Southern California (909)890-9192 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (909)890-9192 end_of_the_skype_highlighting in Northern California(925)957-9797
A wrongful foreclosure action typically occurs when the lender starts a non judicial foreclosure action when it simply has no legal cause. This is even more evident now since California passed the Foreclosure prevention act of 2008 SB 1194 codified in Civil code 2923.5 and 2923.6. In 2009 it is this attorneys opinion that 90% of all foreclosures are wrongful in that the lender does not comply (just look at the declaration page on the notice of default). The lenders most notably Indymac, Countrywide, and Wells Fargo have taken a calculated risk. To comply would cost hundreds of millions in staff, paperwork, and workouts that they don’t deem to be in their best interest. The workout is not in there best interest because our tax dollars are guaranteeing the Banks that are To Big to Fail’s debt. If they don’t foreclose and if they work it out the loss is on them. There is no incentive to modify loan for the benefit of the consumer.
Sooooo they proceed to foreclosure without the mandated contacts with the borrower. Oh and yes contact is made by a computer or some outsourcing contact agent based in India. But compliance with 2923.5 is not done. The Borrower is never told that he or she have the right to a meeting within 14 days of the contact. They do not get offers to avoid foreclosure there are typically two offers short sale or a probationary mod that will be declined upon the 90th day.
Wrongful foreclosure actions are also brought when the service providers accept partial payments after initiation of the wrongful foreclosure process, and then continue on with the foreclosure process. These predatory lending strategies, as well as other forms of misleading homeowners, are illegal.
The borrower is the one that files a wrongful disclosure action with the court against the service provider, the holder of the note and if it is a non-judicial foreclosure, against the trustee complaining that there was an illegal, fraudulent or willfully oppressive sale of property under a power of sale contained in a mortgage or deed or court judicial proceeding. The borrower can also allege emotional distress and ask for punitive damages in a wrongful foreclosure action.
Causes of Action
Wrongful foreclosure actions may allege that the amount stated in the notice of default as due and owing is incorrect because of the following reasons:
* Incorrect interest rate adjustment
* Incorrect tax impound accounts
* Misapplied payments
* Forbearance agreement which was not adhered to by the servicer
* Unnecessary forced place insurance,
* Improper accounting for a confirmed chapter 11 or chapter 13 bankruptcy plan.
* Breach of contract
* Intentional infliction of emotional distress
* Negligent infliction of emotional distress
* Unfair Business Practices
* Quiet title
* Wrongful foreclosure
* Tortuous violation of 2924 2923.5 and 2923.5 and 2932.5
Injunction
Any time prior to the foreclosure sale, a borrower can apply for an injunction with the intent of stopping the foreclosure sale until issues in the lawsuit are resolved. The wrongful foreclosure lawsuit can take anywhere from ten to twenty-four months. Generally, an injunction will only be issued by the court if the court determines that: (1) the borrower is entitled to the injunction; and (2) that if the injunction is not granted, the borrower will be subject to irreparable harm.
Damages Available to Borrower
Damages available to a borrower in a wrongful foreclosure action include: compensation for the detriment caused, which are measured by the value of the property, emotional distress and punitive damages if there is evidence that the servicer or trustee committed fraud, oppression or malice in its wrongful conduct. If the borrower’s allegations are true and correct and the borrower wins the lawsuit, the servicer will have to undue or cancel the foreclosure sale, and pay the borrower’s legal bills.
Why Do Wrongful Foreclosures Occur?
Wrongful foreclosure cases occur usually because of a miscommunication between the lender and the borrower. Most borrower don’t know who the real lender is. Servicing has changed on average three times. And with the advent of MERS Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems the “investor lender” hundreds of times since the origination. And now they then have to contact the borrower. The don’t even know who the lender truly is. The laws that are now in place never contemplated the virtualization of the lending market. The present laws are inadequate to the challenge.
This is even more evident now since California passed the Foreclosure prevention act of 2008 SB 1194 codified in Civil code 2923.5 and 2923.6. In 2009 it is this attorneys opinion that 90% of all foreclosures are wrongful in that the lender does not comply (just look at the declaration page on the notice of default). The lenders most notably Indymac, Countrywide, and Wells Fargo have taken a calculated risk. To comply would cost hundreds of millions in staff, paperwork, and workouts that they don’t deem to be in their best interest. The workout is not in there best interest because our tax dollars are guaranteeing the Banks that are To Big to Fail’s debt. If they don’t foreclose and if they work it out the loss is on them. There is no incentive to modify loan for the benefit of the consumer.This could be as a result of an incorrectly applied payment, an error in interest charges and completely inaccurate information communicated between the lender and borrower. Some borrowers make the situation worse by ignoring their monthly statements and not promptly responding in writing to the lender’s communications. Many borrowers just assume that the lender will correct any inaccuracies or errors. Any one of these actions can quickly turn into a foreclosure action. Once an action is instituted, then the borrower will have to prove that it is wrongful or unwarranted. This is done by the borrower filing a wrongful foreclosure action. Costs are expensive and the action can take time to litigate.
Impact
The wrongful foreclosure will appear on the borrower’s credit report as a foreclosure, thereby ruining the borrower’s credit rating. Inaccurate delinquencies may also accompany the foreclosure on the credit report. After the foreclosure is found to be wrongful, the borrower must then petition to get the delinquencies and foreclosure off the credit report. This can take a long time and is emotionally distressing.
Wrongful foreclosure may also lead to the borrower losing their home and other assets if the borrower does not act quickly. This can have a devastating affect on a family that has been displaced out of their home. However, once the borrower’s wrongful foreclosure action is successful in court, the borrower may be entitled to compensation for their attorney fees, court costs, pain, suffering and emotional distress caused by the action.
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Southern California (909)890-9192 in Northern California(925)957-9797
Information
* Date : January 1, 2010
* Tags: 2923.5, 2923.5 2923.6 2924 2932.5 Audit bankruptcy california California cram down Chapter 13 civil code 2923.5 civil code 2924 Countrywide Cram down Cramdown criminal acts eviction FCRA FDCPA Federal Jurisdi, 2923.6, 2924, 2932.5, civil code 2924, Countrywide, Foreclosure, Fraud, stop foreclosure
* Categories : 2923.5, 2923.6, 2924, Foreclosure, Lender Class action
Mortgage Asistance 877-227-4341 
Tim;
Can I call your office for legal advice? Can you do RICO action in federal or state court? Is there any attorney in San Diego county that you can refer for a class action lawsuit against Bank Of America dba Countrywide on predatory lending?
Thank for your informative website for helping distressed homeowners.
The Doan Firm
Tim,
I am in a similar scenario and further down the road. I have a hearing coming up and need to describe my situation to someone for legal counsel. Can I talk to you some time this week?
Thanks for the great information and help you provide.
Can you file suit after your house has already gone to sale based on the MERS article of wrongful foreclosure?
Yes however the issue that remains is what are the damages and who do you collect from. Emotional distress????
12. Damages for Improper Sale
The sale process must closely adhere to the procedure set forth in Civil Code §§ 2924 et sea.; “The statutory requirements must be strictly complied with, and a trustee’s sale based on a statutorily deficient notice of default is invalid.” (Miller v. Cote, supra. 127 Cal.App.3d 888, 894.) A trustee is liable to the trustor for damages sustained from an “illegal, fraudulent or willfully oppressive” foreclosure sale. Munaer v. Moore, supra, 11 Cal.App.3d 1, 7.] Normally, the trustor will attempt to stop or vacate a foreclosure sale based on an invalid notice of default. (See Chapter III B 5 a, “Defective Notice of Default”, infra.) However, an action for damages may be the only avenue of redress if the property has been sold to a bona fide purchaser.
a. Liability for Deficient Notice
Although no case has held a trustee liable for damages for a deficient notice of default, a variety of theories depending on the nature of the trustee’s failings would support causes of action for damages. In any event, the trustor will likely have to show prejudice or an impairment of rights as a result of the deficiency in the notice of default. (See U.S. Hertz. Inc. v. Niobrara Farms (1974) 41 Cal.App.3d 68, 86; 116 Cal.Rptr. 44.) If the appropriate nexus between the notice and the loss is established, the trustor may be able to show that (1) the trustee intentionally failed to perform, or was negligent in performing, its duties under the trust deed and statute; (2) the trustee engaged in negligent or intentional misrepresentation in setting forth the information contained in the notice of default; (3) the trustee breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing which is implied in a trust deed (see Schoolcraft v. Ross (1978) 81 Cal.App.3d 75; 1146 Cal.Rptr. 57); and (4) the trustee may have the duty as agent of the trustor to inquire of the beneficiary to verify the accuracy of the information contained in the notice of default and the trustor’s entitlement to a Spanish translation (but see Civ. Code § 2924c(b)(1) providing that the trustee has no liability for failing to give a Spanish language explanation of the right of reinstatement unless Spanish is specified on a lien contract or unless the trustee has actual knowledge that the obligation was negotiated principally in Spanish).
b. Liability for Deficient Sale
If the property is sold without compliance with notice requirements the trustee may be liable for damages. The trustor must first establish that any damages were sustained. Since a sale held without proper notice may be void, the trustor may suffer no damages because no sale was actually effected. (Scott v. Security Title Ins. & Guar. Co.. supra. 9 Cal.2d 606, 613-14, 72 P.2d 143.) However, the trustor may be precluded from attacking the sale and recovering the property from the purchaser if the sale was made to a bona fide purchaser for value and without notice and the trustee’s deed recites that all notice requirements were met. (See Chapter III F, “The Status of Bona Fide Purchaser or Encumbrancer’1, section 4, at p. 111-32; F, at p. 111-40, infra.) As a result, the trustor will have incurred damage.
The trustee will be liable to the trustor for damages resulting from the trustee’s bad faith, fraud or deceit (Scott v. Security Title Ins. & Guar. Co., supra, 9 Cal.2d 606, 611.) In Scott, the trustee failed to post notice of the sale and then sold the property in satisfaction of the debt. The sale was set aside because of the improper notice, and the trustee thereafter properly sold the property but only for a nominal sum insufficient to pay the debt. The beneficiary obtained the deficiency from a former owner who had assumed the debt and who in turn sued the trustee for breach of contract and agency. The Supreme Court held that the only valid sale was regularly conducted, and that the trustee had no liability for breach of contract or agency for mistakenly performing the first sale which was declared a nullity. (9 Cal.2d at 612-14.) The court indicated that the only liability might be for negligence but that the plaintiff could not recover since that theory had not been alleged. (9 Cal.2d at 614.)
Munger indicates that a trustee can be held liable for its negligence in the conduct of an illegal sale. [See supra, 11 Cal.App.3d at 7 citing Civ. Code § 1708; Dillon v. Legg (1968) 68 Cal.2d 728; 69 Cal.Rptr. 72; Davenport v. Vaughn (1927) 137 S.E. 714, 716 (the trustee is “charged with the duty of fidelity, as well as impartiality; of good faith and every requisite degree of diligence; of making due advertisement; and giving due notice . . . . If, through haste, imprudence, or want of diligence, his conduct was such as to advance the interest of one person to the injury of another, he became personally liable to the injured party”).]
c. Beneficiary’s Liability For Trusteefs Misconduct
The trustee is the common agent of the parties, and, as a result, a party to whom the trustee owes a duty to conduct a fair and open sale may impute a breach of that duty to the beneficiary. (Bank of Seoul & Trust Co. v. Marcione, supra, 198 Cal.App.3d 113, 120.)
I live in Lincoln Calif. Is there someone in this area that can help me keep my home. Bank of America says they are accelerating the foreclosure. I am 4 months behind.
See my recent post
Bank of America no modification policy class action
Call the Martinez Office 1925-957-9797
At what stage of planning are you in; is there money to finance it?
Hello,
We bought a house in Idaho July 2006. Both mortgages were owned by Aegis Wholesale Corp. who went bankrupt within a year. Our first mortgage then went to Auroral Loan Servicing (the investor is a Lehman Brothers trust) with in a month of purchasing the home. The second went to Homecomings, GMAC, Bank of America, then Greentree Servicing (a BAC servicer). According to our credit report ALL of these mortgage accounts were opened and active July 2006, even before the loans were transferred. My husband had to leave the state Jan 2008 to find work to support us and pay the mortgage. The children and I followed him in May 2008. We paid both mortgages and insurance for the entire year of 2008. We stopped paying Jan 09 because we couldn’t sell the house. We had a short sale for 72,000 less than the purchased price. They gave us the run around for 7 months, constantly calling my husband and asking him the same questions about why we aren’t paying, is the house empty, and so on. Then they denied the short sale because they said they had been trying to contact my husband and since he didn’t return their calls they denied the short sale. Now we have a short sale for 110,000 less than original price but are stuck battling with a quiet title issue because on the deed it lists our house in the wrong city and county. We hired a lawyer because the plaintiff was listed as Aegis, who is bankrupt and sold our primary mortgage to Aurora in 2006, and the wording on the paperwork for quiet title also claimed my husband owed Aegis, not Aurora, for the 1st mortgage as well as the second. Had we not responded and left the paperwork sit on the table for 20 days we would have got a default judgement to fix the error in the paperwork as well as a judgement stating we owed 250,000 to Aegis. Meanwhile I can only imagine the charges they are going to come after us for as far as late fees, insurance, attorney’s fee, and so on. We had also looked into a forbearance which raised the monthly payments and had a 8,000 balloon payment due the fifth month, only they could tell me what would happen if we couldn’t pay the balloon payment in full, they just said “oh, there are lots of options” followed by “I can’t tell you what options will be available until you send in the initial payment”. Needless to say we didn’t fall for that one.
Any advice?
Hi I would like you to help me to know I can do with my case what happened was I did not pay for a desert time in 2009 but in November I was given a trial period of three months Commencing November 2009 December and in January 2010 after that I sent Nigun document, however, send the same payment they told me not auque by three months to May but apart from that I did my payment because I never sent the final mark shortly after July 2 put me date of sale, but what I did was a bankruptcy only for crushed and sold after the date that the bankruptcy did dismiss July 26 August 2 sold out the house but this time not told me anything and Chase said I was 14 months ago by loo so not true CACELA checks because I have evidence now that make it not send the documents to the bank saying that I have proved that they are not 14 months I have not been answered and I want to stay with the house that I can do please help
October 13, 2010
To: Timothy McCandless
I spoke to you on the phone, I believe, Monday, 10/11/10.
I had explained my situation… – I was complying to a short sale. Had all documents signed – Authorization; R.E. contract, etc.; – working with a short sale person employed by Wells Fargo all within documents submitted by the deadline they gave me, October 29.2010.
On 10/6, I received an email from the Short sale lady, saying “bad news” and apologized to me saying that Wells Fargo will be puting my home up for Auction Sale at noon on 10/7. There was no posting on my door ever or no letter mailed to me forewarning forclosure sale date. Wells Fargo did put it up for Auction but could not sell my home. I just found out that Wells Fargo bought it back themselves.
Now they are my landlords so to speak. A broker has approached me on Tuesday evening, 10/12 saying he represented Wells Fargo to see if any person was on the premises at all and if so, to find out what kind of people lived there. He said that Wells Fargo is willing to give $5,000. if I could move by the end of October, 18 days from now. I said that would be impossible – son is in the hospital and do not have the money to move. He asked, when could I move. I said maybe by December 1, 2010.
The problem is that he wants me to sign this agreement that on December 1 is when I would receive the $5,000. I told him I need the money to move and asked how do I do that without having the money. In other words, he’s saying that I sign this agreement and when the time comes that I need money for deposit on a place or moving expense, after showing them proof, they would extend that money at that time. And the balance of the $5,000. would be given at the end “cash for keys.”
I do not have any one to give me advice. Does this sound like a legitimate offer in the order I have explained above? If I sign the letter that does not show the provisions, i.e., money for moving or deposit for another home, etc.
If you could maybe respond to my concerns and tell me if I should sign the agreement as if I would receive the entire $5,000 on the last day without those provisions and believe them on their word. After all, they undermined my short sale without a backward glance at the mess they left behind.
Nita Martin
I am now in the process of foreclosure, I have tried in two instances to make two months worth of payments that the bank did not want to take. I never received a certified letter or a call to try and work out a payment plan. Do I have any recourse or do I need to pay the past due and fees?
Hi, how are you? Hopefully your response is a great one!
We are homeowners in Michigan with a mortgage with a small town bank. My husband is a recent college grad who was out of work for a span of time combined with our bank’s decision to no longer pay for our house insurance with our escrow is how we got into our current financial situations. Our monthly house payment stayed the same even though we were paying house insurance.
We are a family of five including three teenage sons who have known of no other home, so when we saw our home listed in the newspaper as a notice of mortgage sale was a huge emotional blow! We were only 2 house payments behind and were communicating with our bank.
Our bank has since strung us along leading us to believe they were entering us into the program called Michigan’s Helping Hardest Hit Homeowners plan. I called Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s (MSHDA) 3/7/11 to see if they could check our status and to my surprise they stated we were not enrolled. This program is one that Homestead has to initiate.
I have every date, time, name, and phone number of every conversation with our bank documented.
Is there any legal actions I could pursue?
i am so frantic because my time is once again running out ive paid all the payments opened up a trust account for the payments they are sending back demanding full payment of 250000.00 and fony docx crap leading all to the wrong people / servicers one hand didnt work with the other when it came down to deciding who wanted to be linda green that day and assign my loan deed to and on behalf of the wrong company you tell me hu 818-366-5730 HOMEOWNER THEFT AT ITS FINIST ahmsi hummmm
AS I WRITE THIS I AM SENDING IN MY KEY FOR CASH PAPERS .WHILE IN MODIFICATION I WAS TOLD ALL WAS GOOD THEN FORCLOSED AND NOW EVICTED
I have a little different problem with the forclosure… We purchased 3 lots (from a individual that owned 20+ lots in the subdivision) several years ago and had them financed with with a local bank… Now the bank that holds the loan with the original seller is now in forclosure… and to our supprise our 3 lots are listed in there forclosure add in the local paper along with our business name!! SO FAR this has cost our business the loss of a investor (that was imperitative to our business, customers questioning theclose of our business (since the name was in the paper) and in an already bottomed out realestate market other properties we have listed for sale not have the stigima of “wait and get a deal after there foreclosed” Not sure what to do… how can a bank advertise our lots that they DO NOT have a mortgage on as being forclosed on AND has our business name in the forclosure advertisment as well… sorry i ramble im very angry and tired of the whole banking trash!!!!
Yet 100% didn’t pay their mortgage, and we are supposed to feel sorry for them.
I received a notice of default and election to sell under deed of trust. I am living in my moms home and have been paying the loan for the past 3.5 yrs. She passed away. I attempted to modify the loan but was told I must attempt an assumption first. But I was told by a friend I cannot assume without my name on title. I go to court on Monday 7/5/11 for the first probate hearing.
I do not know who the lender is. I asked the servicer, AHMSI, but they could not tell me. I had special administrator rights but they said they did not know exactly who the lender was.
May I ask the judge to hold the foreclosure while I go through the probate process? I am behind 6 months (but they have put my last 2 payments into escrow) instead of applying towards mortgabe pyments.
Is there anything else I can do?
I want to file a wrongful foreclosure based on predatory loan, the loan was done in 2006, but was modified….2009 and I want to use the loan modification for the basis of the suit. Have you heard of this type of wrongful foreclosure?
Question: Our home has been sold and our attorney is now trying to reverse the sale due to many issues on a second loan with 12 % interest rate that the lender never helped us to find new lower terms, we were trapped! But we recently noticed that the home was sold and described for the sale as before a $500K remodel that added footage and high upgrades and increased appraiaed value. I guess the tax records were never updated and the house was sold as a smaller home and now it would leave us with even less funds if the worse comes from the non reversal (which I doubt) My question is this: Now knowing the house was sold as a smaller home (which any buyer who knows the area and the models would know they were getting a lot more for their investment) then the true resized newly built home should have been valued. Would this be enough to to stop and reverse the sale?
Hi it’s me again
This has been a journey through hell
So the courts favored the banks once again
And then there was to be justice served
What a crock of lies
America I grew up believing that there was programs that helped a American if really needed proud no
Displaced lost confused. Yes. Overwhelmed not able to focuse and comprehend
The worst I am not able to let it go. I don’t know how. I don’t fit in any place
I just wanted to go home get my justice served. 2010 I wrote GSA occ then kept writing contacting driving them crazy I was frustrated stressed mentally emotionally and physically the toll these 3 years has been more then I’m able to deal with
I’m displaced lost just a mess I have no idea who to or not to trust if
Life at 55 honestly at lockout they needed to of shot me. Then I’d be out of all my hurt pain heartbreak unknown
Heard statue of limitations may be over ASAP some lawyer I never hard said he looked over case must decline
This is one more item added onto my plate. It’s been flowing over every way prior all this it’s been one thing after another from 1995 up. Put out to pasture because of greed lies scams fraud
And this is to be alright by my country
Sorry it’s very wrong honestly very sad that America treats their own this unfair way
I need help with wrongful foreclosure by wells fargo… i knew it was a setup and no one would listen to me… it’s driven me insane and the HUD office just laughed at me! Now I am homeless, destitute, AND disabled, thanks to Hells
Fargo and their evil, evil lies, fraud and theft!!! Can someone please help me? Please? I’m in NC and I have all the evidence right here but need a pro bono lawyer since I have nothing, NOTHING left!!! I’m 52… disabled now due to the stress and PTSD, documented by my doctors, I have all the paperwork, it should be easy for any attorney worth his salt to win this for me. I deserve at least 3 times the worth of my home… minimum, as is customary I believe for this type action. IF YOU CANNOT HELP ME WITHOUT UP FRONT THOUSANDS of dollars, please don’t bother to email me. Thank you.
Cynthia
Then I lost?
This has been more then I am able to comprehend today(
Let not having a computer to view the full page
God ahh
I don’t know how to begin at 55 all alone out here after owning 22 years
Homeless three years march 29 2014
Someone has to help by speaking with me.
Only no lawyer Legual help I’m screwed
Life at 55 sucks
Hello Everyone: My story is not too much different than many other stories on this blog: On January 14th, 2016, I just went through the devastation of having the sheriff put the contents of my 11 room house out on the front lawn. It was mortifying, embarrassing, physically/emotionally stressful and mind boggling. It was as if I had suffered a natural disaster both in its scope and emotional devastation. In part, dual tracting and trusting JPMorgan Chase was my eventual downfall.
I love reading this blog, however, I live in the DFW area of Texas. Can anyone refer me to a website, a website, an attorney, or any good solid resource that may be able to help me. I thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Tammy Hardy
tammyhardy@hotmail.com