piling up fast. Here’s an extensive roundup:

As I reported last week:

Collapse Roundup #5: Goliath On The Ropes, Big Banks Getting Hit Hard, It’s A “Bloodbath” As Wall Street’s Crimes Blow Up In Their Face

Time to put your Big Bank shorts on! Get ready for a run… The chickens are coming home to roost… The Global Banking Cartel’s crimes are being exposed left & right… Prepare for Shock & Awe…

Well, well… here’s your Shock & Awe:

First up, this shockingly huge $196 billion lawsuit just filed against 17 major banks on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bank of America is severely exposed in this lawsuit. As the parent company of Countrywide and Merrill Lynch they are on the hook for $57.4 billion. JP Morgan is next in the line of fire with $33 billion. And many death spiraling European banks are facing billions in losses as well.

FHA Files a $196 Billion Lawsuit Against 17 Banks

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises), today filed lawsuits against 17 financial institutions, certain of their officers and various unaffiliated lead underwriters. The suits allege violations of federal securities laws and common law in the sale of residential private-label mortgage-backed securities (PLS) to the Enterprises.

Complaints have been filed against the following lead defendants, in alphabetical order:

1. Ally Financial Inc. f/k/a GMAC, LLC – $6 billion
2. Bank of America Corporation – $6 billion
3. Barclays Bank PLC – $4.9 billion
4. Citigroup, Inc. – $3.5 billion
5. Countrywide Financial Corporation -$26.6 billion
6. Credit Suisse Holdings (USA), Inc. – $14.1 billion
7. Deutsche Bank AG – $14.2 billion
8. First Horizon National Corporation – $883 million
9. General Electric Company – $549 million
10. Goldman Sachs & Co. – $11.1 billion
11. HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. – $6.2 billion
12. JPMorgan Chase & Co. – $33 billion
13. Merrill Lynch & Co. / First Franklin Financial Corp. – $24.8 billion
14. Morgan Stanley – $10.6 billion
15. Nomura Holding America Inc. – $2 billion
16. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC – $30.4 billion
17. Société Générale – $1.3 billion

These complaints were filed in federal or state court in New York or the federal court in Connecticut. The complaints seek damages and civil penalties under the Securities Act of 1933, similar in content to the complaint FHFA filed against UBS Americas, Inc. on July 27, 2011. In addition, each complaint seeks compensatory damages for negligent misrepresentation. Certain complaints also allege state securities law violations or common law fraud. [read full FHFA release]

You can read the suits filed against each individual bank here. For some more information read Bloomberg: BofA, JPMorgan Among 17 Banks Sued by U.S. for $196 Billion. Noticeably absent from the list of companies being sued is Wells Fargo.

And the suits just keep coming…

BofA sued over $1.75 billion Countrywide mortgage pool

Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) was sued by the trustee of a $1.75 billion mortgage pool, which seeks to force the bank to buy back the underlying loans because of alleged misrepresentations in how they were made. The lawsuit by the banking unit of US Bancorp (USB.N) is the latest of a number of suits seeking to recover investor losses tied to risky mortgage loans issued by Countrywide Financial Corp, which Bank of America bought in 2008. In a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, U.S. Bank said Countrywide, which issued the 4,484 loans in the HarborView Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-10, materially breached its obligations by systemically misrepresenting the quality of its underwriting and loan documentation. [read more]

Bank of America kept AIG legal threat under wraps

Top Bank of America Corp lawyers knew as early as January that American International Group Inc was prepared to sue the bank for more than $10 billion, seven months before the lawsuit was filed, according to sources familiar with the matter. Bank of America shares fell more than 20 percent on August 8, the day the lawsuit was filed, adding to worries about the stability of the largest U.S. bank…. The bank made no mention of the lawsuit threat in a quarterly regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission just four days earlier. Nor did management discuss it on conference calls about quarterly results and other pending legal claims. [read more]

Nevada Lawsuit Shows Bank of America’s Criminal Incompetence

As we’ve stated before, litigation by attorney general is significant not merely due to the damages and remedies sought, but because it paves the way for private lawsuits. And make no mistake about it, this filing is a doozy. It shows the Federal/state attorney general mortgage settlement effort to be a complete travesty. The claim describes, in considerable detail, how various Bank of America units engaged in misconduct in virtually every aspect of its residential mortgage business. [read more]

Nevada Wallops Bank of America With Sweeping Suit; Nationwide Foreclosure Settlement in Peril

The sweeping new suit could have repercussions far beyond Nevada’s borders. It further jeopardizes a possible nationwide settlement with the five largest U.S. banks over their foreclosure practices, especially given concerns voiced by other attorneys general, New York’s foremost among them…. In a statement, Bank of America spokeswoman Jumana Bauwens said reaching a settlement would bring a better outcome for homeowners than litigation. “We believe that the best way to get the housing market going again in every state is a global settlement that addresses these issues fairly, comprehensively and with finality. [read more]

FDIC Objects to Bank of America’s $8.5 Billion Mortgage-Bond Accord

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is objecting to Bank of America Corp. (BAC)’s proposed $8.5 billion mortgage-bond settlement with investors, joining investors and states that are challenging the agreement. The FDIC owns securities covered by the settlement and said it doesn’t have enough information to evaluate the accord, according to a filing today in federal court in Manhattan. Bank of America has agreed to pay $8.5 billion to resolve claims from investors in Countrywide Financial mortgage bonds. The settlement was negotiated with a group of institutional investors and would apply to investors outside that group. [read more]

Fed asks Bank of America to list contingency plan: report

The Federal Reserve has asked Bank of America Corp to show what measures it could take if business conditions worsen, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation. BofA executives recently responded to the unusual request from the Federal Reserve with a list of options that includes the issuance of a separate class of shares tied to the performance of its Merrill Lynch securities unit, the people told the paper. Bank of America and the Fed declined to comment to the Journal. Both could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours. [
read more]

Bombshell Admission of Failed Securitization Process in American Home Mortgage Servicing/LPS Lawsuit

Wow, Jones Day just created a huge mess for its client and banks generally if anyone is alert enough to act on it. The lawsuit in question is American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc. v Lender Processing Services. It hasn’t gotten all that much attention (unless you are on the LPS deathwatch beat) because to most, it looks like yet another beauty contest between Cinderella’s two ugly sisters. AHMSI is a servicer (the successor to Option One, and it may also still have some Ameriquest servicing).

AHMSI is mad at LPS because LPS was supposed to prepare certain types of documentation AHMSI used in foreclosures. AHMSI authorized the use of certain designated staffers signing with the authority of AHSI (what we call robosinging, since the people signing these documents didn’t have personal knowledge, which is required if any of the documents were affidavits). But it did not authorize the use of surrogate signers, which were (I kid you not) people hired to forge the signatures of robosigners. The lawsuit rather matter of factly makes a stunning admission… [read more]

Fraudclosure: MERS Case Filed With Supreme Court

Before readers get worried by virtue of the headline that the Supreme Court will use its magic legal wand to make the dubious MERS mortgage registry system viable, consider the following:

1. The Supreme Court hears only a very small portion of the cases filed with it, and is less likely to take one with these demographics (filed by a private party, and an appeal out of a state court system, as opposed to Federal court). This case, Gomes v. Countywide, was decided against the plaintiff in lower and appellate court and the California state supreme court declined to hear it

2. If MERS or the various servicers who have had foreclosures overturned based on challenges to MERS thought they’d get a sympathetic hearing at the Supreme Court, they probably would have filed some time ago. MERS have apparently been settling cases rather than pursue ones where it though the judge would issue an unfavorable precedent

3. The case in question, from what the experts I consulted with and I can tell, is not the sort the Supreme Court would intervene in based on the issue raised, which is due process (14th Amendment). But none of us have seen the underlying lower and appellate court cases, and the summaries we’ve seen are unusually unclear as to what the legal argument is. [read more]

Iowa Says State AG Accord Won’t Release Banks From Liability

The 50-state attorney general group investigating mortgage foreclosure practices won’t release banks from all civil, or any criminal, liability in a settlement, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said. [read more]

Fed Launches New Formal Enforcement Action Against Goldman Sachs To Review Foreclosure Practices

The Federal Reserve Board has just launched a formal enforcement action against Goldman Sachs related to Litton Loan Services. Litton Loan is the nightmare-ridden mortgage servicing unit, a subsidiary of Goldman, that Goldman has been trying to sell for months. They penned a deal to recently, but the Fed stepped in and required Goldman to end robo-signing taking place at the unit before the sale could be completed. Sounds like this enforcement action is an extension of that requirement. [read more]

Goldman Sachs, Firms Agree With Regulator To End ‘Robo-Signing’ Foreclosure Practices

Goldman Sachs and two other firms have agreed with the New York banking regulator to end the practice known as robo-signing, in which bank employees signed foreclosure documents without reviewing case files as required by law, the Wall Street Journal said. In an agreement with New York’s financial-services superintendent, Goldman, its Litton Loan Servicing unit and Ocwen Financial Corp also agreed to scrutinize loan files for evidence they mishandled borrowers’ paperwork and to cut mortgage payments for some New York homeowners, the Journal said. [read more]

Banks still robo-signing, filing doubtful foreclosure documents

Reuters has found that some of the biggest U.S. banks and other “loan servicers” continue to file questionable foreclosure documents with courts and county clerks. They are using tactics that late last year triggered an outcry, multiple investigations and temporary moratoriums on foreclosures. In recent months, servicers have filed thousands of documents that appear to have been fabricated or improperly altered, or have sworn to false facts. Reuters also identified at least six “robo-signers,” individuals who in recent months have each signed thousands of mortgage assignments — legal documents which pinpoint ownership of a property. These same individuals have been identified — in depositions, court testimony or court rulings — as previously having signed vast numbers of foreclosure documents that they never read or checked. [read more]

JPMorgan fined for contravening Iran, Cuba sanctions

JPMorgan Chase Bank has been fined $88.3 million for contravening US sanctions against regimes in Iran, Cuba and Sudan, and the former Liberian government, the US Treasury Department announced Thursday. The Treasury said that the bank had engaged in a number of “egregious” financial transfers, loans and other facilities involving those countries but, in announcing a settlement with the bank, said they were “apparent” violations of various sanctions regulations. [read more]

This Is Considered Punishment? The Federal Reserve Wells Fargo Farce

What made the news surprising, of course, was that the Federal Reserve has rarely, if ever, taken action against a bank for making predatory loans. Alan Greenspan, the former Fed chairman, didn’t believe in regulation and turned a blind eye to subprime abuses. His successor, Ben Bernanke, is not the ideologue that Greenspan is, but, as an institution, the Fed prefers to coddle banks rather than punish them.

That the Fed would crack down on Wells Fargo would seem to suggest a long-overdue awakening. Yet, for anyone still hoping for justice in the wake of the financial crisis, the news was hardly encouraging. First, the Fed did not force Wells Fargo to admit guilt — and even let the company issue a press release blaming its wrongdoing on a “relatively small group.”

The $85 million fine was a joke; in just the last quarter, Wells Fargo’s revenues exceeded $20 billion. And compensating borrowers isn’t going to hurt much either. By my calculation, it won’t top $20 million. [read more]

Exclusive: Regulators seek high-frequency trading secrets

U.S. securities regulators have taken the unprecedented step of asking high-frequency trading firms to hand over the details of their trading strategies, and in some cases, their secret computer codes. The requests for proprietary code and algorithm parameters by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a Wall Street brokerage regulator, are part of investigations into suspicious market activity, said Tom Gira, executive vice president of FINRA’s market regulation unit. [read more]

And here’s part of the Collapse Roundup I wrote on August 25th, referenced in the beginning of this report – as you will see, I would probably make a lot more money as an investment adviser:

Collapse Roundup #5: Goliath On The Ropes, Big Banks Getting Hit Hard, It’s A “Bloodbath” As Wall Street’s Crimes Blow Up In Their Face

Collapse Roundup #5: Goliath On The Ropes, Big Banks Getting Hit Hard, Banking Cartel's Crimes Blowing Up In Their FaceTime to put your Big Bank shorts on! Get ready for a run

The chickens are coming home to roost. Reality is catching up with the market riggers (Fed, ECB, PPT, CIA) and the “too big to fail” banks are getting whacked. Trillions of dollars in bailouts and legalized (FASB) accounting fraud cannot save these insolvent zombie banks any longer. The Grim Reaper is on the horizon and his sickle will do what paid off politicians won’t, cut ‘em down to size. So get your silver stake ready, time to plunge it into their vampire squid hearts….

What about Warren Buffet? He saved Goldman Sachs with a bailout in 2008. Can he save Bank of America?…

Warren’s bailout will help BofA over the short run, but $5 billion is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to their problems. The only thing his $5 billion will accomplish is a temporary run up in stock value so everyone who has been killed on the plummeting stock price can then jump out without complete loss….

Trouble a-comin’…

Goldman Sachs TANKS After CEO Lloyd Blankfein Hires Famous Defense Lawyer

Collapse Roundup #5: Goliath On The Ropes, Big Banks Getting Hit Hard, Banking Cartel's Crimes Blowing Up In Their FaceIs the Goldman Sachs CEO facing a new lawsuit?

The market seems to think so. Goldman Sachs just tanked in minutes before the close after news that Lloyd Blankfein hired a lawyer famous for defending vilified execs. It’s back up a bit since dropping over 5%, but the news is still concerning.

It’s unclear whether the lawyer is for him, Goldman Sachs, or both, but Goldman Sachs’s CEO Lloyd Blankfein hired Reid Weingarten, a high profile defense attorney who says “I’m used to these monstrously difficult cases where everybody hates my clients,” according to Reuters.

Reuters says the hire might have something to do with accusations of Blankfein’s committing perjury. Or something else:

One former federal prosecutor, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Blankfein may have hired outside counsel after receiving a request from investigators for documents or other information. [read full report]

Speaking of hiring lawyers…

The Global Banking Cartel’s Crimes Are Being Exposed Left & Right…

Blowing Up In Their Face… Prepare for Shock & Awe…

BOOM! Moody’s exposed:

MOODY’S ANALYST BREAKS SILENCE: Says Ratings Agency Rotten To Core With Conflicts

A former senior analyst at Moody’s has gone public with his story of how one of the country’s most important rating agencies is corrupted to the core.

The analyst, William J. Harrington, worked for Moody’s for 11 years, from 1999 until his resignation last year.

From 2006 to 2010, Harrington was a Senior Vice President in the derivative products group, which was responsible for producing many of the disastrous ratings Moody’s issued during the housing bubble.

Harrington has made his story public in the form of a 78-page “comment” to the SEC’s proposed rules about rating agency reform….

Here are some key points:

* Moody’s ratings often do not reflect its analysts’ private conclusions. Instead, rating committees privately conclude that certain securities deserve certain ratings–but then vote with management to give the securities the higher ratings that issuer clients want.

* Moody’s management and “compliance” officers do everything possible to make issuer clients happy–and they view analysts who do not do the same as “troublesome.” Management employs a variety of tactics to transform these troublesome analysts into “pliant corporate citizens” who have Moody’s best interests at heart.

* Moody’s product managers participate in–and vote on–ratings decisions. These product managers are the same people who are directly responsible for keeping clients happy and growing Moody’s business.

* At least one senior executive lied under oath at the hearings into rating agency conduct. Another executive, who Harrington says exemplified management’s emphasis on giving issuers what they wanted, skipped the hearings altogether. [read full report]

BOOM! The SEC Caught Covering Up Wall Street Crimes:

Matt Taibbi Exposes How SEC Shredded Thousands of Investigations

An explosive new report in Rolling Stone magazine exposes how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission destroyed records of thousands of investigations, whitewashing the files of some of the nation’s largest banks and hedge funds, including AIG, Wells Fargo, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and top Wall Street broker Bernard Madoff. Last week, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said an agency whistleblower had sent him a letter detailing the unlawful destruction of records detailing more than 9,000 information investigations. We speak with Matt Taibbi, the political reporter for Rolling Stone magazine who broke this story in his latest article….

KA-BOOM! The Fed And All Their Crony-Capitalist Cartel Members Exposed, Yet Again:

Wall Street Pentagon Papers Part III – Are The Federal Reserve’s Crimes Still Too Big To Comprehend?

Collapse Roundup #5: Goliath On The Ropes, Big Banks Getting Hit Hard, Banking Cartel's Crimes Blowing Up In Their FaceAnother day, another trillion plus in secret Federal Reserve “bailouts” revealed. Bloomberg News exposes this latest Fed “deal” after winning a long Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) legal battle to get the details on what was done with the American people’s money. Their report runs with an AmpedStatus style headline: “Wall Street Aristocracy Got $1.2 Trillion From Fed.”

The aristocracy is alive and well… thanks to the Fed, of course.

Keep in mind, this $1.2 trillion is in addition to the $16 trillion the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit revealed and the over $2 trillion in Quantitative Easing the Fed dished out, not to mention the now continued promise of the Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP). This is also separate from the $700 billion TARP program that Congress approved. This is yet another unknown secret program, throwing another mere $1.2 trillion in public money at the Wall Street elite (global banking cartel), just being revealed now.

Those of us paying attention over the past three years have had Fed crony-capitalism on steroids fatigue for awhile now. Nonetheless, this is deja vu all over again as another mindbogglingly huge story that must be covered comes to light.

Here are the details of this latest revelation:

[read full report]

Speaking of the $16 trillion GAO audit…

BOOM! GAO audit exposed, missing some vital details:

More on how the GAO’s Fed audit failed to disclose some dirty secrets about BlackRock and JP Morgan

In its review of the Fed’s outsourcing practices, it failed to mention the most damaging and suspicious sole-source (no bid) contract awarded to BlackRock, which was for handling the New York Fed’s toxic Bear Stearns portfolio, otherwise known as Maiden Lane. This contract would generate $108,000,000 in fees and was one of the largest awarded during the bailout period, but it might also have saved JP Morgan $1.1 billion in losses from its Bear Stearns acquisition….

Also, BlackRock was also one of the managers of the NY Fed’s separate $1.25 trillion MBS purchase program as part of QE1. Contrary to the lie on the NY Fed’s webpage (that the MBS auctions were conducted via competitive bidding), the NY Fed’s own purchasing manager, Brian Sack, admitted in a paper that, “the MBS purchases were arranged with primary dealer counterparties directly, [and] there was no auction mechanism to provide a measure of market supply.”

Putting it all together, it looks like Jamie Dimon signed off on hiring BlackRock for no justifiable reason to trade the very Maiden Lane portfolio that could have caused his bank, JP Morgan, to lose up to $1.1 billion. And, it was entirely possible that BlackRock saved the portfolio by trading the MBS portion of ML with the New York Fed directly as QE1 was underway. [read full report]

BOOM! Bear Stearns exposed:

Report Says Bear Stearns Executives Sold Illegal RMBS and Covered It Up

Former back office employees from Bear Stearns are coming out of the woodwork to explain how Tom Marano’s mortgage group cheated their own clients out of billions. This week I reported at The Distressed Debt Report, EMC insiders say they were told to make up the classification for whole loans, packaged into mortgage securities, to get them switched out of the trust. By classifying the loans as ‘prepaid’ or having ‘subsequent recoveries’ Bear employees were able to fool the trustee into giving them back loans they were not able to legally service. A move New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is actively investigating now.

In my latest DealFlow story we hear from EMC staffers who describe how subprime loans, that would have been sold by Bear Stearns trader Jeff Verschleiser’s team, never had a proper servicing license in West Virginia when they were packaged into the residential mortgage backed security. In 2003 Bear/EMC put $100 million of subprime loans from West Virginia into a few RMBS transactions. EMC, the banks wholly owned mortgage servicing shop, would service all of Bear’s RMBS after they were sold.

A year latter, when senior executies realized the mishap instead of Bear going out and informing their regulator and applying for a license, they orchestrated a cover up and even threaten EMC employees not to talk about it. [read full report]

The big banks are getting lit up!

You shall reap what you sow.

Karma is a … bit@h. [read full report]

Let’s end with this video. We need to keep in mind that the Federal Reserve has known about all of this criminal activity from the start. Yet, they have done everything they could, and are still trying, to keep this criminal operation up and running. As all these criminal banks begin to blow up, let’s not forget who their central bank is and what they have done to the American people.

Cenk, take it away and drive the point home:


– David DeGraw is the founder and editor of AmpedStatus.com. His long-awaited book, The Road Through 2012: Revolution or World War III, will finally be released on September 28th. He can be emailed at David[@]AmpedStatus.com. You can follow David’s reporting daily on his new personal website: DavidDeGraw.org


~ We are fighting to remain 100% independent, completely free from partisan influence. If you respect our work, please donate to support our efforts here.

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Eighth Circuit BAP Allows Strip Off of Wholly Unsecured Lien in Chapter 20 (7+13)

The Eighth Circuit BAP found that a chapter 13 debtor may strip off a wholly unsecured lien on his principal residence even where the debtor is otherwise not entitled to discharge. In re Fisette, 11-6012 (B.A.P. 8th Cir., August 29, 2011). In so holding the court joined the majority of Circuit and BAP courts that have held that the reasoning in Nobelman v. Am. Savings Bank, 508 U.S. 324 (1993) establishes the right to strip off wholly unsecured residential liens. Turning to the issue of whether ineligibility for discharge under section 1328(f)(1) precludes the otherwise permissible lien stripping, the court stated: “We hold that the strip off of a wholly unsecured lien on a debtor’s principal residence is effective upon completion of the debtor’s obligations under his plan, and it is not contingent on his receipt of a Chapter 13 discharge.” Unlike the courts that have found that section 1325(a)(5) precludes lien-stripping in a chapter 20, the Fisette court found that, pursuant to the statutory language, the requirements of section 1325(a)(5) were not applicable to a lien which was unsecured. The court concluded its analysis with a finding that the creditors whose liens were stripped would be entitled to distribution of the estate along with the other unsecured creditors.

$196 Billion LawsuitAgainst 17 Banks

FHA Files a $196 Billion LawsuitAgainst 17 Banks
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator forFannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises), today filed lawsuitsagainst 17 financial institutions, certain of their officers and variousunaffiliated lead underwriters. The suits allege violations of federalsecurities laws and common law in the sale of residential private-label mortgage-backed securities (PLS) to the Enterprises.Complaints have been filed against the following lead defendants, inalphabetical order:1. Ally Financial Inc. f/k/a GMAC, LLC – $6 billion2. Bank of America Corporation – $6 billion3. Barclays Bank PLC – $4.9 billion4. Citigroup, Inc. – $3.5 billion5. Countrywide Financial Corporation -$26.6 billion6. Credit Suisse Holdings (USA), Inc. – $14.1 billion7. Deutsche Bank AG – $14.2 billion8. First Horizon National Corporation – $883 million9. General Electric Company – $549 million10. Goldman Sachs & Co. – $11.1 billion11. HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. – $6.2 billion12. JPMorgan Chase & Co. – $33 billion13. Merrill Lynch & Co. / First Franklin Financial Corp. – $24.8 billion14. Morgan Stanley – $10.6 billion15. Nomura Holding America Inc. – $2 billion16. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC – $30.4 billion17. Société Générale – $1.3 billion
Some links to actual lawsuits:
Here is the press release from FHFA: