Faces Of Foreclosure

I thought I had a 7-year loan modification from Wells Fargo. Well, maybe not . . . I don’t believe this.

VERY IMPORTANT: The very second you start negotiating with your lender regarding a loan modification, get a large binder and put everything in it. You will need it. During the Home Modification workshop with Wells Fargo, they repeatedly said they did not have this or that document. I did AND I had the FAX confirmation that it was sent to them and received. I handed it to them and said, “please make a copy and bring this right back to me.” We did that four or five times. I’m sure they were looking for a reason to NOT modify.

On May 24, 2010, I met with Wells Fargo at a Home Modification workshop they held in Oakland, California. I had been trying to get a loan modification for 18 months. This started out in December 2008 as a projected six months of financial strife, after which time two retirement incomes would kick in and I could get back on track financially. My goal when I purchased my home in 2006 was to pay it off in five years because of the retirement incomes. It was all looking good until cancer (through which I worked), followed by a job layoff in 2008.

Wells Fargo helped stretch my potential six-months of strife into 20 months so far and I don’t see an end to it. (That image is of my 20 pound, 6 inch thick — and growing — binder.)

I came away from the modification workshop quite pleased and thinking I actually had a decent loan modification for five years — time to help me find the money to pay off this loan and get away from Wells Fargo for the rest of my life. And an opportunity to help others figure out their way through this financial maze.

Wells Fargo is either the most crooked corporation I’ve seen in more than 50 years of working in corporate America — including a stint in the corporate finance department at a major bank — or they are the most inept.

In either case, if they have your money, you should be worried. Wells Fargo is featured in various class actions across the nation and are an international financial collaborator with HSBC out of London, which is being investigated on three continents.

At that workshop, I signed an agreement with Wells Fargo, figured I bought a five-year “stay of execution,” and started to work on increasing my income with the prayer of being able to pay them off in the five year period. (The modification is actually for seven years, but it is not good in year six or seven.)

Today I received a statement dated July 5, 2010 (it is July 15 as I write this). It is 9:56 p.m. ’cause I just finished working from 8 a.m. this morning building Websites. (I am DETERMINED to pay off these bankers. There has to be a way.)

The agreement, which I have paid for two months, is roughly $2500/month (or $2,000 a month depending on which document I read); this statement is for $4,074.54 per month, and has tacked onto it $170.36 as late fees, two unapplied payments, the statement that $76,683.40 is due by August 1st.

I have the original agreement; it does NOT escalate to $4,074.54 per month in August of this year and $76,683.40 is NOT due on August 1st. This is insane, and it is NOT me that is insane.

Where is our government and/or our system of justice through this — either local judges or supervisors or governors or anyone? Have they all decided we are “wrong?” Are they married to lenders?

I can barely breathe. For the first time in my life I know what a “battered wife” must feel like. My back between my shoulders aches as though someone were pummeling me. I’m actually not a dramatic person, but I am a fighter. Put me in a corner and I will come out kicking. At this point, I don’t know who I am fighting. Wells Fargo agreed to a modification. This paperwork ignores that agreement. Who runs this company? Dumb question?

An aside. I heard someone at a meeting last week mention that Wells Fargo was going to institute drug testing to its employees — given his level, I assumed he meant middle-level executives. Turns out that 80% of them, per his information, tested positive for cocaine. Given that coke is the middle-level executive drug, and given how Wells Fargo is currently operating, I don’t doubt him.

I contacted Wells Fargo’s executive offices in Des Moines, Iowa. They had no answer as to why this continues, but said they will remedy it. Sure.

Following that conversation, I came home on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 to see a notice stuck in my front door . . . no name, no signature and no envelope. A good breeze would have blown it away . . . so much for “effort to make contact” and confidentiality.

That notice reads:

Please Call: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Contact: Loan Administration
At: 800 766 0987
Notice: Our Representatives called on you today while you were out. There is an important matter we would like to discuss with you. This inspection is not in any way an attempt to collect a debt.

I called on July 19, 2010 at 8:27 a.m.: Lolitha (EN5) in Wisconsin couldn’t help. She didn’t know why the notice was on the door. I called and left a voice mail for Teresa Warnock in the offices of the President of their mortgage in Des Moines, Iowa. Teresa called back and sounded as confused as am I. My “case” is being monitored by someone else in their offices as there is an “internal issue” they are trying to resolve.

And, no sooner do we hang up then I get yet another “Loan Modification Agreement” delivered via FedEx from Wells Fargo. This one seems to duplicate the one dated April 22, 2010 and it is, in fact, dated that same date. And it STILL is not per my understanding from the April meeting of a fully amortized PITI.

Dreaming Up America by Russell Banks

“A thoughtful and provocative meditation on our history, with a chilling look at what has happened to the American dream.” –Howard Zinn

Because my background is English literature and I worked for years in media and my operating word is “why,” I couldn’t help it. I looked up the word evil. Wikipedia has it as:

Evil is the intention of causing harm or destruction while threatening or deliberately violating morality. Largely due to the subjectivity of the word morality (which may refer to a society’s moral code, one’s own moral system, relative morality, absolute morality, etc.), there is no agreement about whether evil is a matter of social custom or universally correct principle that overrides custom. Evil, however, is most commonly used to refer to any intention that is socially perceived as the antithesis of a morally right or good intention.

Yes, this is subject to interpretation, and my interpretation — along with millions of Americans — is that these lenders may be evil. And while you are ruminating over whether or not they are evil, please know that they are absolutely inept; if you are not yet worried about who has your money and/or investments, you should be.

This is so sad. Many people, me included, worked 50-60 years for a gracious retirement. What am I doing? Fighting with an institution that I know beyond the shadow of a doubt is inept and crooked if you view their history — they cut a deal with Pancho Villa is the early 1900s — and that was documented by university libraries.

Does anyone have a clue as to what we do? We KNOW what is going on. How are these lenders stopped?

My notes keeping track of this fiasco started in December 2008; they are now 15 pages long.

I told them I am billing them for my time spent on trying to clear up this mess and the repeated FAXing of documents that they repeatedly lose. I now average $100/hour working from home. I have spent easily 2 hours per day keeping track of this. So: $100/hour x 2 hours per day x 5 days per week x 20 months = roughly $80,000 . . . not counting all the money wasted in FAXing documents to them repeatedly.

October 31, 2009: 18.8 Million Vacant Homes in Last Quarter.

We need to dig to get the full story, but there are early indications that some lenders are “donating” money to communities where houses sit after foreclosure so that a new wave of low-income families can purchase them. Many of these homes are the very same houses they threw into foreclosure rather than help the existing homeowners in the first place.

Do you feel crazy yet? No. Well keep reading . . .

Abandoned and vacant foreclosed homes are piling up around the country . . . Repairing the damage from foreclosures is a difficult challenge, because cities, states, community development groups, and even willing banks and servicers have no experience working together on the complicated process of disposing of or reclaiming unwanted properties, said Joseph Schilling, a Virginia Tech urban affairs professor and co-founder of the National Vacant Properties Campaign . . . “We do a pretty good job in this country of recycling cans and plastic bottles,” Schilling said. “But we do an awful job of recycling and reusing vacant properties.”

In some states, even the banks are walking away from homes they threw into foreclosure.

A particular lender — one with a dreadful track record insofar as loan modifications are concerned — is reportedly putting $1 million into Marin County California to help people buy homes, some of which will be the very homes they seized through foreclosure in the past year or two. This is the very same lender that 20-25% of us working with Marin Family Action’s Home Save group have been asking for modifications.

Banks will end up making less from the new loan at the current property value than they would if they modified with the original owners. But they have insurance, don’t they . . . and taxpayers dollars.

What is the guarantee that the new homeowner will be able to keep their jobs and afford the payments down the road? None. Nada.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on a “shadow inventory” of foreclosed houses—possibly 600,000 nationwide—that have not been placed on the market: “Lenders nationwide are sitting on hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes that they have not resold or listed for sale, according to numerous data sources. And foreclosures, which banks unload at fire-sale prices, are a major factor driving home values down.”

Does this strike anyone else as insane? Or quite brutal?

This kind of “business” is what has made me feel quite stupid through the years; I keep thinking I’m missing something. There’s something I don’t understand. Obviously. Someone has a few screws lose and I no longer think it is me.

We heard of a wonderful win in Marin County, California which then turned into a nightmare. Were it not for the fact I know the following to be true, I probably would think it was some type of urban myth.

Hamilton Federal Credit Union was about to foreclose on a home and scheduled the sale on the courthouse steps for December 21, 2009. However, on December 20, Marin County Superior Court Judge Adams had granted a stay of the sale. The homeowner, concerned about previous actions of the credit union, showed up at the the courthouse to make sure that Hamilton Federal Credit Union had been informed of the stay. It was obvious that Hamilton was going ahead with their bidding war. The homeowner showed them the order “not to sell” from the Judge. They ignored it and went ahead with the sale anyway.

It gets worse: Mike Lundy from Triple Investment Company in Sausalito was there to bid. Because the homeowner had the court order to “not sell,” other bidders backed off. Not Mike Lundy. His reply, which was overhead by an associate, was “I don’t care. I have attorneys to take care of this.” He bid and bought — at a greatly reduced price, of course.

(Note: I would include Triple Investments and Mike Lundy in the Super Thieves portion of this site; however, after hearing about and observing their actions for the past several months, it seems they are, actually, petty thieves and cowards.)

Now the outcome to the wonderful story below is perched on a precipice.

What kind of people do we have here? The activities of this particular investment company are questionable at best. The person making the comment will be reported to the California Department of Real Estate. The DRE is a fine organization that we assume will look askance at such actions/statements by a investment company working under a broker who is purportedly licensed by the State of California.

If you have an issue with a real estate agent or broker in California, the DRE provides online complaint forms in English, Spanish and Chinese (hard copy only).

The home owner fought back, there is another stay, and she is still in her home after a many harrowing days. All prayers are welcome on her behalf. This, again, shows, the importance of standing up for your rights. In Marin County, F. Manuel Fernandez started a group to help save homes of residents of the North Bay. They are doing a great job. It’s a struggle because the system is against many homeowners, but it helps if you are part of a group. We think more such groups should start . . . or volunteer with a fine organization such as Neighborhood Association of America who is fighting throughout the United States to save homes.

This bears repeating as it is extremely important for all of us: This woman was told by a practicing attorney that she could NOT win. She ignored him. Her condo IS her castle and she wasn’t handing her castle to anyone.

Rather than shrug and walk, this homeowner will have her day in court. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s not over until it’s over. And, as written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Measure not the work until the day’s out and the labor’s done.

Ethics for Executives In the event you are a top level executive with questionable ethics who stumbled across this site, here is a link to a selection of books that we highly recommend you read. Apparently ethics courses are not mandatory in today’s business colleges . . . that is apparent, don’t you think?

It has been an embarrassing and painful several months for the homeowner. In addition to the non-responsive lender, notices have been placed on her home and word leaked about her impending doom. Real estate agents have hovered and called.

(Editor’s note: I am a real estate agent. I consider this agressive outreach despicable. Earlier this year, a Santa Rosa agent was seen leading a crying man from his home so that the agent could show the home that afternoon to a prospective buyer! My recommendation to anyone going through this, get the agent’s card and file a complaint with your local Department of Real Estate.)

LET FREEDOM RING

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees,
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

Through Marin Family Action, a woman’s home was just save from foreclosure proceedings which would have started Monday, December 21, 2009!

THE STORY

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees,
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

(Editor’s Note: For those of you who aren’t aware of it, this website — FacesOfForeclosure.com — is the fastest growing website I’ve ever built. I’ve never seen one “climb the charts” so fast.

I sent out the following eMail:

An overview of a conversation with a real estate broker who also has a degree in law:

If you are behind in loan payments and trying to modify your loan and your lender asks that you make three monthly payments after which time they will consider your request, be careful.

Example: In October, my servicer, who does not hold the note, asked me to pay $4309.62 per month for three months after which time they would consider my request in January. That payment amount is actually HIGHER than my payment was in the first place. (I told them I wanted to modify the loan DOWN not UP, and sorry for the confusion — perhaps I wasn’t sufficiently explicit.)

By the time that letter came from my loan servicer, I knew that the servicer CANNOT speak for the holder of the note and my servicer repeatedly told me the holder of the note does not want to negotiate. I’d also been hearing horror stories about people who paid the requisite three months and who were told at the end of that time: “Too bad; the holder of your note does not want to negotiate.”

So my response was “No, this does not resolve anything; I will put the money in a separate account and hold it until there is an offer on the table.” Interestingly, one of the executives of my servicer said the offer sent to me was “ridiculous.” I concur.

This week, I received a letter from my servicer confirming what I suspected: the holder of the note does not want to negotiate . . . obviously the plan was as suspected: get as much as they could out of me and then tell me that there was no deal. They plan on foreclosing anyway . . . whether or not I paid the three months as requested.

The recommendation from the broker/lawyer:

Find out who has the note, contact them, say “I want to keep my home. Please make an offer.” Odds are the people actually holding the note brought it at cents on the dollar. A loan that was $550,000, for example, may be held now at $350,000 . . . meaning if the current lender can get anything over $350,000 out of you, they might be quite happy.

Once you are turned down for modification, the servicer of the note HAS to tell you who holds the note — and so we are also back at “produce the note.”

Now, following are responses to my initial eMail . . . each of which confirms what was written above and each of which confirms that there is something wrong with this picture; I can provide thousands of almost identical responses from families facing foreclosure:

• “This is what happened to me! Chase said (in a written contract) that I WOULD GET THE LOAN MOD after three payments at the reduced rate. After I made the three payments, they said, “Oh, sorry, the “investor” will not modify because they don’t have to, but we will offer you a fully amortized loan at a higher rate.” I cried. My first higher payment was to go into effect on September 1st and my house was foreclosed on July 10th without any notice. Beautiful isn’t it? Watch out for these suckers. I myself am a Realtor and am disgusted!”

• Thanx so much for sharing your info: This entire situation is making me very sick in “this land of freedom and opportunity.” I’m a hard worker and have been dealing with my modification since February. My loan originated with World Savings, Wachovia took over World Savings, and now its with Wells Fargo. I stopped paying my mortgage in June of this year in hopes they would pay attention to me instead of pushing me off month after month.
  I gave the modification department everything they asked for: twice, three times and at the fourth time, they told me we have to start all over again. I told them they can have the house back. It needs a lot of work anyway and that they will have to speak with my attorney as I feel harassed, feel like they wasted my time while I collected bank statements, divorce decrees . . . over and over again. This (saving one’s home) is almost a fulltime job…

Dennis’ foreclosure

This is going from dreadful to insane starting with a request for loan modification from Wachovia/Wells Fargo in Octoaber 2007. From the November 7, 2009 Marin Independent Journal story: “A medical supply salesman who works at home, Temple said he was never told why the bank refused his regular $2,633 payments after his October 2007 modification request . . . Asked to explain why the bank refused Temple’s payments when no modification was done, Hammond responded in an e-mail that “monthly payments not equal to the amounts specified in the original contract (partial payments) would not be accepted. Bank officials would not confirm whether Temple’s rejected payments were partial amounts.”

The Sausalito company trying to take Dennis’ home has also recently foreclosed on two other Marin County residents with questionable methods/ethics.

On November 4, 2009, the Sausalito investors said Dennis could have 20 days to sell his house and/or move. Within 48 hours, the investors–who purchased Dennis’ home for $387,860–put it on the market for $199,888 through a real estate auction house. (The term “money laundering” is being bandied about in connection with the Sausalito firm).

The investment group also got Dennis to sign an agreement to NOT sue them (I’m not clear where this yet fits in).

It may be time for Dennis to ask for the note . . . if he has not already done so.

This just in:

If you would like to see a current, somewhat notorious application of produce-the-note, I direct you, this very day, to the Federal Bankruptcy Court in San Jose. Over the past few months the judge has issued repeated injunctions against foreclosure on the Peninsula home in question. The lenders have been unable (or unwilling) to produce original documentation. Today, I understand, it’s put up or shut up. If lenders can’t/won’t produce the note, the judge is likely to issue a permanent injunction. Check it out!

Here is a story representative of the people that need our prayers . . . and they need justice. Is our country so far amiss that this is allowed to happen without recourse?

I am 62 and have owned an over-the-water duplex in Marin County for 13 years. In 2007, I contracted a staph infection in my knee after an arthroscopic surgery at St. Francis hospital. The infection required an additional 4 surgeries to rid the infection, followed by a total knee replacement. I was bedridden for nearly six months followed by six months of rehab.

At the same time I became ill, my neg-am adjustable loan reset, and my mortgage payment tripled virtually with no notice. The bank, at that time IndyMac, and later OneWest, would not negotiate with me at all.

They filed an NOD, and followed with NOS with a sale date in Mid-March. I filed a Chapter 7 the day before the sale. The bank then filed for relief of stay, and submitted an erroneous appraisal to convince the court that there was no equity and therefore they should be allowed to proceed with the sale.

The appraisal was for a 4bd/2ba 2200 sqft property. Mine is a 6bd/4ba 3045sqft property. I advised the Trustee as to the bogus appraisal, but somehow, they approved the relief of stay – BUT only giving them permission to refile an NOD, followed by another NOS – specifically to allow me time (about 4 mos)to sell the property.

Without anyone’s knowledge, and none of the required filings, the bank sold the property for $1.0M. It had appraised in 2007 for $2.7M and the Trustee signed a listing agreement at $2.8M. We appealed the sale, but the Judge decreed that the buyer was in good faith, the sale would stand, and I could recover my losses from the bank.

In the meantime, I have been evicted – out of here by Monday. The trustee also seized my ‘57 T-Bird that my Dad bought new, and a 30′ Catalina sailboat that I have owned for 28 years, as now I have no equity and no cash.

The law firm representing the bank has acknowledged misleading the Trustee, and all of these errors are well documented.

To add insult to injury, the property was then sold for $300,000 to a local company . . . sounds like money laundering. We have tried locating the company purchasing these homes at these low costs to little avail; they are flying under the radar, but we will scope them out. This is especially questionable because the area in question has dropped little in value; it is desirable on the world market.

A group in Marin County is behind this gentleman and is encoraging him to file a complaint with his local District Attorney’s office, which he will do if we have to drive him there!

The same group that purchased the above-mentioned home also purchased a home for $387,680 and is now offering it around $200,000 at a foreclosure auction on the assumption that it will create a buying frenzy.

By retreating to outsider angst the left forgets one of the most exciting lessons of the Obama campaign: that ordinary people working for common purpose wield tremendous power. For those of us who work for our income and have modest means, it was unbelievable to watch ourselves become donors to a political campaign and find that those donations made a difference.

Through Marin Family Action, I’ve been working with a group of homeowners from Marin, Napa and Sonoma Counties . . . most are in danger of losing their homes, some with obvious charlantry on behalf of the mortgage lenders, some with obvious incompetence on behalf of the lenders. I don’t know the background of the following or who really said what to whom, but I would think it quite impossible for an individual to be this far off in the understanding of a home loan, so one can only think that something is amiss (again) in the lenders’ paperwork.

I am a licensed real estate agent, and I do not understand much of what I’m being told is or is not true on behalf of the lenders. How does someone elderly (actually, I guess I’m elderly — is 66 elderly?), or ill, or with a low IQ understand all this. (That is not a slur; the average American has an IQ around 98 and mine, for example, is 143, and I don’t understand much of what the lenders are doing.)

The following was sent to Marin Family Action:

I spoke to you a few weeks ago. I could not make it to your office because I was sick. I live in San Rafael and my home loan was remodified in May of this year, with Washington Mutual which is now Chase or J.P. MORGAN CHASE.

The remodification terms in May were that I would pay $2348.51 for three years and
then would gradually increase. They also told me that they would include my taxes which they new they were two years delinquent. Anyway they sent me a letter on October 26th that my Mortgage would increase to $3700.00 by December 1st 2009 and then I received another letter dated October 28th that my mortgage payments would increase to $4700.00 on December 1st 2009.

At this point I know that usually anytime you refinance title knows about your taxes, etc., and they were aware of it and they told me because of the economy, etc. they would take care of it. I hope your office can help me.I am a single parent and have two daughters that I took care after my wife Diana past away in a Car accident. The last one just graduated and is started attending College.

I will not be able to make these payments and they would most likely take my home.
Please tell me what my option are. I know you have helped a lot of people in this stressful situation. Thank you.

Many people are going to try to pick that story apart . . . How could anyone have mis-read a note to that extent? Have you actually read your mortgage papers? Every word? Do you actually understand what you have agreed to and do you know — actually know — who holds your note? I’m quite sure that you do not. As for the changes in terms from Chase, I promise you that there IS, in fact, that much confusion in the world of mortgage lending. My own examples are proof of that; a letter one day saying a modification proposal is underway; another letter within days saying the holder of the note does not want to negotiate; followed by yet another lender saying that a modification proposal is underway.

WHAT is in our water? WHAT are the lenders drinking?

A group of high-spirited, well-organized, caring and sometimes scared neighbors at Marin Family Action in San Rafael, California have been working to help save homes for a couple of months. They have covered quite a bit of ground (and uncovered a considerable amount of duplicity) in a short time.

Their immediate focus: Dennis, a dapper 60-something-year-old gentleman who has owned his home for 37 years is facing eviction somewhere between 9 a.m. and midnight on Monday, November 2nd.

Dennis’ story: Dennis has lived in his house for 37 years. Due to economic downturns, he asked lender for a restructure. The lender said “You are current. Miss three months and we will talk.” After missing three months’ worth of payments, lender said no to restructure and said they were going to foreclose. Dennis sent them full payment to catch up. They refused the payment. Dennis went in with his attorney and a check. The lender again refused payment (which, apparently, is against the law). Bank sold the house to an investment group (soon to be named . . . and who have reportedly purchased 80 homes through shortsale, some LESS THAN other all-cash offers, which is also questionable).

Dennis is supposed to be out of his house on Monday. We are staging a sit-in on that day. Papers have been served on the Sheriff’s department to cease due to illegal activity, and on the purchaser of the note. Local media will cover, as will PBS out of Canada.

Through Marin Family Action, Dennis has been working with Jeff Smith. Jeff is neither an attorney nor a paralegal; he is a brilliant legal advocate that has had success in saving homes by documenting the illegal machinations of lenders . . . particularly through the Common Law court in Washington DC.

Lawsuits are underway: The first was FedEx’ed to Washington, D.C. for filing and returned within 24 hours. The paperwork was faxed to all parties involved and a group of us went to Marin County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, October 29th, to apprise them of the situation with a request to hold the eviction until there is time to prove that Dennis is wrongfully being evicted. This suit includes a petition for declaratory relief and an order to cease and desist. This should stop the eviction and allow time to follow up with the second suit which will be an “action to quiet title.”

At this point, it’s a matter of what the sheriff’s department decides to do.

The group supporting Marin Family Action has grown from a few people three months ago to more than 150 concerned residents of Marin and Sonoma Counties . . . is prepared to “sit in” at Dennis’ house on Monday.

Once this fire is put out, the group will continue working with others who have been or are being duped by lenders. Some of the illegal activity going on with foreclosures is surely due to staggering incompetence; other activities are clearly coverups on the lenders’ parts; sadly, I have proof of this and will be naming names soon.

Update: November 4, 2009
Dennis is still in his home. Eviction papers have not been served. It is down to the wire and the legal advocate is waiting for papers from the Federal Court in Washington to see about a stay a “cease and desist order,” something.

If it matters, the person writing this has never been an activist, not even during the Vietnam War when it would have been appropriate to speak up. I prefer anonymity, have always kept my head down, worked hard, and volunteer to help endangered animals. But it is clearly time to speak up at the injustices being inflicted upon American homeowners.

As I’ve written throughout these pages, I don’t care if lenders have hearts; I do care that they are ethical and fiscally responsible; neither of those traits are being exhibited by todays mortgage lenders in America.

PLEASE keep in mind: “There But For God Go I” and “You.”

This IS an unprecedented time in our country; if we don’t stand by each other, if we do not work to halt illegal activities, what is the point of this country?

God Bless Us All! And God Help Us All!

Realized — just today actually — that I’ve been upset for the past several months ’cause for the First Time In My Life I am scared. “Frightened” is not in my nature. I’ve actually had nightmares and dreamed of the “Wolf at The Door,” in banker’s clothing.

Of course that made me mad at the mortgage lenders scaring me, so I’m reaching out to the only people I think that can do anything about it, which would be producers of movies and television series. (Book publishers could also, but the traditional book publishing process is staggeringly slow, and too many people no longer read.)

One of the most important things to many (most) of us is housing. For millions of Americans, that is now threatened and little is being done about it. Lots of diatribe; no actual results. If I . . . as the 5th generation of my family in California (and 7th in Maine) . . . am frightened, how do the new(er) immigrants feel about moving to the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave with the promise of a home, a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage? Many escaped from Wherever to find peace, opportunity and freedom only to be told “Oh, too bad, you have to move. You have lost your home. Oh, you didn’t read the mortgage papers correctly. All 9,000 words. So sorry.”

Recently in The San Francisco Chronicle, Matier and Ross commented about a man who has lost his home because the “bank” wouldn’t negotiate. What about naming the banks when these stories are told. Matier & Ross must have wanted to as they are responsible journalists, but I’d bet my eye-teeth that they were stopped at the corporate level because that “bank” is probably an advertiser. So much for truth in journalism.

Some weeks ago, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat told the story of James Madison, a Santa Rosa Coldwell Banker agent, who is proud of how much money he is making by “helping” people get out of their homes so he could sell them to someone else. He has approached CRYING men who have to leave their homes. I don’t know James Madison. I don’t want to know him. He is a shark swimming in blood-filled waters. I feel sorry for his wife and children. I feel sorry for him. What goes around comes around.

If magazine/newspaper advertisers cover the expenses — and they do with print as subscriber income has never even covered the cost of paper — then the paper sells out as appropriate to underwrite the bottom line . . . especially now with dwindling dollars from all directions. Hey, it’s business.

Some banks need to have their Charters pulled (which was suggested to me by a successful politial activist.) I have filed a Congressional Inquiry into the bank I am most upset with (name to come later). They are taking tax-payer dollars and they are not helping taxpayers.

Danny DeVito produced Erin Brockovich. First letter is going to him. Hollywood Reporter reaches everyone we need. Letter went to them this a.m. Clint Eastwood kissed me once at a cast party — his idea, not mine — however, maybe I can get through to him (and occasionally I’m sorry I missed what that might have lead to; I left for yet another party).

Of course, I wrote to Dr. Phil — in the section asking to send in stories about American cities that have parties that disagree . . . well, the whole of America disagrees on this one, although we have recently been diverted by news attention to flagging underwriting for medications (this IS a seriously drugged society . . . whether it be with actual prescriptions or food or “toys). People who have secure housing, be they apartment dwellers or home owners, think those of us in danger did “something to deserve it.” Well, they would be wrong. And I understand the “comfort” in thinking, “I did nothing wrong ever, so this dreadful economy won’t touch me.” Guess again. For 16 years I ran a successful fundraiser with this at the top of my mind: “There but for God go I.”

I love “Leverage,” “Burn Notice,” “Bones,” various “CSIs,” all of “Law and Order,” Lie to Me,” etc. A story on one or all of these is precisely what is needed to bring the expletive deleted banks to their knees (while somehow preserving jobs for all the fine people that are actually on the front lines).

Do you know that Wells Fargo has TWO, count ‘em two, class action suits against them? And do you know that Wells is now owned by a Texan? What IS it with that state?

More later . . .

And if you happen to be connected to a producer, PLEASE let me know and/or forward this.

What hard-working people are going through is positively insane. It’s just plain wrong. In a recent Twitter post, William F. Kane noted that according to Cuomo – Yahoo! News “Bonuses paid to executives at nine banks that received U.S. government bailout money in 2008 were greater than net income at some of the banks, the office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.”