I am proposing that a pledge be circulated for the upcoming election and ongoing for officials to be accountable to stop the abuses of unlawful foreclosures and predatory loans and financing to apply common sense as to the billions of dollars obtained and used for agencies and lawsuits while homeowners that have been harmed continue to be ignored.
I have been in an extreme foreclosure fight the past 6 years. This issue has been fought at every level of government and in every court it seems. We see daily settlements and cases won against the major banks and there is now a focus on servicers from millions of dollars for individual homeowners to billions of dollars to agencies. Even so 2/3 of CURRENT foreclosures are from the “bubble”/”toxic” assets crisis era. http://www.forbes.com/...
There is an emerging scandal involving Ocwen where letters were systematically back dated it appears leaving homeowners with no chance to respond.
Too many people are stuck in “limbo” as “lenders” abuse the system and use their deep pockets in the courts and to influence politicians while they get tax breaks and refuse to support our communities, businesses or abide by our laws and the agreements they have signed.
Recently in WA state a disabled veteran was dragged out of his mobile home. A friend from a message board lives in constant fear of Chase coming in and taking his home. His family's dedicated service to our country goes back decades possibly to the roots of our country and he has to budget to pay for pain medicine as he suffers from a brain injury and PTSD.
The tide is turning in the courts but if banker supported candidates win there will be NO OVERSIGHT and the next wave of foreclosures as well as sub prime car loans, abusive student loans and toxic derivatives is on the horizon.
Regardless of party, candidates need to show that they are not going to turn their back on the American people once again.
Neil Garfield is on the forefront of legal defense and he stated in a recent post that the candidate that stands up against Wall St will get a wave of support. I agree with this but somehow this issue has been muted. Even so I was struck by a story in the LA Times on the CA Governor's race where candidates were calling each other the rich man's or Wall St's candidate!
Here is what Garfield has to say about candidates in this environment:
"I have often offered the unsolicited advice to politicians to run against the banks. There is a deep reservoir of disgust that runs through all classes of society that is expressing disappointment and anger over the failure of two presidential administrations, several Congressional terms, and thousands of courts who have entered into co-venture with the Banks who directly and indirectly fund their campaigns and even the “government” operations. Memos and emails within the Florida court system have revealed that Judges are attempting to enter Judgments of foreclosure as quickly as possible, denying due process to homeowners with legitimate defenses, in order to retain funding that they fear will quickly disappear. The system and the Judges are trying to cash in on available funding before it disappears.
If you are a candidate seeking to serve in public office and you are behind in the polls, you probably have not received much from Wall Street. Whether you are down 5 points or 25 points, the votes are there to reverse the situation. Your campaign is sputtering. I say it again: run against the banks and the money and votes will be there. Have faith and be guided by your faith and moral standards of right and wrong. You will win, astonishing the pundits and political “experts.” Use this time between now and election day to wield your power of persuasion, and employ your courage and faith. People will join you in your quest not merely to send a message, but to reclaim the power vested in them by the 9th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.[1]“
livinglies
In this spirit I am proposing the following pledge be distributed for this election and going forward for whoever is in office to be held accountable. A fraction of the billions of dollars going to agencies, lawyers and even the banks themselves with not only bailouts but tax breaks and other giveaways within settlements would be a huge injection and restoration of community wealth into our communities and economy. What we need is a common sense approach from all sides with a #Pledge2US.
While the Consunmer Financial Protection Bureau has it's issues it is not yet a completely captured agency as the Fed has been and cannot be done away with as Republican candidates have threatened.
The recent revelations about the Fed especially from tapes provided by whistleblower Carmen Segarra show what we are up against.
“The reporter, Jake Bernstein, has obtained 46 hours of tape recordings, made secretly by a Federal Reserve employee, of conversations within the Fed, and between the Fed and Goldman Sachs. The Ray Rice video for the financial sector has arrived.
First, a bit of background -- which you might get equally well from today's broadcast as well as from this article by ProPublica. After the 2008 financial crisis, the New York Fed, now the chief U.S. bank regulator, commissioned a study of itself. This study, which the Fed also intended to keep to itself, set out to understand why the Fed hadn't spotted the insane and destructive behavior inside the big banks, and stopped it before it got out of control. The "discussion draft" of the Fed's internal study, led by a Columbia Business School professor and former banker named David Beim, was sent to the Fed on Aug. 18, 2009.
It's an extraordinary document. There is not space here to do it justice, but the gist is this: The Fed failed to regulate the banks because it did not encourage its employees to ask questions, to speak their minds or to point out problems.
Just the opposite: The Fed encourages its employees to keep their heads down, to obey their managers and to appease the banks. That is, bank regulators failed to do their jobs properly not because they lacked the tools but because they were discouraged from using them.
The report quotes Fed employees saying things like, "until I know what my boss thinks I don't want to tell you," and "no one feels individually accountable for financial crisis mistakes because management is through consensus." Beim was himself surprised that what he thought was going to be an investigation of financial failure was actually a story of cultural failure.”
secret goldman sachs tapes
Feel free to send the following pledge to candidates and officials and I hope to be able to track somehow as I continue my fight and contact me to work together on this issue.
Thank you.
A Public Pledge For A Common Sense Approach to Mortgage and Foreclosure Abuse
My job is to serve all my constituents and the welfare of the community.
Recognizing the serious burden and significant economic impact unlawful foreclosures, mortgage fraud and predatory lending place on households and communities throughout the United States,
Considering that the majority of foreclosure cases STILL originate from the Great Recession and the 2000's financial crisis era, and are not resolved,
Appreciating the efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reduce abuse associated with unlawful foreclosures at the national level,
Emphasizing that a unique opportunity now exists to reverse the economic harm done and injustice of unlawful or unfair foreclosures in every neighborhood of the United States,
I resolve to work to reduce unlawful, unfair foreclosures through actions such as:
• Acknowledging the importance of a viable and RELIABLE property record system;
• Developing or enhancing ongoing campaigns at national or sub-national levels to
promote and improve relief efforts and justice among foreclosure relief agencies and courts;
• Making reliable information available on homeowner rights and alternatives at community
and district levels to foster appropriate actions;
• Sharing experiences and, where appropriate, available foreclosure and settlement type data, with community agencies, advocates and publicly accessible web sites;
• Making emergency funds or resources available for veterans, seniors, disabled persons or anyone in danger of losing shelter or endangering their health due to unlawful/unfair foreclosure actions;
• Considering the use of advocate and community based strategies and guidelines to tackle foreclosure associated hardship, in particular in the areas of shelter, health care, basic rights, due process, livelihood, and home/neighborhood stability;
I resolve to work with homeowners, foreclosure advocates and associations in this country:
To promote the highest standards of practice and behaviour to reduce the risks of foreclosure/mortgage fraud and abuse;
To foster and sustain collaboration with homeowners, advocates, legal aid, agencies, courts, information providers to ensure full utilization of knowledge and experience in the field of foreclosure-associated abuse and fraud;
To encourage senior management support and role-modeling from key staff to promote the implementation of interventions to reduce foreclosure-associated abuse, fraud and hardship.
Signed: __________
Date: __________