Wrongful foreclosures increasing in number?
We’ve seen banks foreclose illegally on the wrong address, illegally foreclose on soldiers fighting abroad, foreclose on homes that are fully paid off with no mortgage, and even on homes that had new homeowners in them which they no longer held the mortgage for. It is not uncommon to hear stories of homeowners that were blindsided by banks’ hired guns showing up to their home while they are at work, only to come home to their house ransacked and empty. These tales, despite an unofficial freeze in foreclosures, are rising in number, mostly among the largest banks with the most complicated methods of communicating with consumers and mortgage holders.
70 year old foreclosed upon for early payment
Today, Bank of America has been persistent in foreclosure proceedings of 70-year-old Sharon Bullington in Florida whose husband is ill and bedridden which has led to high medical bills and financial difficulties for the couple, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
Bank of America granted Bullington a HAMP loan modification which she believed would save her home from foreclosure, but when she made her January 2011 payment on December 23, 2010, the bank notified her that the would no longer accept her mortgage payments and that foreclosure proceedings would begin. The reason? Bank officials say the foreclosure could not be stopped because “In accordance with the Trial Payment Letter dated December 15, 2010, it indicates that if you are not able to make each payment in the month in which it is due, you will not be eligible for a modification under the Home Affordable Modification Program.”
Cold response from Bank of America
Bullington says over the months, she has contacted Bank of America repeatedly but that no one would talk to her or return her calls. She appealed to the CEO of Bank of America whose assistant responded in a letter indicating that the only means of avoiding foreclosure was to sell her home in a short sale or simply sign it over to the bank. The letter closes with the cold line, “I understand that you may be disappointed with our final resolution and appreciate the opportunity to clarify this matter. While this may not be the response you were hoping for, I trust I have addressed your concerns.”
Bullington has no children or siblings and is the sole caregiver for her ill husband, making it impossible to move while he is in this condition. The Times reports that she wants Bank of America to know how her situation feels. “I just don’t understand why they’re doing this. It looks like they’re out to get us.”
As in many cases that capture media attention, upon being contacted by the St. Petersburg Times, Bank of America said it is now going to “re-review” the case.
