Tag Archive: mortgage

The MERS Decision Story

Fallout from the Michigan Court of Appeals decision tossing out two foreclosures by MERS is sweeping the state of Michigan. Had a call yesterday from someone whose closing was canceled at the last minute, because, MERS had done the foreclosure and quit claimed the property to the bank, which had agreed to sell the home…

The Truth About Michigan Foreclosure Law Changes

Less than two years ago, Michigan foreclosure law was changed in the face of the greatest foreclosure crisis since the Great Depression. Mortgage companies were required to send an initial foreclosure notice that gave the homeowner the opportunity to request a modification. If he did so, the house went off the foreclosure track for 90…

The Truth About The Foreclosure Crisis

An essential part of the real estate bubble was mortgage securitization, the process by which mortgage loans were sold into investment trusts from which bonds were sold. It was mortgage fraud from A to Z, from the selling of mortgage backed securities trusts, before the trusts were full of mortgages. From the ratings agencies, assuming…

The Foreclosure Scam Story

False advertising fills the airwaves: “the secret credit card companies don’t want you to know.” The secret? They don’t tell you is, you pay, and get no guarantee of anything. The State of Ohio busted a foreclosure scam outfit operated with attorneys. Check with your state’s Attorney General’s office. Better Business Bureau, not so much….

The Truth About Second Mortgages

Second mortgages were marketed as home equity loans, or home equity lines of credit, partly to conceal that they were liens on your house, just like the first mortgage. I can’t tell you how many times I would ask a client, How many mortgages on your home? To be told, just one, and we have…

The Modern Rules Of Home Financing

I love reading the Christian Finance blog, but have to vociferously disagree with part of a recent post there, the Home Financing part of which reads as follows: Enough can be determined by what the bank will loan us.  Thus, we buy as much house as the bank is willing to lend us. According to…

The Real Truth About Mortgages (Part One)

This has been the most common question I get for a long time, so I will periodically post on the possible answers. If you are current, and can afford to continue paying, there is really no bankruptcy alternative. You can stop paying, the so-called “strategic default“. Unfortunately, there is no accurate prediction as to what…

Rescinding Reaffirmation

Reaffirming is the only way to remain liable on a debt that is otherwise dischargeable in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. At least in Michigan, signing a reaffirmation agreement is never a good idea, unless the bank is changing the terms to your advantage. If you keep up the taxes and insurance, and make the payments,…

More Michigan Bankruptcy And Foreclosure News

The bailout cost for the “too big to fail” banks and mortgage companies has not even peaked. Taxpayers, like Joe Inhoch, our new fictional blog character, are on the hook hundreds of billions more, counting only the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans that go south. Our politicians already already bailed out those companies, with Joe’s…

Scams On Saving Your House From Foreclosure

Desperate homeowners facing foreclosure can be easy targets for con artists. They steer their victims away from bankruptcy attorneys: “Don’t ruin your credit!” Just like: “Contact us for free information about the secret the credit card companies don’t want you to know about!” Makes my blood boil. What sounds too good to be true, well,…

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