So, why does Cordray make it sound like he's describing a problem with reverse mortgages when he's actually not? Why is he scaring seniors away from a reverse mortgage, when it could transform their lives, or save their homes,... (Continue reading)
The thing is that no one wants to think that the horror show we've all witnessed these last five years hasn't been part of a nefarious plot to steal homes and take over the world somehow. That would at... (Continue reading)
Rush Limbaugh has admitted that Republicans won't work with Obama because he's black. Remember when Barack Obama was running against Hillary Clinton for president in 2008? So, remember the question that was on everyone's mind in 2008? ... (Continue reading)
President Obama said that all I needed to do to avoid foreclosure was get my loan modified. He said to just call my bank directly so I did. And I had the most interesting cultural experience. That... (Continue reading)
Long-term interest rates rising means different things to different people, but none of it's good. Higher long-term rates makes it much more expensive for state and local governments to borrow money, and you can probably guess how that would... (Continue reading)
Okay, so that's GAME OVER for the State of Illinois. Ball four... take a hike... we'll see you back here in 2014 or 2015. Take some time off, you deserve it. ... (Continue reading)
I pray for the parents of the children that were senselessly taken away on Friday... I pray that those that have other children at home find some way to go on. For a parent who lost their only child... (Continue reading)
Jon Stewart asked you about why you didn't spend so much of the money available for HAMP... on HAMP... or on other efforts to mitigate the damage being caused by the foreclosure crisis. And you knew what he had... (Continue reading)
It's foreign policy night but although each question starts out overseas, it ends up buried in our flaccid economy somewhere near Cleveland. Romney points out that Obama can't seem to buy jobs let alone create them. ... (Continue reading)
They actually believe that too much regulation is the problem facing our financial institutions... that foreclosures are a good thing for the housing market... that tax cuts for the rich will create prosperity... that people on food stamps won't get... (Continue reading)
Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke communicates more than any of his predecessors, but have you found yourself increasingly wondering what in the world the man is thinking behind that shiny dome and professorial facial hair?... (Continue reading)
As many as 1,000 surprise guests visited the Bethesda home of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Sunday around 5:00 PM. ... (Continue reading)
I decided that I had to do more to help stop homeowners from getting ripped off, by providing the state specific information homeowners need to make the right decisions for their individual goals and circumstances. Moving forward on the... (Continue reading)
I'm not sure why, but meeting with a "Home Save Counselor" doesn't make me feel like I'll be talking with a commissioned salesperson who will be potentially making up to $1,000 on my loan modification case? A "Home Save... (Continue reading)
For one thing, filing quiet title did work out well for Denise Saluto, and since I would never have predicted it happening in her case, I'm certainly not going to tell you it won't happen again in yours, because as... (Continue reading)
Zanides estimates that the bank has spent a significant amount already on legal fees and now is certain to spend a whole lot more. Patricia Martin's home is worth no more than $275,000. How can it be worth... (Continue reading)
The European bankers are no different than is the FHFA, which is led by Ed DeMarco, the guy stopping Fannie and Freddie from reducing principal balances of mortgages. He says he won't do it because his job is to... (Continue reading)
Doesn't it just figure that in this country, where we have so much food we that throw away inconceivable amounts on an hourly basis and literally pay farmers millions of dollars not to grow stuff... that we'd have trendy intellectuals... (Continue reading)
I can tell you that I receive more complaints about Wells Fargo refusing to approve loan modifications than any three other mortgage servicers combined. But then, Wells did modify one of the homeowners I wrote about a few months... (Continue reading)
What follows below are slides from an actual presentation of a Residential Mortgage-backed Securities - RMBS/REMIC deal... but NOT the slides from a "road show" presentation to potential investors... what you're about to see are slides from an INTERNAL meeting... (Continue reading)
I write to identify a policy change that would add trillions of dollars of liquidity to the housing market overnight. It would stimulate home sales, stabilize home prices, and reduce the number of home foreclosures.... (Continue reading)
The video below puts you in the courtroom to watch as both sides of the debate present oral arguments related to MERS' involvement in the foreclosure process in front of the nine justices of the Washington State Supreme Court.... (Continue reading)
I suppose I'll never know who was involved or what you've done to this nation by manipulating or withholding such information from Congress, from the president, from the American people and from the world. If you did any of... (Continue reading)
If you're not already familiar with Ellen Brown, then I might as well just go ahead and say: "Your welcome," because I can't imagine anyone not liking this prolific blogger, author of 11 books, attorney, and President and Chairman of... (Continue reading)
Having Nye Lavalle and Max Gardner together is a rare event. Together, they would have to be considered the founding fathers of today's foreclosure defense movement, so this is an opportunity to learn how it all began and where... (Continue reading)
Also, I'm wondering something... when you say that, "foreclosures are a necessary ingredient to the housing market's recovery," how many do you figure we're going to need in order to "recover?" ... (Continue reading)
So... housing is not, not, not at bottom, "“ check. Unemployment not improving "“ check. And does the stock market at 13,000 mean something to the economy? Nothing good "“ check.You might want to bookmark this page, so... (Continue reading)
So, why did I write this? Because it makes just as much sense as everything else that's going on in this country, and at least it made me smile. ... (Continue reading)
The foreclosure crisis is seeping into our society everywhere. Or, at least it soon will be... ... (Continue reading)
What follows is a podcast featuring the "whistle blower"... the anonymous independent file reviewer working for Promontory on the Wells Fargo Bank account that reached out to us because he was fed up. I verified his identity and spoke... (Continue reading)
Lately, Gretchen has been really going strong on foreclosure-related topics... the fraudulent document scandal, the Fannie report, DocX, the AG settlement, so I thought now would be a good time to have her on a Mandelman Matters Podcast.... (Continue reading)
Wells Fargo... let me be clear about this because time is short. Particia Martin is scheduled for UD Court tomorrow. So, you have some law firm, some unsuspecting foreclosure mill, no doubt... and you should call and cancel... (Continue reading)
I haven't actually seen any of them, but I've gone ahead and described them, so you can see the candidates through my somewhat jaded perspective... and my list is likely a little different than the others you'll run across... I... (Continue reading)
This Mandelman Matters Podcast with Professor David Coates is not the same thing you've heard before, as he covers the foreclosure crisis both here in the U.S and in the UK. He also talks about the global financial crisis... (Continue reading)
Ooops, you did it again! Yes, it's true... Wells Fargo contacted Tom and Jeneane up in Granite Bay, California mid-day today to let them know that their SALE DATE of February 3, 2012 HAS BEEN POSTPONED. ... (Continue reading)
ProPublica is reporting that Freddie Mac has been placing "multi-billion dollar bets designed to only pay off when homeowners remain "trapped" in high interest rate loans, and that the government-owned mortgage monster began increasing such bets late in 2010, which... (Continue reading)
In just two days from now, on Monday, January 30, 2012, at 3:00 PM... a terrible, tragic and yet easily avoidable event is scheduled to occur... and MUST BE STOPPED. OneWest Bank is scheduled to conduct a foreclosure auction... (Continue reading)
If Mickey Mouse is going to sign it, and Donald Duck is going to notarize it... THEN DON'T SIGN IT... because we don't need it signed. BUT... if we DO need it signed, then don't forge it and file... (Continue reading)
The man's wife passed away in 2006. They were married for 53 years. Your bank explained that a request for postponement went in on the 23rd of December 2011 on a loan which Bank of America agreed to... (Continue reading)
Reducing mortgage balances is a risky idea that hasn't been shown to keep borrowers who owe more than their property's worth in their homes, according to Credit Suisse Group AG. (CSGN). Suspending accounting rules is a risky idea that hasn't been... (Continue reading)
How does the Fed write a white paper and present it to the United State Congress that is packed with proof positive of an entirely inadequate level of knowledge, understanding... education, even? Am I going to find out that... (Continue reading)
I learned about death from Martin King. I learned about peace from Martin King. I learned about hope from Martin King. I learned about struggle from Martin King. I learned about my country from Martin King. I learned to love... (Continue reading)
Doug and Holly were excellent customers of your bank for over 16 years, and then they hit a rough patch. They needed the bank's help... some guidance to get them through difficult times. You had a chance to... (Continue reading)
ALJAZEERA: "If you want to find out about this story of the year and years past, in all of its disgusting detail, you can't just trust major media. You have to read Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone, a music magazine,... (Continue reading)
And, since it is the holidays, it's also time for my annual year-in-review-in-rhyme, read to the famous holiday poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I started writing my 'Twas the Night year-in-review in 2007, or at least that's the year... (Continue reading)
I was a guest on the News Dissector radio show with Danny Schechter out of NYC. And I was joined by one of the Occupy Wall Street organizers and Capt. (Ret.) Ray Lewis. Check it out... given the... (Continue reading)
A Mandelman Matters Podcast - Washington State attorney, Shawn Newman is fighting to protect the rights of homeowners. His legal theories and experiences in court related to Fannie and Freddie "owned" loans are interesting, to say the least, and... (Continue reading)
Bank of America... stop torturing disabled American veterans, and stop torturing Arlie Matthews and I do mean immediately... and I also mean... or else. He's a brave and strong guy, but I know he's got to be scared to... (Continue reading)
The Arizona Bankers Association has been trying to change that for years so banks could go after the homeowners for the amount of the deficiency, and finally they've found their boy in Jack Harper. Inconceivably, Harper says he will... (Continue reading)
Now, when right in front of our eyes, the banking lobby is pushing to make the only federal agency whose role is to protect consumers entirely toothless, once again we're failing to make our voices heard. I know this... (Continue reading)
So, I'm bringing all of this up because Mr. Edward DeMarco, who is just the "acting" director of the independent federal agency that placed both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship in the fall of 2008, has actually become... (Continue reading)
In this edition you'll find: 1. Robo-signing KILLS... 2. OCC proposes credit rating duties go to banks - A real conversation with a banker-friend of mine. 3. PMI Files Bankruptcy - Regulators step in and take over yet another mortgage... (Continue reading)
I wanted to have Matt on a podcast so both homeowners and other lawyers would have an opportunity to hear his views on the crisis today, and specifically what he's seeing in the Florida courts. And sure enough, Matt... (Continue reading)
So, whether you're a homeowner fighting to keep your home... or a lawyer who represents homeowners in foreclosure, here's an opportunity to hear what April has to say about where we've been, where we are today, and where she thinks... (Continue reading)
Why? Well, according to the Realtors, it's credit scores and appraisals coming in too low. Well shave my head and call me Baldy... what do you know about that? I certainly do declare, how can such a... (Continue reading)
MEMO TO BANK OF AMERICA... Why do you do these things to me? I was just sitting here minding my own business, perfectly content to write about Chase or Wells or anything else for that matter... but no, you... (Continue reading)
We need, as perhaps the late, great Steve Jobs might have said... to think differently, to fight differently. We need to scare them by making them realize that we are their source of power and just as we bestow... (Continue reading)
Two movies I really want to see, and I think you will want to see them as well. One is Bailout, and it looks funny and great. The other is Margin Call, and it look dramatic and really... (Continue reading)
The bottom-line... much of what the government is reporting is nothing more than a mirage, with the rest either easily explained or not indicative of a growing economy, but rather a shrinking one. ... (Continue reading)
The bottom-line is that this does appear to be a chance for people who were treated unfairly as part of the foreclosure process (and Lord knows there are plenty who fall into that category) to get a shot at some... (Continue reading)
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH INVESTORS? WHO ARE THEY? ARE THEY LOSING MONEY ON FORECLOSURES? What do the investors think about all these foreclosures? What's the relationship like between investors and servicers? Do investors want to modify loans? Do... (Continue reading)
Quoth the Craven, "Nevermore."... (Continue reading)
Our country is in crisis, and we can't expect the banks to act for the overall good of our society... that's not their role... that's the role of the elected representatives who serve in our government. No surprises there,... (Continue reading)
At the California State Bar Association's 84th Annual Meeting, September 17, 2011, Susan Anderson presented what she said is the bar's official interpretation of SB 94, precluding a lawyer from being paid for services related to a loan modification until... (Continue reading)
Max basically gives attorneys his thirty-year law practice in a box with easy to follow assembly instructions and ongoing support. And there's nothing theoretical about what Max teaches attorneys at his workshops and seminars. In fact, I've seen... (Continue reading)
I'm not sure what to say to that, now that I've read Zach's article and been shown more of what went on behind closed doors at the Obama White House. That mistakes were made is abundantly clear, but even... (Continue reading)
Romney has also offered a 160-page economic program and it offers nothing in terms of specific solutions to the housing crisis and in fact barely mentions it. And at the recently held Republican candidate debate, held in Las Vegas... (Continue reading)
As shocking as it may be to some, apparently if you start with MERS, mix in some robo-signing, have total disregard for the PSA, and entirely ignore each and every law along the way, well... you end up destroying the... (Continue reading)
I think the nice folks at the New York Times have been spending too much time at Zabars? Because I'm pretty sure it's not a confidence deficiency... I think it's money we're missing... as in income, and the lack... (Continue reading)
Homeowners who have been forced into litigation in an attempt to save their homes, whether choosing to represent themselves, or hire an attorney, are battling against the largest financial institutions in the world in a court system that's anything but... (Continue reading)
I mean, here we had our "smart" president, and the first thing he does upon taking the reins of a nation in real economic peril, is throw together a spending bill whose numbers were pulled directly from the hindquarters of... (Continue reading)
Apparently, this past week, the sound of the economy's ship going down must have awoken the majority of House Democrats from California who then just jumped all over the Obama Administration for "failing to deliver on promises to curb foreclosures."... (Continue reading)
It's no secret to anyone close to the crisis that homeowners in distress are routinely lied to by servicers... often homes are lost as a result of those lies... and what's even more shocking than that is how so... (Continue reading)
Basically, the architects of the sub-prime lending that caused the greatest financial crisis in the history of mankind, are now going to profit from the crisis they caused by buying and selling the very sub-prime loans they couldn't sell before,... (Continue reading)
Let's hit this one out of the park for Cynthia in Knoxville, shall we? Come on... did you have a frustrating day? Me too. So, here's something to take all that frustration out on, what do you... (Continue reading)
1. Obama Administration Leaps Into Action on the Foreclosure Crisis. 2. Nation's poverty rate climbs to 15.1%, highest in 18 years. 3. Obama Says Government to Help More People Refinance... Again. 4. Mortgage Defaults Skyrocket 33% Nationwide in... (Continue reading)
Obviously, Obama has been hard at work on this very important subject, and I think we have to give credit where credit is due. And he's got more ideas than just cutting a day of mail delivery, oh yes... (Continue reading)
Watch it. Link to it. Post it. Support it. Everyone who contributes will be listed in the credits and we plan to take the film all the way to the Academy Awards. If "Inside Job"... (Continue reading)
I don't know what to say except that I am so very sorry that I let them down. So deeply sorry... and I'll never forget them... I'll try never to let something like that happen again. ... (Continue reading)
I didn't want to do this. I was perfectly content ignoring his idiotic drivel as I've been doing pretty successfully for over a year. Or, maybe it's because he hasn't said anything in over a year, I'm not... (Continue reading)
Mark Zandi is not only misleading the American public, but he's also misleading the American government, because he appears to have become the favorite economist of the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the Senate and House Budget and Finance... (Continue reading)
I remember a year or two back when Warren Buffett quipped that one solution was to "blow up a lot of houses -- a tactic similar to the destruction of autos that occurred with the "˜cash-for-clunkers' program.'" He was... (Continue reading)
And call me crazy, but I found the news oddly reassuring... you know... like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an ice cold glass of milk. ... (Continue reading)
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)
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)
Several classes later, when we were entering the year 1976, I used the opportunity to jump into a musical time machine to travel back to the year 1776 in the City of Philadelphia at the Continental Congress. I was... (Continue reading)
I asked a friend of mine who is a fairly senior executive at a major bank, although not one of those mentioned here, and he said that he can't imagine the banks losing them. He explains that the truck... (Continue reading)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Falling Home Prices, the Next Financial Crisis is Near, Defaulters Aren't Deadbeats After All, the Economy with Gwen Ifill and MERS has No Clothes.... (Continue reading)
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)
What's changed is this country. It's not at all the same as it's been throughout my lifetime, in fact it's very different in quite a few substantive ways... do you feel it too, or is it just me? ... (Continue reading)
I know... you think not modifying those loans is punishing the homeowners for getting in over their heads... but in realty, it's not punishing them... it's punishing you... you are running about, commenting on blogs, advocating the kicking of your... (Continue reading)
You should all hide your faces from the people who sent you to Washington... you should all be ashamed for everything you have and haven't done. Your ignorance and insensitivity will be disdained for many years to come.... (Continue reading)
He went from being a man of the people, to being the best friend Wall Street could ever have hoped for, and for that the Republicans accuse him of being a socialist, while the left accuses him of being too... (Continue reading)
So, I was sent this short video done by wimp.com, and I thought it was well worth sharing with everyone... ... (Continue reading)
Can you hear me now? Is that doing it for you? The facts about California attorneys who offer to assist homeowners with loan modifications as presented in the New York Times story are just plain WRONG. ... (Continue reading)