Lawyers Take Note: Wells Fargo Slammed With $3.1 Million Punitive Damages on One Wrongful Foreclosure
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Editor’s Comment:The most perplexing part of this mortgage mess has been the unwillingness of the legal community to take on the Banks. Besides the intimidation factor the primary source of resistance has been the lack of confidence that any money could be made, ESPECIALLY on contingency. If you were the lawyer in the case reported below, you would be getting a check for fees alone of over $1.2 million on a single case. And as this article and hundreds of others have reported, based upon objective surveys, most of the 5 million homes lost since 2007 were wrongful foreclosures.So the inventory for lawyers is 5 million homes plus the next 5 million everyone is expecting. Let’s due some simple arithmetic: if 4 million homes were wrongfully foreclosed and the punitive damages were $1 million per house the total take would be $4 Billion with contingency fees at $1.6 Billion. If each house carried $200,000 in compensatory damages, then the total would be increased by $800 Million with Lawyers taking home $320 Million. These figures exceed personal injury and malpractice awards. Why is the legal profession ignoring this opportunity to do something right and make a fortune at the same time?Right now I’m a little under the weather (open heart surgery) but that hasn’t stopped my associates from rolling out a plan for a national anti-foreclosure firm. I’m only doing this because nobody else will. If you have had a home wrongfully foreclosed or suspect that your current foreclosure is wrongful, write to NeilFGarfield@hotmail.com (remember the “F”) and ask for help. Lawyers and victims of wrongful foreclosures should be able to pool their resources to attack the massive foreclosure attack with a massive anti-foreclosure attack.Wells Fargo Slapped With $3.1 Million Fine For ‘Reprehensible’ Handling Of One Mortgage
A federal judge who has fiercely criticized how big banks service home loans is fed up with Wells Fargo.In a scathing opinion issued last week, Elizabeth Magner, a federal bankruptcy judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana, characterized as “highly reprehensible” Wells Fargo’s behavior over more than five years of litigation with a single homeowner and ordered the bank to pay the New Orleans man a whopping $3.1 million in punitive damages, one of the biggest fines ever for mortgage servicing misconduct.“Wells Fargo has taken advantage of borrowers who rely on it to accurately apply payments and calculate the amounts owed,” Magner writes. “But perhaps more disturbing is Wells Fargo’s refusal to voluntarily correct its errors. It prefers to rely on the ignorance of borrowers or their inability to fund a challenge to its demands, rather than voluntarily relinquish gains obtained through improper accounting methods.”The opinion reflects Magner’s disgust with tactics that Wells Fargo used to fight the case — and perhaps frustration with an appeals court ruling in a separate, but similar case, that overturned her order that would have forced Wells Fargo to audit and provide a full accounting for more than 400 home loans in her jurisdiction.As The Huffington Post previously reported in a story co-published with The Center for Public Integrity, sources familiar with the preliminary findings said that the bank made costly accounting errors in the administration of practically all of those loans.In an emailed statement, Tom Goyda, a Wells Fargo spokesman said: “The ruling handed down by the court in an individual bankruptcy case covers allegations going back more than six years and ignores significant changes in servicing practices that have occurred since that time. We believe that there are numerous factual and legal problems with the opinion and are reviewing our options regarding an appropriate legal response.”Goyda said that an appeal of the ruling is “one option” the bank is considering.Despite widespread reports that the banks and other companies that service home loans engaged in a range of misconduct — from ordering unnecessary property inspections to misapplying payments in a way that can lead to wrongful foreclosure — few judges have had the time, ability or inclination to do the kind of forensic analysis necessary to uncover wrongdoing in individual cases. For a non-accountant, reading a loan history is like interpreting hieroglyphics without a Rosetta Stone, and banks are often reluctant to turn them over in the first place.The exceptions have tended to come in federal bankruptcy courts, where justices typically have more time to dig into loan accounts, and are much more likely to have the financial expertise necessary to do so. In an earlier interview, Magner said that she analyzed the loan files of more than 20 borrowers in her court and found mistakes in every instance.“These are loans of working-class people who bought homes they could afford and whose loans were not administered correctly from an accounting perspective,” she said. “I think that these types of problems occur in almost every [defaulted] loan in the country.”The current case involves Michael Jones of New Orleans. In a 2007 decision, Magner ruled that Wells Fargo improperly charged Jones more than $24,000 in fees, owing to a fundamental problem in the automated methodology the bank used to account for his loan payments.After Jones fell into default, Magner ruled, the bank improperly applied his mortgage payments to interest and fees that had accrued instead of to principal, as required by his servicing contract. This triggered a waterfall of additional fees and interest that consumer lawyers call “rolling default.” Later, after Jones applied for bankruptcy, the bank continued to misapply payments, according to Magner’s opinion.In the most recent opinion, Magner describes Wells Fargo’s litigation tactics, which involved filing dozens of briefs, motions and other filings that slowed down the proceedings to a snail’s pace, as “particularly vexing.” The tactics suggest that any other borrower who might wish to contest a fee or charge would find a legal challenge to the bank simply too burdensome.And yet, Magner writes, it is only through litigation that the abuses can be uncovered. Calling Wells Fargo’s conduct “clandestine,” Magner wrote that the bank refused to communicate with Jones even as it was misdirecting payments for improper purposes.“Only through litigation was this practice discovered,” Magner writes. “Wells Fargo admitted to the same practices for all other loans in bankruptcy or default. As a result, it is unlikely that most debtors will be able to discern problems with their accounts without extensive discovery.”Magner wrote that the bank still refuses to come clean with homeowners about mistakes it made in the accounting of home loans. This is particularly troublesome in her district, where more than 80 percent of the borrowers who file for bankruptcy have incomes of less than $40,000, and consequently are often unable to hire the kind of legal firepower necessary to counter Wells Fargo’s army of lawyers.“[W]hen exposed, [Wells Fargo] revealed its true corporate character by denying any obligation to correct its past transgressions and mounting a legal assault ensure it never had to,” Magner wrote.
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Filed under: bubble, CDO, CORRUPTION, currency, Eviction, foreclosure, GTC | Honor,Investor, Mortgage, securities fraud Tagged: | appraisal fraud, bailout, bank error, bankruptcy,borrower, disclosure, Eviction, foreclosure, foreclosure defense, foreclosure fraud, foreclosure offense, foreclosures, forgery, fraud, housing market, investors, Lender Liability, loan servicer,Louisiana, mortgages, predatory lending, settlement, The Center for Public Integrity, Wells Fargo
In a nutshell. My grandparents owned the home we had lived in for 17 years. They had a A/B trust…with this propert being in the survivors half, my grandfather. He appointed his brother as executor, and as he was getting quite elderly, he helped him with paperwork etc. In Dec. 2007, my grandfather, aged 96, refinanced this home, pulling all available out to set aside in a fund to pay for any future care he might need. In Dec 2009 my grandpa, at 98, passed away. Settling the trust took a long time, and in Dec 2010 I (sole inheritor) was granted the deed, and began to take back over the payments, about 1700 a month. (The trust had paid them prior. The first thing I did was find out that in California, the law is that the bank would be required to offer me a NON QUALIFYING ASSUMPTION ( (regardless of credit or finances I could assume loan). The loan had been Wachovia, but was now Wells Fargo, btw.They sent me a giant package of paperwork, that I pored over and returned quickly along with a dna sample, my oldest sons ear and signed it in blood (lol, not really…but close).
To speed it up: The bank said NO. My grandfathers brother (the exucator) was on the loan as cosigner!! This being a complete mistake the mortgage broker and myself, executors attorney and others spent nearly a year “getting his name removed”. We had a signed document from Wells Fargo President stating his name should never have been on loan, and we though that was that. NO. I spent many more mobths trying to assume loan, only to be told same thing….faxed in nite about error…many, many times. This began hundreds of hours of endless excuses, different answers, elevated inquiries etc. During this my husband and I seperated. “I” fell behind by two payments over the course of a year. I wanted to discuss what I could do, but they couldnt as “I was not on the loan”. In May of 2012 I had the needed funds to catch up loan. (Btw, the h͵ouse had NO equity anymore). Suddenly, my payments doubled to 4,000. I did not know why, or for how long. They could not tell me as MY NAME WAS NOT ON THE LOAN. My grandfathers brothers lawyer, citing the signed clerical error, insisted he have no further contact as he really had no rights or interest in this property. So I had the 8,000 or so to catch up on a mortgage, not in my name, that I would lose anyhow at 4,000 a month (the max it could be rented for was 1700)…I would happily catch it up however if we could get paymemt back to 1700 or at least closer, otherwise I would be throwing away the 8,000. Wells Fargo continuelly told me there was probably a good chance of it being modified….but that was all they could say AS MY NAME WAS NOT ON THE LOAN AND MY GREAT UNCLE…ALIVE, NAME WAS ON LOAN. (Even though it wasnt) This nonsense continued with much more to tell until, it was auctioned on Jan3. I brought 5 kids home to that house, and to lose it was ALMOST the most painful thing ever except this: January 6th I received a letter, to me (they had me a contact, meaning they could discuss some of loan with me…aknowledged deed was in my name et,) THE LETTER STATED MY NEW PAYMENTS FOR COMING YEAR WOULD BE BACK TO, CLOSE TO THE 1700. Now, a few days after my heart had been wrenched out they tell me it had been a temporary escrow account(?) ….. they could not tell me that EARLIER (we would have found a way to pay 4,000 for just a few months…..) because…drum roll please…my name not on loan and my great-uncle was loan owner…….
I apologize for all the “clerical errors” on my post, I had to do it rushed, on very small phone with no spell check.
This would draw attention to the media,then people could tell their stories.There’s still people out there that believe that we are just a bunch of idiots who took out a mortgage we could not afford,they haven’t a clue what really happens behind the scenes.This is not an act of nature.This didn’t happen because of a tornado,hurricane,an earthquake,fire,etc this happened out of pure GREED and it needs to stop now!!! We must make a stand.
GSEs are not opening books and not participating in anything.
Those books need to be open.
I have on my own, educated myself alot about financial elder abuse, and after I finish all the litigation with Onewest/Deutsche (going on 33 months now) I have plans to launch a one stop informational website to educate elders themselves, and those who love them, about resources available, what warning signs to look for, support groups etc.
With that said……below is the relevant advice column in todays LA Times paper. This is a real under reported social issue and with 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day in this country now, something must be done to increase awareness of this issue.
HEADLINE
Consult lawyer to protect finances from bullying son-in-law
That is extraordinary——stepping back from statutes–if you are sole heir then you are de facto the equitable owner of the net estate—-so you are a party in interest obviously–and if you are the sole heir you are the sole party affected right—it is de fact pro se if not yet in law–if you were able to wrap the estate yoy would take subject to the debt–so its a step away from already legally yours—yes it is interesting and i would suggest that the due process clause would be applicable to justify your right as exclusive equitable and ultimate legal owner—should be a law school test question–im sure most law students would bend over backwards to avoid the forfeiture which is what you have described—your inchoate interst cannot afford to defend itself —if you are prevented pro se then its siezure w/o due process–the reason for the no pro se for hire is to prevent abuse of 3rd parties–that element is not present—your interst and protection of due process as a principle is more important than a meaningless application in a unique case
To clarify my previous post…….the Judge has issued a minute order requesting me, and Onewest/Deutsche to submit additional Points and Authorities by May 4 and oral arguments set for May 10 in this matter.
Suffice to say the Banksters in cahoots with the criminal caretaker really did a number defrauding my elderly Dad, as they have to countless other victims in this world wide Ponzi scam.
Just as a related aside, the LAPD were useless in stopping the ripoff of my Dad. Watch two minute clip here:
(1) [15:470.4] Pro per personal representative? A nonattorney personal representative may not prosecute a general civil (nonprobate) action in pro per on behalf of the estate. [Hansen v. Hansen (2003) 114 CA4th 618, 621, 7 CR3d 688, 691]
(2) [15:470.5] Suit by heirs/beneficiaries on behalf of estate under “special circumstances”: While Prob.C. § 9820 only authorizes the personal representative to bring suit on behalf of the estate, under special circumstances a decedent’s heirs or beneficiaries may file suit on their own. [See, e.g., Olson v. Toy (1996) 46 CA4th 818, 824, 54 CR2d 29, 33—decedent's heirs under will had standing to maintain action to invalidate trust and compel delivery of trust assets where “special circumstances” of trustee doubling as estate representative existed (¶ 15:511)]
[15:470.6–470.9] Reserved.
From Rutter Group – Civil Procedure Before Trial
(3) [2:130] Appearance through counsel: An executor or administrator cannot appear in pro per in matters outside the probate proceedings (e.g., in actions by or against the estate). Any such appearance must be through counsel. (Of course, if the executor or administrator is a licensed attorney, he or she can act as such counsel.) [City of Downey v. Johnson (1968) 263 CA2d 775, 779, 69 CR 830, 833; Hansen v. Hansen (2003) 114 CA4th 618, 621, 7 CR3d 688, 691 (citing text)]
Would you please outline the terms of the mod offer that you received? I think there are a lo of people who might be looking at this trying to decide whether to accept it or walkaway. Or take another course of action.
–pay on loan as if it was 75% of actual amortized principal and 75% actual interest
–the accrued but unpaid interest would be placed in a reserve account until the property was sold or until 5 years passed, at which point it was vague as to what happened
–the interst rate was to be capped at 5% or so as I recall but it was long ago
–basically there was no forgiveness —-just a deferral of the date of reckoning aka look for a place to rent—
—also I do remember them saying there would be no agreement that they not pursue a deficiency–just that customarily they did not [a matter of trust???]
From what Im seeing here its more like the old collection agency squeeze –at one point I had the collection agency [supposedly a "servicer"] rep suggest to me that i should go around the house and see if there was anything that I could dismantle and sell to remit monies to them–like fixtures from extra bathrooms—etc
I know I can eventually kick their butt In Pro Per, however it would be better to have a “gun” from your proposed National Law Firm to finish the job (Financial Elder Abuse/Predatory Lending etc) against someone in his late 80’s who fell victim to the Wall Street Securitization Scam. It really is hard to find Attorneys in Southern California “who get it” and do not want $25K upfront.
What is name of caymani “securitization”
“I have uncovered Illeagal property flipping schemmes, “Shotgunning” (that is what the FBI calls taking out multible loans on one property)
i agree with your statement but ponder the issue of how much weight to attach to an affidavit? what if their aff says “iv got the original note and its attached” and your aff says” you cant because it was not signed out of the bankruptcy court—–it is either stolen or a forgery”
thanks re moore–im compliling list of states tht have adopted this rule———this is same as mass rule and fed ct boyco right?
Neils major attack back with a national firm is a blessing. I hope everyone including people whom are not in this horrific situtation donate to Neil and his firm to support them while they go after these crooks on a contigency. This is for the national good of all of us, weither you are touched by this or not. We are at war with national crime and terrorism, theives stealing our property, preplanned to default you by all and any means to steal and make money at the cost of America and your families freedom and physical health. This is bigger than property and buildings.
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. The feeling that we are ants trying fight a corrupt and insatiable anteater overwhelmed me temporarily…and Joe is out of clean pants. If I ever do actually take my life, remind me to teach him how to use the washer before I go.
“@joann, read Moore again – it’s a temporary victory ”
Please provide the case cite re Moore case?
2012 OK 32
v.
DAVID F. MOORE, a/k/a DAVID F. MOORE and BARBARA MOORE a/k/a BARBARA K. MOORE, Defendants/Appellants.
“they’ll refile the motion for summary judgment with an additional statement on their affidavit in support saying they had the note at filing of the case and, unless the borrowers can prove otherwise, they’ll win again”
Please provide the case cite re Moore case?
you said
“US Bank need only prove that they held the note at the time of filing…”
There is a reason the real party of interest does not show up in court or record it’s interest – it is that “perjury” thing.
you said:
(Footnote 27 says: “Similar nomenclature conventions define “debtor” to include the seller of a payment right, “secured party” to include the buyer of a payment right, and “collateral” to include a sold payment right. See UCC §§ 9-102(a)(28),(72),(12).”)
“ In some states, a party without a recorded interest in a mortgage may not enforce the mortgage non-judicially. In such states, even though the buyer of a mortgage note (or a creditor to whom a security interest in the note has been granted to secure an obligation) automatically obtains corresponding rights in the mortgage, this may be insufficient as a matter of applicable real estate law to enable that buyer or secured creditor to enforce the mortgage upon default of the maker if the buyer or secured creditor does not have a recordable assignment. The buyer or other secured creditor may, of course, attempt to obtain such a recordable assignment from the seller or debtor at the time it seeks to enforce the mortgage, but such an attempt may be unsuccessful.
Article 3 UCC and Article 9 UCC law is very important law protecting us.
In addition, Article 3 does not purport to govern completely the manner in which those ownership interests are transferred. For the rules governing those types of property rights, Article 9 provides the substantive law.17 UCC § 9-109(a)(3) (Article 9 “applies to . . . a sale of . . . promissory notes”). Article 9 includes rules, for example, governing the effect of the transfer of a note on any security given for that note such as a mortgage or a deed of trust. As a consequence, Article 9 must be consulted to answer many questions as to who owns or has other property interest in a promissory note. From this it follows that the determination of who holds these property interests will inform the inquiry as to who is a real party in interest in any action involving that promissory note.
Obstacles to Negotiability of Residential Mortgage Notes
re: check out UCC 3-308 in whatever form your state has adopted it. signatures on documents are entitled to a presumption that they are authentic and authorized. it’s the burden of you to put that into issue with proof.
would like your suggestion –
loan originated 2005
Current servicer says loan beneficiary = a trust
the trust they list was sold to Freddie 12/2005 and I have read PSA for the trust and it closed on 12/20 2005
Assignment filed lists a date in 2009 as the day MERS assigned both deed and note to trust??? Now we all here at LL know can’t be assigned to trust that closed in 2005
How do I show GA court that this would prove assignment is a fraudulent document created to decieve GA courts (which is a felony in GA)??
We have rules on the books about forged documents, and there admissibility in court. We have laws and penalties concerning the fabrication of documents, and penalties for notaries who notarized them improperly.
Yet none of this is being addressed, except by a few federal judges who will not accept this fraud. God bless them.
I tried a couple of the attorneys listed on this blog. Waste of time. One never returned multiple phone calls and emails, the other ripped me off for two hundred dollars for a “consultation”. She also never returned my documents after promising to mail them to me a month ago. My daughter is evicting me from her moldy basement and I have no where to go. If I had life insurance, suicide would be a good route, but Joe can’t afford to bury me”
“A STATUTE put in place during the S&L crisis”
The typical credit bid, then sold our home two month’s later. Here we are floundering around.
I mailed them all the defects in title and securitization audits. Forged signatures. They saw nothing wrong with the loans. (They got from Wachovia via World Savings) CA AG settlement = $178. Whoopty-do. OCC a waste of time so far. WF maintains foreclosure and eviction are valid. They will not budge because that is like admitting fault. They admit one fault and they have to do it for all of us and that means a LOT of money goes out to us for their fraud.
Meanwhile CNN is part of the coverup:
“Bank employees”
“squatters?”
The crooks and the lack of government support to stop this crime is the cause of this tragedy for multiple families here.
We paid him an agreed upon amount but didn’t sign anything. He said after he filed the Bankruptcy he couldn’t accept any more payments. I was ignorant of the process. He said 3 days before our house was sold he was going to file the lawsuit, obviously he didn’t.
April 12th, 2012 | Author: Matthew D. Weidner, Esq.
The big shot banks had teams of lawyers being paid hundreds of dollars an hour to draft their documents….all of their documents. Then they had teams of lawyers and minions devising their devious little programs and schemes to take on the task of servicing the loans.
MICHAEL L. JONES VS WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE, INC.
DATED APRIL 5, 2012 UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA IN RE: MICHAEL L. JONES v WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE. THE COURT FINDS THAT A PUNITIVE DAMAGE AWARD OF $3,171,154.00 MILLION IS WARRANTED TO DETER WELLS FARGO FROM SIMILAR CONDUCT IN THE FUTURE. THE COURT FINDS THAT IT HAS JURISDICTION OVER THIS PROCEEDING FOR CIVIL CONTEMPT.
This is an official act of the UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA BEFORE THE HONORABLE ELIZABETH W. MAGNER in her effort to review the practices of Wells Fargo Bank which ultimately concluded that a punitive damage award of $3,171,154.00 million is warranted to deter Wells Fargo from similar conduct in the future. That Court hopes that the relief granted will finally motivate Wells Fargo to rectify its practices and comply with the terms of court orders. In Plaintiff’s case, Wells Fargo Bank has fraudulently altered recorded documents, robo-signed discovery responses, falsified loan applications, failed to provide loan level accounting, and Plaintiff has supported all of its allegations with multiple expert opinions. (Attached hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit A)
The issues and findings are intimately related to the case at bar and is authorized under California Evidence Code § 452.
Satish