Are foreclosures being halted in NY?
Foreclosure defense is a large part of our law practice. We are currently defending foreclosures brought by GMAC, Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo etc. For the most part, we have not seen much evidence of these lenders suspending current foreclosure actions. They are still opposing our motions, replying to our answers, and having counsel attend the Mandatory Foreclosure Settlement Conferences on their behalf.
However, we have had several recent loan modification offers, requests for adjournments, and at least one major lender is attempting to discontinue their foreclosure action against one our clients. We were able to achieve the foregoing results by raising and vigorously litigating the “faulty/fraudulent paperwork” that is a part of many foreclosure actions.
So, we know what the headlines say, but we have YET to receive any calls from any lenders or their attorneys saying “Hey, we are discontinuing all of our foreclosures in NY.” We look forward to that day, but until then, we will keep raising the issues and fighting for our clients.
As always, The Foreclosure Defense Law Firm of VAUGHN & WEBER, PLLC is here to assist you. We are conveniently located in the heart of Nassau County, Long Island, at 217 Willis Avenue in Mineola, NY 11501. Contact us at (516) 858-2620 to arrange a consultation with a foreclosure defense lawyer.
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
Bank won’t modify my mortgage, how can I use the chapter 7 bankruptcy I just filed to avoid foreclosure?
The following are “some” of the things you can do to avoid foreclosure if you just filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy:
“Maybe” filing a “chapter 20” bankruptcy, which is a chapter 7 followed by a chapter 13, will help you.
- make sure the ch. 7 discharge is granted;
- some time after discharge is granted in the 7, but before the sale date of course, file a ch. 13 to force the lender to accept the current payment + the arrears spread over 36 or 60 months.
- Note: There likely won’t be a discharge at the end of the Chapter 13. This really shouldn’t matter because you just received a chapter 7 discharge.
- Note: You should consider “stripping off” any judgment and/or wholly unsecured liens.
- Note: If this is investment property you can try to cram it down in a ch.13. However, the cramdown value has to be paid off by completion of the ch. 13 plan.
If none of the above will work, you could:
- After discharge, continue trying to obtain a loan modification from your lender (the foreclosure action will likely continue unopposed).
- Contest the foreclosure action in state court after the stay is lifted or terminates.
- Note: You may be able to defend the foreclosure even if a default judgment has been entered against you(see our earlier post “Fighting foreclosure after default judgment.”)
This is not legal advice!
The Law Firm of Vaughn & Weber, PLLC routinely represents homeowners facing foreclosure who have already filed or need to file for bankruptcy. We examine each homeowner’s specific situation to determine their best course of action.
We proudly assist residents of Long Island (Nassau county, Suffolk county) and New York City (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan) with their bankruptcy and foreclosure matters.
Call (516) 858-2620 to arrange a FREE consultation with a bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney!
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
Please visit our Bankruptcy category to learn more about filing for bankruptcy.
Forensic Loan Audits
Forensic Loan Audits
A Forensic Loan Auditor, purportedly, reviews your mortgage loan documents to determine whether your mortgage lender violated any state or federal mortgage lending laws when they funded your loan.
We always wondered if these outfits were really helping homeowners. We couldn’t quite figure out how just finding problems with the loan documents, and not actually using that information to defend the foreclosure, was helping homeowners.
Well, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a released a consumer alert, Forensic Mortgage Loan Audit Scams: A New Twist on Foreclosure Rescue Fraud, which states that these mortgage audits are “the latest foreclosure rescue scam to exploit financially strapped homeowners…” The alert goes on to state the following:
In exchange for an upfront fee of several hundred dollars, so-called forensic loan auditors, mortgage loan auditors, or foreclosure prevention auditors backed by forensic attorneys offer to review your mortgage loan documents to determine whether your lender complied with state and federal mortgage lending laws. The “auditors” say you can use the audit report to avoid foreclosure, accelerate the loan modification process, reduce your loan principal, or even cancel your loan.
Nothing could be further from the truth. According to the FTC and its law enforcement partners:
- there is no evidence that forensic loan audits will help you get a loan modification or any other foreclosure relief, even if they’re conducted by a licensed, legitimate and trained auditor, mortgage professional or lawyer.
- some federal laws allow you to sue your lender based on errors in your loan documents. But even if you sue and win, your lender is not required to modify your loan simply to make your payments more affordable.
- if you cancel your loan, you will lose your home and you will have to return the money you borrowed to your lender.
It is our standard practice, as foreclosure defense attorneys, to review ALL documents relating to the purchase and possible foreclosure of your home for potential defenses. We often find ourselves, due to no fault of our own, reviewing and drafting hundreds of pages in a short period of time. This is very labor intensive work, but we take pride in stopping unnecessary foreclosures and providing our clients with an opportunity to remain in their home.
As always, The Foreclosure Defense Law Firm of Vaughn, Weber & Prakope, PLLC is here to assist you. We are conveniently located in the heart of Nassau County, Long Island, NY. Contact us at (516) 858-2620 to arrange a consultation with a foreclosure defense attorney.
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
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