Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Foreclosures HIT Worcester hard

A message from Grace Ross:

So, friends,

Warren Group puts out figures for foreclosures every week - and the relative
slowdown is over. With Worcester County slammed the hardest in the state!

Why doorknocking is SO critical!

Worcester County for just 1 week!
73 petitions to foreclose filed
56 auctions!

Let's fight!

Hope everyone can make it to Action THIS SATURDAY at 10AM
(Meet at 8:30 so we can get on route @ 8:45. Meet at Park & Ride parking lot where Rt 90 & Rt 146 meet.)


Love, Grace

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

WAFT makes paper again!!!!!

WAFT has been featured in Worcester's Telegram & Gazette!!

http://www.telegram.com/article/20110509/COLUMN44/105099895



This is what our very own, Chris Horton Had to say about it:

"The woman in question is a neighbor of mine, a hard-working professional and a mother, who has been struggling to keep her home and renegotiate the terms of her mortgage for over a year. Like more than half the people who have bought homes in Worcester during the past ten years, she is "underwater", owing more than the current market value of her house, which severely limited her options.

The notice that was posted on her door and then mailed to her came just days after the auction. It was illegal, untrue - and terrifying. It is part of a pattern in this city of emptying buildings very rapidly after a foreclosure. Just weeks after an auction most of the owners and most of the tenants are gone. By law the banks are required to keep the tenants in foreclosed buildings on as tenants of the bank, but they scare or drive them away anyway.

And then ... the banks seal up the building and leave it standing empty to rot. Don't ask me why they do it, it doesn't make sense from any normal business perspective, but that's what they do!

This is not the world of Jimmy Stewart, although we still have wonderful local credit unions and banks that play fair and deserve our support. The mega-banks helped set up this crisis and the housing bubble that underlies it, made a fortune lending and on the side betting against the loans they were making, and are trying to stick us with the bill. In the process they triggered a world financial collapse that is starting to look more and more like a depression. And then they collected nearly a trillion dollars of our money to bail themselves out - which they paid back by borrowing many trillions at near zero interest to buy Fed notes at over 4%. Now they are trying to stick millions of their victims, like my neighbor, with the bill.

So what is the sense of trying to blame her for this? Some folk, it seems, just like kicking people when they're down.

But guess what? She's not staying down, she's fighting back now!"

Thursday, April 28, 2011

IMPORTANT UPDATES

Update!!!!

WE DID IT! We Scared them out of holding EVERY SINGLE AUCTION

Foreclosure Auction Demonstrations:

12 Leeds Street, POSTPONED ! !

3 Meena Drive, POSTPONED ! !

65 Navasota Avenue, STOPPED ! !

24 Northampton Street, POSTPONED ! !

Go WAFT go!


Auction Protests-

FRIDAY, APRIL 29th, 2011!!!!!

12PM-
3 Meena Drive
(At least 8 people volunteered to make it)


3PM
65 Navasota
(We have at least 6 volunteers)

Bring Signs! Good Spirits! and support!!!!!

Also!!!

We've extended WAFT's meetings to accommodate our growing audience in meetings

NEW MEETING TIME:

5:30-7:30


More time for updates, stories and organizing!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Common Illegal Foreclosure Acts

Gathered from past meetings, we have provided a few scenarios where the bank has tried to pull some illegal acts to get their way.

Get Educated!!! Know Your Rights!

Woman #1- Realtor tried scare tactics to have her move out of her home. (ILLEGAL!) Grace is looking into legal action against realtor for unlawful tactics.

Man #1- Has been foreclosed on. He was paying 1 bank when the mortgage was owned by another bank. Bank he was paying was foreclosing on him when they didn’t even have power over the deed. (ILLEGAL)

Woman #2- Section 8 housing- Housing subsidy is run through agency that is prone to simply ‘giving up’. Told her to move, took it back then reinstated that she must move again and have threatened to take away her housing voucher (ILLEGAL!)

Woman #3- Applied for loan modification, partner lost job. She feels she’s sent over 260 documents, and they continue to say they haven’t received it and to resend her documents to them. (TYPICAL!)
(Illegal note-If you are mid loan modification then the banks are NOT ALLOWED to foreclose on your home!!)

We will be adding more scenarios in the future so keep an eye out!!!

-CAFT

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

How does the Registry of Deeds view YOUR situation?

1) Go to: http://masslandrecords.com/malr/controller

2) Click 3rd tab (property Search)
3) Enter your name. Click Search

4) Go Back.

5)Enter your address. Click Search.

RECORD EVERYTHING YOU FIND STARTING FROM THE DATE YOU SIGNED YOUR MORTGAGE!!!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Real People, Real Stories

After attending the American Planning Conference, I found that CityLife was doing a presentation on Protecting Homeowners and Tenants Against Foreclosures and found some great resources!!

City Life's Website- http://www.clvu.org/

This is where you can hear personal stories!

http://weshallnotbemoved.net/stories/

For more information on the "We Shall Not be Moved Project" please check out:

http://weshallnotbemoved.net/

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

60 Minutes Investigates 'Cutting Corners' On Foreclosures (VIDEO)

At tonight's meeting one of our newer members suggested this news segment to us. (Thanks!)

It was featured on 60 Minutes last Sunday.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

From March 16th, 2011

WAFT Bi-weekly Meeting

Attendance: 23 (Current Record!)

Today we had a Spanish translator during our meeting, which appeared to be quite helpful. As usual everyone read the 10 Rules of Foreclosure Rights.

The only critique was that the need to translate seemed to slow down the meeting. Maybe there should be a meeting once a month for Spanish speakers?

Important Notes

•Always remember to take a deep breath; everyone attending WAFT is struggling through some hard times. What many people DON’T know if that usually they have a MINIMUM of 4 months before any moving is forced and WAFT is here to help support you along the way providing advice that helps you in your personal position.
•Many residents who came have complained that the banks been calling multiple times a day/week. THIS IS ILLEGAL. THIS IS CONSIDERED HARASSMENT!
•The Banks should be supplying all information in WRITING not by phone.

Individual Site/ Updates

Man #1- Due to a passing in the family, he fell behind in rent. He has saved up a small amount of money and is unsure how to send that it for the mortgage. On top of that his wife is fighting breast cancer. We advised that he go to housing court despite the lack of money for a lawyer. Advised him to call banks for negotiation and to allow him to pay, also to bring all his papers to the next meeting

Man #2- Man struggling while banks work on the trial modification AND the foreclosing at the SAME time, something the banks SHOULD NOT BE DOING!!! Foreclosed took place January 10th. We assured them that the marshals will not come to their house to evict them.

Woman #1- She is 1 month behind payment, since October she’s been threatened by banks with foreclosure and even put house on market without her knowledge. Banks have been calling multiple times a day. She asked bank how much she should pay to keep the house, all correspondence was by phone when it SHOULD have all been in writing.

Woman #2- Banks were also calling everyday, once again this is NOT ALLOWED! Went through the loan modification program.

Couple #1- House was put up for sale a year and two months ago. They filed for loan modification program while house was also being foreclosured on. Had court date for March 7th but date was canceled (turns out it was an auction date)

Couple #2- Bought triple-decker 19 years ago. Not behind in payments YET. Came for research purposes.

Outreach

21 students from the Boston area came to Worcester to perform a massive outreach. Went door-to door passed out fliers and pamphlets. Taking multiple routes they were able to hit almost every house on the lists. Which we now have recorded thanks to our canvassing forms.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

10 Things Tenants and Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Should Know and Do:

  1. The eviction process begins with a letter called a Notice to Quit. You DO NOT need to move out immediately or by the caveat date. You can only be evicted after you’ve had your day in court. Even if your building is foreclosed! 
  2. You might be able to continue living in a foreclosed property if you’ve been a good tenant and don’t want to move. The bank might ask you to move, but it’s in their best interest not to have a vacant building. If you want to stay, fight for it.
  3. If you are up-to-date with rent, it is illegal for your landlord, old or new, to change your locks, remove your possessions, shut off your utilities, or threaten to do any of the above, unless a judge evicts you. 
  4. Save all letters, receipts, leases, and paperwork related to your tenancy, mortgage, foreclosure or eviction, even if you don’t have time to look at them right away. These will help you in court!
  5. Report code violations to the housing inspector. Proof of code violations in your building can help you get what you want or need in Housing Court. 
  6. If you are offered cash for your keys, it’s not always the best option. Bank representatives may try to pressure or bully you into accepting this type of agreement. Don’t let them. You have the right to see them in Housing Court where a judge may give you more time or award you more money to move out. 
  7. Never Sign anything that you don’t understand fully, or aren’t totally comfortable with. If you aren’t sure, don’t sign it.
  8. Never pay rent to someone if you are unsure that he/she is the real owner, old or new. Only a title or deed is positive proof of ownership.
  9. If you are unsure of whom to pay rent to, save your rent money, preferably in a dedicated bank account or in ESCROW, until you know whom to pay to.
  10. Go to Housing Court, even if you don’t have a lawyer or are unsure of what to do. Judges are often sympathetic to tenant needs such as moving costs and time to move.

Know your rights as a tenant or homeowner and help spread the word!