Cantwell, 9 other senators want banks' foreclosure records revealed
- Kelly Gilblom
- Staff Writer
- Email: kgilblom@bizjournals.com
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) joined nine other senators Wednesday in writing a letter to regulators, asking them to release information on how well banks have carried out foreclosures. She and others hope the letter -- addressed to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
, theFederal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Federal Reserve -- will help prevent illegal foreclosure practices.Washington state had the 15th highest foreclosure rate in the country in the first half of this year with 29,398 foreclosures, according to California data company RealtyTrac. The senators say that illegal practices, such as "robo-signing" (signing foreclosure documents without reading them), are rampant.
Cantwell and others think if they ask regulators to reveal how each banks are performing, it will help the problem.
However, there have been numerous measures already taken to improve the practices, including lawsuits against banks, enforcement orders and fines. If what the senators say is true, that illegal practices still exist, that means previous efforts didn't eliminate the problems.
"We believe that the full disclosure of these documents to the public is necessary given the recent reports by both the Associated Press and Reuters of the continued widespread practice of 'robo-signing' among mortgage servicers," said the letter.
and Reuters of the continued widespread practice of 'robo-signing' among mortgage servicers," said the letter.For the full text of the letter click here.
KELLY GILBLOM covers wealth management and banking for the Puget Sound Business Journal. Phone: 206-876-5428 | Email: kgilblom@bizjournals.com | Twitter: KellyGilblom | Click here to sign up for the PSBJ Daily Update.
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