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)
The monetary terms aspect of the mortgage settlement agreement is completely worthless to everyone. Three billion to provide refinancing for underwater mortgages? If that was executed perfectly, it MIGHT refinance 15,000 homes nationwide. Why even bother doing... (Continue reading)
Dear Greece... The Dracma will be fine and so will the people, but not if you wait too long, or if you continue with a prime minister who is an ex-central banker. Toss him out, re-shuffle the deck and... (Continue reading)
The settlement agreement is supposed to help one million households by reducing their loan balance reduced. Thereâs no way is there enough money in this settlement to do all that much for anyone. But Obama has said itâs... (Continue reading)
Here's the deal... I wrote a year ago when the whole AG/banker political circus started that I was not going to follow it, not going to write about it, and certainly not care about it. It was a colossal... (Continue reading)
I havenât actually seen any of them, but Iâve 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 youâll run across⌠I... (Continue reading)
Arizona's hundreds of thousands of hopelessly underwater homeowners are having the best day they've had since the "days of equity" back in 2006. The bill not only passed, but it passed unanimously... '6' Ayes to '0' Nays. ... (Continue reading)
Plus, in Massachusetts, do you know how they do it? They auction the home off right on the soon to be ex-homeowner's front lawn, for all to see. I'll tell you what... that is some 17th century nonsense... (Continue reading)
"In Arizona we don't ignore problems, nor do we pretend they aren't there," Sen. Reagan explains. "Obviously, the federal programs aren't going to address our state's needs, and that's fine. We're perfectly capable of doing what's best for... (Continue reading)
This is one Mandelman Matters Podcast that you definitely don't want to miss. Nathan sets it up in the beginning, then you hear the audio of the actual courtroom arguments, both his and the lawyer for US Bank... and... (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 âmulti-billion dollar bets designed to only pay off when homeowners remain âtrappedâ in high interest rate loans, and that the government-owned mortgage monster began increasing such bets late in 2010, which... (Continue reading)
DOERS... you did it again. That's 7 out of 7 DOERS... we really are DOING it and making a real and very meaningful difference not only for the homeowners whose homes we've saved by helping them get sustainable loan... (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)
Because I just canât believe that anyone would intentionally do this to the parents of an autistic 12 year-old girl⌠invite them to apply for a loan modification, and then after six months, leave them over a weekend with the... (Continue reading)
By mid-day on Tuesday, Bank of America had responded to say they were looking into it... and by 4:30 PM that same day Bank of America DID THE WRIGHT THING, and gave Mr. Dale Wright his home back... from a... (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 hasnât been shown to keep borrowers who owe more than their propertyâs worth in their homes, according to Credit Suisse Group AG. (CSGN). Suspending accounting rules is a risky idea that hasnât been... (Continue reading)
Consider this... bankers say that they've been overwhelmed by the millions of homeowners unexpectedly seeking loan modifications and that's why applying for a loan modification has been such a nightmare. But, what about the number of foreclosures occurring in... (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)
Look⌠are you feeling me here? Do you see what Iâm saying? Whatâs the deal? Are they lying or are they stupid, because thereâs no way in the world we should be talking about whether the FOMC... (Continue reading)
Utah Attorney Walter Keene is the lawyer that filed four quiet title claims last year, which means he was seeking to obtain a court order granting clear title to the properties in question. And all four were granted by... (Continue reading)
If that is going to be allowed to happen, we⌠and I mean WE, as in ALL OF US⌠should demand that we stop signing such things altogether. If a Linda Green look-a-like is going to sign a fraudulent... (Continue reading)
I don't usually do this, but with Holly's permission, I've posted the three emails I received from her today. I get a lot of very flattering emails from homeowners across the country, and I appreciate them all very much...... (Continue reading)
Russ truly likes helping people with financial struggles. âI view my practice as a way to level the playing field between ordinary citizensâthe votersâand Corporate Americaâthe vote buyers. Iâm unapologetically on the side of the little guy.â And you... (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 bankâs help⌠some guidance to get them through difficult times. You had a chance to... (Continue reading)
So, below is a video that Marco just put together. It's dramatic... disturbing even. It includes footage of the sheriff coming to evict a family, obviously without notice... or at least without adequate notice. Marco put the... (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)
Every year I take a whole week off at Christmastime. Of course, it wasnât always that way. When I started working for my Uncle Scrooge years ago, he never would have allowed that. In fact, back then,... (Continue reading)
FIRST UP: A favorable ruling from Florida's Supreme Court in the Pino Case... I ask attorney Matt Weidner and Foreclosure Hamlet's Lisa Epstein to tell us what it means to homeowners. SECOND STORY: A blogger in Ohio teams up with... (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)
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Departmentâs Criminal Division announced today that attorney Mitchell J. Stein was arrested on Sunday, December 18, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport on charges related to his alleged role in a... (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)
This letter was written today by attorney Thomas Cox of Portland Maine, and posted on several legal listservs. It was totally unexpected and more than moving. Tom is the lawyer whose work and depositions of GMAC's Jeffrey Stephan... (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. Heâs a brave and strong guy, but I know heâs got to be scared to... (Continue reading)
No one helps those who don't help themselves. We need to be WE... and now. Because as long as the country believes that irresponsible borrowers are the problem, nothing will change for borrowers... not enough lawyers will join... (Continue reading)
I also spoke to the members of the panel about the need for the State Bar to give more careful consideration to how it can better support the legitimate and ethical attorneys that could provide representation to homeowners in need... (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 weâre failing to make our voices heard. I know this... (Continue reading)
Well, I caught up with Jeff after receiving a "friend request" from him on Facebook... I recognized the name right away and sent him a note asking him to join me for a podcast... and he said yes, of course.... (Continue reading)
The FBI has issued a statement saying that the Bureau is, "working with German authorities to assess the incident in Frankfurt and any potential threat to facilities or people here." NYPD has increased security around the Deutsche Bank locations in... (Continue reading)
Here's something you can't do anywhere else... listen to author Michael Hudson not only talk with me about his book, but listen to how he applies his vast knowledge of the subject matter to what's going on today in our... (Continue reading)
So, Iâm 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)
What you are about to read has not been smoothed out or otherwise homogenized, itâs just the news as itâs coming at me⌠and you. Go ahead⌠read it and then tell me everythingâs just fine. ... (Continue reading)
Obviously, either Neal has the cognitive abilities of a fruit loop soaked in milk, or heâs just disturbed. What do you suppose he thinks âspreadâ to Europe and its banks? I mean, I donât think loans can spreadâŚ... (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, itâs 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)
So... if you're wondering why I'm writing this right now, as education is raining down all around me? Well, it's because this is like being at the All-Star Game of the foreclosure crisis. It's just packed with high... (Continue reading)
⌠Faster than a NINJA loan originating at Wamu⌠More powerful than an unlimited warehouse line at Lehman Bros⌠able to see swaps and synthetics even when inside an SPE⌠Look, up in the sky⌠Itâs a bird⌠Itâs 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)
You know the stereotype⌠we all do⌠reckless and greedy people who bought homes they could never hope to afford by signing their names on nothing down, 80/20 âliar loansâ with negative amortization and teaser rates of 1%. And... (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)
Tom's going to share some things that are very disturbing... things he's discovered are going on behind closed doors in the mortgage banking industry... thinks you probably haven't heard about before... things we all need to know. Don't even... (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)
At the California State Bar Association's 84th Annual Meeting, September 17, 2011, Susan Anderson presented what she said is the barâs 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)
Iâm not sure what to say to that, now that Iâve read Zachâs 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)
State budgets have to be suffering from reduced income and sales taxes, donât they? Higher unemployment obviously means fewer people working and those that are still working⌠are making less money, so it stands to reason that income tax... (Continue reading)
Even Edward J. DeMarco, acting director of the independent Federal Housing Finance Agency says his fix will be more of a tune-up than an overhaul, with reduced âfrictionsâ and âenhancements.â... (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 Iâm pretty sure itâs not a confidence deficiency⌠I think itâs money weâre 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 thatâs anything but... (Continue reading)
âThis case asks court very directly whether the MERS system complies with state law. If it doesnât then Iâm going to go back and reopen all of the foreclosures alleging that the transfers were invalid,â says Dann without hesitation. ... (Continue reading)
I mean, here we had our âsmartâ 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 economyâs ship going down must have awoken the majority of House Democrats from California who then just jumped all over the Obama Administration for âfailing to deliver on promises to curb foreclosures.â... (Continue reading)
Yesterday, for the first time since the recession began, the Wall Street Journal survey of 50 economists now say that incomes in this country have been falling since 2000 and they donât expect us to make up the lost ground... (Continue reading)
Klein seems to think that itâs important to understand how the administration got it so wrong⌠but I could care less. I think the salient point is that they knew they had gotten it wrong soon enough, and yet... (Continue reading)
Look people⌠donât get bummed out about this study, because a few years from now the NBER is probably going to refer to today as having been a peak. ... (Continue reading)
Since then, weâve been bubbled into financial ruin. We bought high and sold low, until our 401(k)s turned into 201(k)s, and then we doubled down on shares of Pets.com, never bothering to question how the company planned to deliver... (Continue reading)
Brancaccio asked about whether these Wall Street types recognized that bonuses are usually paid on profits, but that profits are "radically down," and Bethany replied that they don't. She said that there's a widespread belief that "it wasn't my fault,... (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 couldnât sell before,... (Continue reading)
Letâs hit this one out of the park for Cynthia in Knoxville, shall we? Come on⌠did you have a frustrating day? Me too. So, hereâs something to take all that frustration out on, what do you... (Continue reading)
BUT⌠the odds are that they wonât win their lawsuits, their legal arguments will not prevail and ultimately they will lose their homes to foreclosure. Many arrive in court having not made a mortgage payment in several years, and... (Continue reading)
Is it possible that Iâm only dreaming all of this? Like, maybe I donât really blog about the financial and foreclosure crises⌠maybe itâs all just part of a reoccurring, and incomprehensibly maddening dream? ... (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 heâs got more ideas than just cutting a day of mail delivery, oh yes... (Continue reading)
Look, Iâve been an âemployerâ for some 20 years, and Iâd just like to assure everyone that breaking the collective back of our nationâs middle class is precisely what is stopping Americaâs employers from spending the massive amounts of cash... (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)
We plan to release the final film by the end of this calendar year. This is an election year. We canât afford to wait. Please help me change how this country views the tragedy that is the... (Continue reading)
I donât know what to say except that I am so very sorry that I let them down. So deeply sorry⌠and Iâll never forget them⌠Iâll try never to let something like that happen again. ... (Continue reading)
I didnât want to do this. I was perfectly content ignoring his idiotic drivel as Iâve been doing pretty successfully for over a year. Or, maybe itâs because he hasnât said anything in over a year, Iâm not... (Continue reading)
Citigroup Inc, Wells Fargo & Co, SunTrust Bank Inc. and Countrywide allegedly required reinsurance partnerships on generous terms that violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, a 1974 law prohibiting abusive home sales practices.... (Continue reading)
For twelve years during and after the Savings & Loan crisis (1988-2000), I led the group of business analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers that was responsible for monitoring Ginnie Maeâs $600 billion portfolio of mortgage-backed securities. During that period, I learned... (Continue reading)
Iâll say one thing for Secretary Geithner: Heâs great at distraction. He goes, âLookie over here.â Then he points his finger towards China⌠and a pigeon flies out of his ass. You really have to watch this... (Continue reading)
You have to understand that while Iâm happy to see any and all deceptive sales practices targeting homeowners stopped, I take no pleasure in seeing Philip Kramer prevented from suing Bank of America or any of the other banksters, all... (Continue reading)
Max Gardner, along with his faculty of expert guest speakers, will be delivering two specially designed in-depth sessions each one laser focused on the topic of the UCCâs impact on mortgage securitization - and each of the seminars is specifically... (Continue reading)
While in Phoenix filming a documentary on the foreclosure crisis, I got a call from NBC Channel 12 reporter Melissa Blasius who said she had heard I was in town and wanted to feature what I was doing in one... (Continue reading)
Mark Zandi is not only misleading the American public, but heâs 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 âblow up a lot of houses -- a tactic similar to the destruction of autos that occurred with the âcash-for-clunkersâ program.ââ He was... (Continue reading)
Wake up people, weâre running out of time. We need to do better and that means we need to get smarter. And since I still have faith that our laws will prevail, weâll be needing our nationâs lawyers... (Continue reading)