Wednesday 15th January
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No Friend to the Banksters… Attorney Nick Wooten – A Mandelman Matters Podcast
Written on 16 Jul, 2011 at 10:59
If I have to introduce Alabama foreclosure defense attorney Nick Wooten to you, then you're not much of a foreclosure crisis news junkie, because Nick has made headlines for his lawsuits against the banksters on behalf of homeowners as much... (Continue reading)
A Walk Down Memory Lane With President Obama & the Mortgage Crisis
Written on 12 Jul, 2011 at 18:00
As a result, homeowners who begin the process of obtaining a loan modification with expectations largely set by the President, are likely to be disappointed at the outcome, regardless the outcome. ... (Continue reading)
Well, Now Isn’t That Interesting… All the News That Fits, We Print
Written on 9 Jul, 2011 at 7:44
1. FDIC is suing former IndyMac CEO for a lot of dough. 2. Obama admits failure on foreclosure crisis. 3. What was the tru cost of the bank bailouts?... (Continue reading)
Mandelman SHOCKS Online Community, Says: “I don’t care about my readers anymore.”
Written on 9 Jul, 2011 at 0:54
And the best part of the whole thing is that even if you're weren't a DOER this time around... even if until now you've just been a "reader," it doesn't matter... ANYONE CAN BECOME A DOER AT ANY MOMENT. ... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 14.0
Written on 2 Jul, 2011 at 7:28
Happy Independence Day! 1. Bank of America... The wrong house AGAIN? 2. Let's call it: Bernankeconomics. 3. Fifty Million for 7,000 Short Sales, Cash for Sunkers? 4. The OCC says fewer than 5,000 principal reductions in... (Continue reading)
GUEST POST: Stop HAMP Discrimination Against the Disabled and the Elderly
Written on 30 Jun, 2011 at 18:46
Retirees and the handicapped experience higher living expenses, including home maintenance, spiraling healthcare costs, utilities, and other expenses associated with age, disability, and/or deteriorating health. That fact progressively reduces their disposable income and ability to make mortgage payments. ... (Continue reading)
Ohio’s Former AG Marc Dann Talks Hawaii & Fighting Banks – A Mandelman Matters Podcast
Written on 30 Jun, 2011 at 4:06
While Marc was in office he was a very vocal opponent of Wall Street, and the mortgage servicers who were... and still are... destroying his state with unnecessary and even illegal foreclosures. And since he's left office, he's defended... (Continue reading)
Ocwen Loan Servicing Takes Home from Handicapped Because There’s Equity
Written on 27 Jun, 2011 at 5:44
Also, call me naïve, but I have to believe that this is all some sort of gigantic oversight, and you're going to learn of it... correct it immediately... and the Giangregorios are going to live in their home... happily ever... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the REAR – Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Written on 19 Jun, 2011 at 16:47
"You have exactly 11 hours to sign and notarize this form. Then deliver three copies to one of three addresses in your home city between 3:00 PM and 4:30 PM on Thursday. The catch is that you must... (Continue reading)
The Definition of Dichotomy
Written on 15 Jun, 2011 at 3:25
So, now the Attorneys General from New York and Delaware are investigating in order to find out whether trillions of dollars in loans were seriously mishandled and therefore are not in the trusts, as the banksters said they were. ... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 13.0
Written on 12 Jun, 2011 at 3:11
In this issue: 1. Banker-Speak... A new language. 2. An Interesting List. 3. Lessons from History... How we handled foreclosures during the 1930s. 4. I wanted to like Bruce Marks of NACA... but I can't. 5.... (Continue reading)
NBC/MSNBC.com Try to Cover the Foreclosures Crisis
Written on 10 Jun, 2011 at 6:34
No matter, at least you're understanding that today the people falling into foreclosure did nothing to cause their fate. It's now happening at every socio-economic level of our society, and you may be assured that it will spread and... (Continue reading)
Treasury Official: “HAMP’s Incentives Meaningless” – SO, PROGRAM WASTED $560 MILLION?
Written on 9 Jun, 2011 at 21:59
If that's the case, and I have no reason to believe that it isn't, then I would only like to suggest that perhaps some of the millions eligible for withholding could have been withheld prior to paying them the $560... (Continue reading)
Please Call the White House Today for Elizabeth Warren… Here’s the Number and a Script. Please Call.
Written on 9 Jun, 2011 at 14:06
I had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth Warren about a month ago when she was in San Diego and here are a few of the things she said to me... I wrote them down at the time so I'd have... (Continue reading)
Bank of America forecloses on un-mortgaged Florida home… that’s hardly news. Is EVERYONE missing the point here?
Written on 8 Jun, 2011 at 18:50
What the heck is going on around here? We're now passing around a story about a stupid PR stunt by a lawyer that ended up making Bank of America look REASONABLE? Oh my God, people... listen to me... (Continue reading)
Earth to Bankers, Earth to Bankers… Your Planet is Dying, You Must Evacuate, It’s Time to Come Home.
Written on 7 Jun, 2011 at 7:39
The bankers... yes, the very same bankers who leveraged up on garbage CDOs as if housing prices would never ever go anywhere but up are now supposedly shocked and dismayed that mortgage lending volumes don't seem to be "coming back,"... (Continue reading)
MAX GARDNER from the Front Lines of the Battle… A Mandelman Matters PODCAST!
Written on 5 Jun, 2011 at 16:43
Click the button below... and you'll hear a Mandelman Matters PODCAST... A PODCAST THAT MATTERS, if you will. From start to finish, it's unquestionably MAX GARDNER at his candid best. ... (Continue reading)
Today’s New… “But, You Didn’t Make Your Payment” Exemption to the Law
Written on 29 May, 2011 at 19:20
Don't make this more complicated than it need be. If you came and repossessed my car but were NOT the person or entity holding my pink slip, then we had a phrase to describe that occurrence as well ...... (Continue reading)
Guest Post: Max Gardner on Rep. McHenry’s Shameful Treatment of Elizabeth Warren
Written on 26 May, 2011 at 5:11
And now we have Brother Patrick McHenry attacking in an outrageous fashion the one and only person in America who is trying to stand up for consumers and to protect us from the Banksters who single"handedly brought about the biggest... (Continue reading)
If You Think the Meltdown Was the Fault of Homeowners, Think Again…
Written on 25 May, 2011 at 18:46
So... in "Pillage," Nomi Prins explains in terms anyone can understand that factoring in the leverage at 11:1, we're looking at a $140 TRILLION economic problem... yes, you read that correctly... that's trillion, with a 'T'... (Continue reading)
Paula Pennypacker – An Arizona Republican Conservative Finds Mandelman Matters
Written on 24 May, 2011 at 4:33
Today, she writes a Republican conservative blog on azcentral.com. And she's found Mandelman Matters and joined the group of Americans who know the foreclosure crisis must be stopped. ... (Continue reading)
Breaking Down the Real Cause of the Foreclosure Crises
Written on 23 May, 2011 at 7:29
In 2014, it will be seven years since the meltdown began in the summer of 2007, and something in the neighborhood of 15 million homes will have been lost to foreclosure. And there's no reason to believe that foreclosures... (Continue reading)
When Auditing Foreclosures, the OCC’s Definition of the Word “Thorough” is “Hidden”
Written on 21 May, 2011 at 9:50
The findings of the independent reviews will be... sealed... closed to the public... whatever the independent reviews uncover or determine will remain a well-publicized secret. ... (Continue reading)
KILL BILL: Arizona Mortgage Lender’s Association Takes Credit for Killing SB 1259
Written on 19 May, 2011 at 6:33
Hagen went on to explain that he had lobbied "the individual that issued the strike everything amendment, which I would say would have to be Rep Nancy McClain, but I suppose it could also have something to do with Sen.... (Continue reading)
HUD Investigation Shows Banks Covered Up Widespread Illegal Acts – Government offers to bring them their check and validate their parking
Written on 19 May, 2011 at 2:01
According to Shahien's story in HuffPo, the secret investigations were initiated in response to last year's reports, which indicated that large lenders were improperly accelerating foreclosure proceedings... or, in other words... look who just figured out that robo-signing affidavits and... (Continue reading)
Over There… Over There… Send The Word, We’ll Foreclose, While You’re There
Written on 16 May, 2011 at 18:52
So, what exactly is the problem here, banker-people? Don't you have enough homeowners under consideration for a loan modification that you can foreclose on without notice that aren't active duty military? No one, save a handful of foreclosure... (Continue reading)
KPHO Channel 5 Arizona Airs Story on Rep. Seel’s Principal Reduction
Written on 12 May, 2011 at 10:46
Spolier Alert: Rep. Seel, who wonder of wonders... serves on the... wait for it... BANKING AND INSURANCE COMMITTEE... DENIES that his $100,000 principal reduction had anything to do with his decision to run late that day and not propose the... (Continue reading)
Mandelman Responds to SF Chronicle Article: Fighting Banks and Winning – How Homeowners Did it
Written on 12 May, 2011 at 10:00
Why did you become a reporter, Carolyn? Because if it was to write about events such as these in the style and tone of your article, then I'd suggest you consider looking for a copywriting gig at an ad agency.... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 12.0
Written on 11 May, 2011 at 8:59
In this issue: 1. Treasury reports 84% of HAMP loan mods current after 12 months. 2. Surprise, Surprise... Falling Home Values. 3. State AGs Beg Servicers for Crumbs. 4. Iowa's AG, Miller Calls B.S. 5. Banks... (Continue reading)
GAO Study Published May 5th Discovers Illegal Foreclosures
Written on 8 May, 2011 at 6:49
Personally, I'm holding out for the U.S. Post Office's study of mortgage servicer performance, which I hear is going to be followed up by a scathing report being issued by the Bureau of Land Management in conjunction with the Department... (Continue reading)
A case of major lending institutions with no respect for the law… Part of the system that destroyed the American economy
Written on 7 May, 2011 at 8:20
Thigpen says that a large number of national banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, HSBC and others repeatedly filed documents with forged signatures illegally notarized and other false information, and not only in his Register of Deeds office, but... (Continue reading)
SB 729 Fails – California Homeowners Get Banked but not Kissed Once Again
Written on 6 May, 2011 at 1:36
California Senate Bill 729 failed to pass in the Senate Banking Committee for the second time in the last two weeks. In a related story, it seems that the rights of chickens have suffered yet another blow, with the Chicken... (Continue reading)
Governor Abercrombie Signs SB 651 – Toughest Foreclosure Bill in Nation NOW LAW!
Written on 6 May, 2011 at 0:17
The new law makes mediation prior to foreclosure MANDATORY if requested by the borrower, and requires mortgage servicers attempting to foreclose to submit to the mediation board, 14 days prior to mediation, proof that the chain of title is intact,... (Continue reading)
The Most Damaging Propaganda Campaign in History. And its Aimed at You and Me
Written on 4 May, 2011 at 1:12
Debt is a status symbol... debt is a sign of success... debt is cool... you should want as much debt as you can get... being approved for more debt means you've made it. I want to be a gold... (Continue reading)
Hawaii 2011 – My Prayer for Hawaii’s Homeowners and SB 651
Written on 3 May, 2011 at 0:16
But then... the people in Arizona... well, they don't have Brudda IZ... now do they? Click play... turn up your speakers... close your eyes... and pray for SB 651 to pass tomorrow. Amen.... (Continue reading)
Hawaii’s Legislature Poised to Pass Nation’s Strongest Foreclosure Protection Bill
Written on 2 May, 2011 at 7:33
The dialog about the foreclosure crisis began when FACE member ministers began talking openly about there being no dignity for the families trying to save their homes from foreclosure by the mainland banks. That's what motivated FACE to get... (Continue reading)
GOT ONE! Jury Convicts Taylor Bean’s CEO Farkas of Bank, Wire, Securities Fraud and Conspiracy
Written on 20 Apr, 2011 at 9:59
Soon, the hole grew to over $100 million, so Taylor Bean and a handful of Colonial executives figured that the easiest thing to do would be for Taylor Bean to simply sell hundreds of millions in mortgages THAT HAD ALREADY... (Continue reading)
BoA’s Bad Bank – Pay No Attention to the 6.7 Million Loans Behind the Curtain
Written on 13 Mar, 2011 at 23:57
See, these are the kinds of things that make me afraid of the world around me... like, now I don't want to even leave my house. Does stuff like this work on "investors?" What... are the "investors" he... (Continue reading)
Republicans Leap to the Aid of Banker-Servicers Over AG Settlement Proposal
Written on 10 Mar, 2011 at 9:52
But, unquestionably, the best part of Senator's Shelby's largely unintelligible rant, was when he threw down the "don't fine them or there'll be no lending" card. He draws that card like a gun, doesn't he? He even sounds... (Continue reading)
Sen. Whitehouse Questions Expose a Kinder, Gentler and possibly more Frightened Tim Geithner
Written on 19 Feb, 2011 at 6:56
They've finally realized it... do you think? They thought other things would have happened by now as a result of pumping trillions into banks and the economy overall... and they haven't. And housing is in a free fall,... (Continue reading)
Federal Regulators to Bring Enforcement Actions Against Banks… May Get Rid of Hot Towels in Washroom
Written on 17 Feb, 2011 at 11:27
You know what... go to hell. How about the servicers offer "enhanced, streamlined modifications to troubled borrowers" just because it's the right thing to do? How about the servicers do it because although they can never come close... (Continue reading)
New Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin Gives Me Reason to Hope
Written on 15 Feb, 2011 at 15:53
I read her speech yesterday evening; parts actually gave me chills, and parts left me with a hopeful tear in my eye. She says almost exactly what I've written in my articles on at least dozens and at this... (Continue reading)
Republicans Preparing to Play Politics With HAMP
Written on 31 Jan, 2011 at 7:17
So, just curious... who woke up the House Republicans, a group who have otherwise been fast asleep these last two-plus years, at least as far as the foreclosure crisis is concerned. In point of fact, over the last two... (Continue reading)
KA-BOOM! INVESTORS FILE SUIT: Bank of America, Countrywide and named executives committed “MASSIVE” SECURITIES FRAUD related to Mortgage-backed Securities
Written on 25 Jan, 2011 at 10:24
So, if the investors that are supposed to own the loans that are supposed to be assigned to the trusts say the notes were never assigned to them, and therefore they say they don't have the right to foreclose... how... (Continue reading)
GMAC… Payments or Not, The Foreclosure Machine that Just Won’t Stop
Written on 15 Jan, 2011 at 1:55
The first time GMAC foreclosed on the couple's home was back in 2001. Totally current on their mortgage payments, it must have come as quite a shock. Once in foreclosure, GMAC wouldn't accept their monthly payments, so... (Continue reading)
A Nation So Utterly Divided…
Written on 6 Jan, 2011 at 11:45
And not only are we splitting off in more directions than the London subway, but I'm afraid too many of us have started to like it that way. It's become a badge of honor for some people. ... (Continue reading)
Geithner Won’t Quit in Battle Over Elizabeth Warren – WE NEED YOU NOW!
Written on 1 Jan, 2011 at 12:49
I didn't realize it was liberal to want to see someone put a stop to the kind of abusive lending behavior that has stripped the middle class of just about everything they had. I guess conservatives are now the... (Continue reading)
LA Homeowners Arrested During Foreclosure Protest – Video
Written on 18 Dec, 2010 at 7:23
ACCE says that now they plan to up the ante by " bringing together the collective power of the homeowners themselves in alliance with their supporters among labor unions, the religious community and community organizations." And in fact, among... (Continue reading)
BREAKTHROUGH: Why Americans Are Allowing the Foreclosure Crisis to Continue
Written on 17 Dec, 2010 at 11:46
More than half of our country doesn't care about the foreclosure crisis because to them, it's just bankers acting in their own best interests by foreclosing on homes that borrowers irresponsibly bought knowing they couldn't afford them. It's therefore... (Continue reading)
Who’s Winning Here? The Foreclosure Crisis – A Slide Show
Written on 9 Dec, 2010 at 8:52
Facing Change: Documenting America is a non-profit collective of dedicated photojournalists and writers coming together to explore America and to build a forum to chart its future. Mobilizing to document the critical issues facing America, FCDA teams will create a... (Continue reading)
T’was the Night Before Christmas… 2010
Written on 24 Nov, 2010 at 16:01
I write this political year-in-review holiday poem every year. I love doing it, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it and will send it to others of like mind as well. Happy Holidays!... (Continue reading)
Well, Would You Look at That: Elizabeth Warren Might Be Replaced by a Bank Lobbyist
Written on 11 Nov, 2010 at 5:35
So, take a few minutes and write to your elected representative about this. No one else, unless you feel like it, just your person in Congress. Tell them this line of thought is unacceptable, that we want Elizabeth... (Continue reading)
ANOTHER THUMPIN’. And, damn if he doesn’t have me hoping for change again.
Written on 5 Nov, 2010 at 16:10
It's worth considering, for example, that in the extreme crisis of the last two years, we might have dutifully followed a president if he would have just read us a bedtime story about a rabbit and a mule a couple... (Continue reading)
Report Shows Treasury Disagrees With Loan Mod Decisions at Chase, Wells & BofA – Requires Servicers to Make Changes Going Forward
Written on 27 Sep, 2010 at 23:55
Well, in the August HAMP Report, which is published monthly by Treasury, is a chart that shows that Treasury has disagreed with a higher than average number of the decisions being made by CHASE, Wells Fargo and Bank of America.... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the Rear: Treasury Secretary Tim “Transparency” Geithner and his Band of Banking Sadists
Written on 27 Sep, 2010 at 5:49
But Treasury officials told the bloggers that they knew all along that it wouldn't work, that homeowners would be foreclosed on left and right, but, they explained, that was okay with them. In fact, it was a good thing.... (Continue reading)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – Our Tax Dollars at Work
Written on 26 Sep, 2010 at 0:31
How many homes could we have saved with $111 MILLION, Wendy? How many people could we have fed... or trained to be able to get a new job one day? We're talking about $111 MILLION, damn it. ... (Continue reading)
GMAC Halts Evictions Related to Foreclosures in 23 States When News of Forged and Robo-Signed Documents Comes Out
Written on 24 Sep, 2010 at 16:50
Okay, so here's the story... some attorneys representing homeowners in foreclosure noticed that GAMC was saying things that weren't true, which is sometimes referred to as "lying," and then in a deposition it came out that a middle manager at... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the Rear: Senator Christopher J. Dodd
Written on 19 Sep, 2010 at 17:20
Now that Elizabeth Warren has been appointed to the post, albeit temporarily, support her with whatever support you can offer, Senator Dodd. Let the ones that oppose Elizabeth Warren stand naked in the light. And the American consumer....... (Continue reading)
President Obama… Thank You. Elizabeth Warren… Will You Marry Me?
Written on 15 Sep, 2010 at 20:53
But that was before I knew Elizabeth Warren as the TARP chief... the Harvard professor... the advocate for the middle class... the woman who was the only person in Washington D.C. who could stare down Treasury Secretary Tim "Transparency" Geithner... (Continue reading)
Treasury Designs New Federal Program to Help Stimulate Economy
Written on 7 Sep, 2010 at 22:31
Secretary Geithner explained the program to reporters while waiting for his dessert soufflé to rise. Those in attendance said that he told the group that the program would help homeowners and get the economy back on track by removing... (Continue reading)
AMERICA LOST: Treasury’s meetings with bloggers tells a story that I didn’t want to hear.
Written on 30 Aug, 2010 at 10:34
It made me sad to know what Treasury Department officials had said about the foreclosure crisis and HAMP... very, very sad. In fact, I can't think of another time in history when my government acted as these guys have... (Continue reading)
Apparently Europeans Handle Bad News Better Than We Do
Written on 26 Jul, 2010 at 17:49
Because, believe it or not, not everyone agrees with our Treasury Secretary, or our President for that matter, when they say that our economy is "on track". In fact, many think that quite the opposite is the case, and... (Continue reading)
Elizabeth Warren’s Appointment In Jeopardy-We Have to Act Now
Written on 23 Jul, 2010 at 5:37
Elizabeth Warren's appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency she conceived of and has lobbied for since 2007, is by no means assured, and in fact, sources on The Hill say they don't think Warren will get the... (Continue reading)
Elizabeth Warren on the Foreclosure Crisis
Written on 19 Jul, 2010 at 8:58
Elizabeth Warren: "It's about respect. I believe that the American people ought to be part of the conversation about what's happening in our economy, and what's happening in Washington D.C. and what's happening on Wall Street. I truly... (Continue reading)
Elizabeth Warren or Bust, I’m Drawing the Line
Written on 18 Jul, 2010 at 5:11
Ms. Warren should unquestionably be asked to head up this new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, bribed, begged and/or pleaded with, if need be. Without her philosophy and leadership setting the standards and tone of this new bureau as it... (Continue reading)
Nina Easton’s HOT Stocks for Homeowners Losing Homes
Written on 1 Jun, 2010 at 5:42
No, folks... the good news for our emerging foreclosure industry, and for my new Empty Homes Hi-Yield Bond Fund, is that our government has failed at every single turn in trying to stem the tide of foreclosures in this country,... (Continue reading)
Books That Matter: Crisis Economics, by Nouriel Roubini & Stephen Mihm
Written on 30 May, 2010 at 20:59
Roubini explains things I didn't previously understand, such as the details of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's and Treasury Secretary Geithner's response to the meltdown. Oh, I knew some of what those two had done, but not enough in terms... (Continue reading)
Books That Matter: 13 Bankers, by Simon Johnson & James Kwak
Written on 20 May, 2010 at 7:15
On Friday, March 27, 2009, the CEOs of thirteen of the country's largest financial institutions gathered at The White House to meet with President Barack Obama. ... (Continue reading)
Why Can’t We Answer the Question About HAMP That Could Save Taxpayers Tens of Billions?
Written on 13 May, 2010 at 5:06
How about if we all write letters to our elected representatives demanding to know the answer to this question, because the answer has the very definite potential to save many billions in unnecessary taxpayer funded expenditures associated with the current... (Continue reading)
MANDELMAN’S MONTHLY MUSELETTER VERSION 7.0
Written on 13 Apr, 2010 at 7:57
1. Wells Fargo - Out of frying pan into fire. 2. Nicholas Cage Looses Home to Foreclosure and No One Bids at Auction. 3.Arizona Homeowners at Meeting on Stopping the Foreclosure. 5. Two Women Sentenced for Scamming... (Continue reading)
TARP Chief Elizabeth Warren: “It’s the Bank Lobbyists vs. American Families”
Written on 24 Feb, 2010 at 9:27
Warren then went on to say: "Six months ago, I really thought that we were on the brink of financial reform." In response, Maher asked her what she was smoking back then. The audience laughed. I did... (Continue reading)
TARP Chief Elizabeth Warren Says We’ll Never Know Where TARP Funds Went
Written on 20 Oct, 2009 at 13:20
Elizabeth... damn it. That doesn't make any sense and you have to know that. First of all, I would argue that you don't have to ask in advance where your $700 billion will be going because IT's $700... (Continue reading)