Wednesday 4th December
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Max Gardner’s Consumer Defense Academy: Latest in Loss Mitigation – March 19th, Portland
Written on 2 Mar, 2016 at 16:34
Learn the most up-to-date loss mitigation & legal strategies, based on new state & federal statutes that have dramatically changed the playing field.... (Continue reading)
11 Sale Dates in One Year… and then the bank modified his loan?
Written on 10 Dec, 2015 at 6:39
You don't need to keep re-setting a sale date every month... unless you want to absolutely ruin someone's credit report until it's beyond recognition. It should show one sale date/Notice of Sale, and then a postponement as he awaited... (Continue reading)
Dave Dayen Does Great Job Describing “Government Cowardice” and Donovan’s Complicity “Selling” the National Mortgage Settlement
Written on 23 Mar, 2014 at 21:24
Dayen's article is still an outstanding piece of work that I very much appreciated. It saved me from having to read Smith's final report, and he wrote it in such a way that I think it represents the perfect... (Continue reading)
GUEST POST: Mortgages, now in the hands of specialty servicers, means trouble for homeowners and investors.
Written on 27 Feb, 2014 at 23:06
During the past 12 months, the rights to service millions of home loans have been shifted from large banks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Chase to specialty loan servicers like Ocwen Home Loan Servicing, Nationstar and SPS,... (Continue reading)
All the News that Can Confuse ““ Housing Market News Up and Down at the Same Time
Written on 27 Feb, 2014 at 0:18
On any given day, the numbers of contradictory headlines about housing markets and foreclosures are enough to present a serious health risk to anyone reading them. ... (Continue reading)
Borrowers Facing Foreclosure Should be Dancing in the Streets Over “˜X’ and “˜Z’ and Here’s Why
Written on 12 Dec, 2013 at 1:38
So, there you have it... a solid check mark in the "WIN" column for consumers over the interests of the banking industry. And I don't think Realtors, mortgage brokers, or even the banks themselves have come to fully understand... (Continue reading)
Meet Thomas Cox, Esquire. A National Hero in Foreclosure Defense
Written on 14 Oct, 2013 at 21:38
Portland Maine attorney Thomas Cox is a national hero of the foreclosure crisis. Frankly, I thought everyone already knew that, but apparently not. So, if you aren't already familiar with what Tom has done and continues to do... (Continue reading)
New Abuses in the Foreclosure Process Make the Dire… Dreadful
Written on 23 Sep, 2013 at 9:09
More than any other single factor, shame has made it possible for this country to lose over six million homes to foreclosure... and relative to the number of homes lost, they've been lost without a peep uttered in protest. ... (Continue reading)
Homeowner Says Martin Andelman Helped Save Home After She Was Scammed Three Times
Written on 24 Jul, 2013 at 20:48
He did not take advantage of us, he worked with us without charging us any money! He gave us hope and made our dream come true. Home loan modifications do work you just have to have the right... (Continue reading)
Foreclosures Impact One in 10 Children in this Country Today, Report Shows
Written on 10 Jul, 2013 at 14:49
No matter, the more important conclusion reached by the report is that, "Nearly four years later, the problem shows no signs of abating." And isn't that just a lovely thought that made me throw up in my mouth a... (Continue reading)
I’ve Seen More for Homeowners from Bank of America than Any Other Servicer By Far
Written on 9 Jul, 2013 at 5:44
One homeowner that I contacted Bank of America about, a disabled vet, ended up with a fixed interest rate of one tenth of one percent for forty years. And on more than one occasion, I saw the bank buy... (Continue reading)
Did Some Type of Insurance or Credit Default Swap Pay Off Your Mortgage?
Written on 3 Jul, 2013 at 7:24
I recently saw someone online saying that as a result of multiple insurance payouts a bank could receive millions of dollars on a $200,000 loan that went into default. It's just not true. There are lot's of reasons why... (Continue reading)
One Bank Did Right by Homeowners & Shareholders – A Story You Haven’t Heard Before
Written on 17 May, 2013 at 17:40
There is one mortgage banker that did it right for their shareholders and borrowers. They didn't take TARP funds or any sort of tax-payer funded bailout... instead they took their losses, restructured the company, and protected their shareholders... ... (Continue reading)
I’m Back in the Saddle Again… What’d I miss? Nothing, unfortunately.
Written on 13 May, 2013 at 13:40
I know many have been wondering where I've been for the last two months from the slew of emails I've received, I thought I'd explain what I didn't want to explain at the time... and let everyone know that not... (Continue reading)
Recovery? Ho, Ho, Holiday Sales Tell the Tale
Written on 29 Dec, 2012 at 9:29
I'm just so relieved that none of this dismal economic news was caused by the respective economies being in deep recession led by unreported worsening unemployment and pretend housing market recoveries. Because if those things were the cause, why... (Continue reading)
We’re Just Not Going to Fix the Foreclosure Crisis in Court
Written on 13 Dec, 2012 at 14:06
In all but a very small number of cases, homeowners have continued to find the courts either unwilling or incapable of dispensing what they would consider fair and just solutions, and while the federal government has remained essentially mute on... (Continue reading)
Bank of America’s SVP Eric Tellijohann Provides an Advance Update on the National Mortgage Settlement Progress
Written on 16 Nov, 2012 at 22:33
What's going on inside BOA as of the end of the second quarter of the National Mortgage Settlement? Here's your chance to hear it straight from the source... in advance of the monitor's report. Another Mandelman Matters Exclusive!... (Continue reading)
Bank of America’s Dave Steckel on the National Mortgage Settlement – A Mandelman Mattters Exclusive Newscast
Written on 19 Oct, 2012 at 14:43
Well, I asked BOA if one of their executives would join me on a Mandelman Matters Podcast, so we could get a better feel for what's going on than just reading their press release, and Dave Steckel, even though I'm... (Continue reading)
Servicers Extinguishing Liens DOES Help Homeowners, NOT Erasing Debt That Isn’t there
Written on 14 Oct, 2012 at 9:48
I know what happened here. A homeowner in Connecticut was denied for a loan modification based on excessive income and her lawyer told her she would have to file bankruptcy to stop the sale of her home. Then... (Continue reading)
California’s Attorney General Offering Free Foreclosure Review to Homeowners
Written on 12 Oct, 2012 at 8:59
I'm not saying it'll be enough, or it'll be fair... but it will be something. No amount of money can truly compensate you for what you lost... but maybe just the acknowledgement by the Settlement Monitor and AG's office... (Continue reading)
No Surprise – Arizona Court Rules Mortgage Settlement Funds Don’t Have to Help Homeowners
Written on 12 Oct, 2012 at 2:39
Okay, so what's the big deal whether the state uses some of the funds to balance the state's budget? It's better than the alternative, which is the legislature cutting much needed assistance programs and raising taxes across the board...... (Continue reading)
Katherine Porter to Make Sure Homeowners Get What Servicers Promised – A Mandelman Matters Podcast
Written on 4 Oct, 2012 at 9:27
Back in April of this year, they were granted 180 days to get their servicing operations ready to comply with the new standards, and as of yesterday, they'll be held to the 304 new rules for addressing the needs of... (Continue reading)
It’s National Mortgage Servicers Settlement Compliance Day!
Written on 3 Oct, 2012 at 18:32
Per the settlement agreement, Smith will be testing the servicers adherence to the new rules using 29 defined metrics to assess such breaches as improper trustee sales, wrongful denial of modification, the use of fraudulent affidavits in the foreclosure process,... (Continue reading)
Loan Modification Process Improving at BOA and Other Servicers
Written on 19 Sep, 2012 at 5:46
why would Smith publish a report whose only meaningful certainty was to scare even more homeowners away from paying attention to Bank of America's borrower outreach efforts? BOA and its peers were already having a hard time reaching... (Continue reading)
Mortgage Servicing… The Winds Have Shifted, the Pendulum is About to Swing
Written on 25 Jul, 2012 at 0:43
The recent passage of California's Homeowner Bill of Rights (53-25, 25-13) is the most conclusive example that what I spoke of at that conference in 2010, has come to pass. The financial services industry lobbied heavily against the passage... (Continue reading)
Should States Use Settlement Money for Deficits or Housing? Oh, So What and Who Cares?
Written on 8 Jun, 2012 at 19:02
When I saw the very first state make a grab for the settlement cash allegedly headed the state's way, I laughed and vowed not to let it get to me. Mandelman Matters, after all, only writes about things that... (Continue reading)
Introducing 30 MINUTES OF TALKING – A Mandelman Matters Podcast
Written on 20 Apr, 2012 at 19:46
This week's show focuses on the Obama Administration's handling of the foreclosure and housing crisis, by examining the statements made during the press conference the administration held to announce the settlement between the 49 state attorneys general and the five... (Continue reading)