Foreclosure Horror Story: Woman, Daughter With Cerebral Palsy Evicted - LATimes

[WillyT]

Last edited Sun Apr 15, 2012, 08:55 PM - Edit history (1)

An ugly foreclosure story, starring Bank of America
Dirma Rodriguez wonders how a house she'd been paying on for years, and which is specially modified for her severely disabled daughter, could be taken from her.
Gale Holland, Los Angeles Times
April 13, 2012


After homeowner Dirma Rodriguez fell behind on her payments, the Bank of America lowered her monthly obligation, but then sold her house at a foreclosure auction last September. (Associated Press)

<snip>

Dirma Rodriguez had five minutes to gather her things and vacate the West Adams house she and her severely disabled daughter had lived in for more than 25 years. As a property manager changed the locks, Rodriguez fluttered back and forth from the yard — where a pile of stuff lay by the kitchen stove — to her car, where her daughter, Ingrid Ortiz, sat screaming and crying.

How Rodriguez and Ortiz ended up in this predicament is a long, messy story that resounds with a misery all too common in this age of foreclosure. Rodriguez took out a loan to retrofit her house for her special-needs daughter. After she fell behind on her payments, the Bank of America lowered her monthly obligation, but then sold the house at a foreclosure auction last September. The new owner, a house flipper from El Segundo called West Ridge Rentals, moved to evict the family.

I came upon Rodriguez's story through Occupy Fights Foreclosure, the latest offshoot of the 99% movement. Occupy interceded to stop her eviction March 26, and it just may have saved her home for good. Bank of America said last week it is considering a loan modification that would return the home to Rodriguez and her family.

But how did it come to this? Bank of America took a $45-billion bailout from taxpayers when it got into financial trouble. Why couldn't the bank have shown Rodriguez — a widow whose life was already a trial — the same courtesy when she got squeezed?

"I would pray to God the executives from Bank of America would come over here and see what I have to deal with," Rodriguez said through a Spanish-speaking Occupier last week.

Ortiz, now 27, has cerebral palsy and does not speak. Her vision is poor, and she can walk with leg braces, but she generally finds it easier to slide around the house on her knees. She often cries and wails loudly.

<snip>

More: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-holland-20120413,0,2707478.story

[WillyT]

1. Kick !!!

[dkf]

2. Whoa $457,000 in loans?

Geez I can't afford that. Is she seriously going to be able to pay that off?

[WillyT]

3. Just Curious... Why Do You Ask THAT Question ???

Bank of America's assertion that the foreclosure was proper might be more persuasive if it and four other banks hadn't just signed a $25-billion settlement with the federal government and state attorneys general over shoddy, and possibly illegal, foreclosure practices. Or if it had established more of a record of helping longtime homeowners hang on to their properties.

Bank of America was the only lender that joined a 2009, $1.1-million city pilot program to help homeowners in the North San Fernando Valley obtain loan modifications. But as of February, the bank could find no "eligible borrowers," city staff reported to the City Council.

Really? REALLY? There's not a single Bank of America borrower in North Hollywood or Sun Valley deserving of a break?

Rodriguez owed $457,000 on the house; West Ridge picked it up for $300,100. You might wonder why Bank of America found it smarter to sell at a loss than to work out reasonable terms with Rodriguez, who made mortgage payments for more than 20 years without incident.

Same article.

Maybe you don't think she's deserving... or trustworthy ???

[dkf]

5. Huh? I'm just wondering how she does so much better than I do that she can afford a mortgage like

That.

Or should I be arguing why I am more deserving than she? What does that have to do with ability to pay?

[WillyT]

6. ...

Rodriguez, who made mortgage payments for more than 20 years without incident.

[dkf]

7. You forgot this part... "After she fell behind on her payments"

[WillyT]

11. And You Forgot This Part... Basic Human Decency...

She refinanced, to take care of a daughter with special needs.

Personally... I think she deserves a break... YOU ???

[dkf]

18. Speaking as someone who needs to come up with way more than this woman to pay for

A relative with dementia, who deserves what?

[WillyT]

19. Jesus... So... It's A Battle About Who Has It Worse ??? - A Relative With Dementia Versus A...

daughter with Cerebral Palsy ???

See... that's why I'm a Liberal... I would rather spend money on BOTH you and her, as opposed to the next unnecessary military project... or bank bail-out... or...

[dkf]

20. I agree that the modification process is nothing but a mess.

Obama needs to stop mucking around with the banks and set a policy that goes across the board or let it lie as it is.

All this giving hope to people and then pulling the rug out is disgusting. Too much dithering. Not enough decisive solutions.

Hey if they want to do it based on some subjective judgment of who deserves what then do that too. But put together a consistent panel at least with a process that is official and traceable.

[fascisthunter]

42. your lack of empathy is creepy

[Herbalicious]

47. Seriously!

Some of the comments I have seen people make are very disturbing. I wonder how some of these people can live with themselves when they say such cruel things about other human beings.

[dkf]

10. Sounds like she hired hacks that screwed things up.

"Getting at the truth is complicated by "advocates" that Rodriguez brought in to try to save her home. One of them, G & G Financial of Los Angeles, earned a grade of "F" from the Better Business Bureau for allegedly charging homeowners advance fees to work on loan modifications, which is illegal in California. A man who answered the phone at G & G hung up on me when I tried to ask about Rodriguez's case.

Another company, Golden Global Investments of Van Nuys, said through an employee that it helped Rodriguez fight eviction. But West Ridge lawyer Alan Dettelbach says no one was in court for Rodriguez when the eviction proceeding was heard."

[WillyT]

14. Do You Hear Yourself ???

She was granted a modification, and then foreclosed on anyway.

She was given very little advanced notice on getting tossed out, and had to do it with her screaming disabled daughter in the car.

Please... explain... where is YOUR humanity???

WE bailed these assholes out... and THEY couldn't make good on there helping this family out???

[dkf]

17. We bailed them out and they paid us back.

So it goes with these mortgages, you still have to pay it back. And this is owed to Freddie Mac which is us, not the bank.

[Herbalicious]

38. Proof of fraud...

BofA made millions off of this predatory loan and fraudulent foreclosure. They should pay Freddie some of the profits off of their fraud to clear up that issue.

[dkf]

51. That was Countrywide.

B of A had the bad judgment to buy them out. I doubt they are making money on the transaction.

[HiPointDem]

53. No, all the TARP debt *hasn't* been paid back, let alone the no-interest loans through the Fed.

[Herbalicious]

29. Thank you!

I wonder the same thing when people make harsh comments. I've been there when the daughter is crying out. She cannot speak or communicate with words. She's half blind from knocking her head. She's crippled over in pain and cannot walk well (or much) because a tendon issue in her leg.

Her knees are swollen so large from walking around on her knees. It pains me just to see it. She cannot communicate when she's hungry, thirsty, soiled herself, uncomfortable, in pain, so she cries/wails out to communicate. It's very unpleasant and uncomfortable to witness. It breaks my heart.

Everyone wants to get away from her because it's so uncomfortable to experience but this family cannot just walk away from her. If they lose this home, they have no where else to go. She cannot get anyone to rent to her once they find out about the daughter. It's illegal to discriminate but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. And other places don't have the ramps and accessibility that this home has. The Americans with disabilities Act is supposed to insure she has access everywhere but that doesn't mean she does.

We took her to city hall and the brother was going to remove the sister because she was crying but I told him to leave her there in front of all the council members, they have to experience what it's like for a 2 minute speech. They are lucky the daughter can leave after the mother speaks but the mother cannot leave her daughter. They deal with this 24 hours a day. She's been humiliated in public because of it. They used to live in an apartment when the daughter was little but they got grief because the baby was so fussy and loud.

They have to feed her and give her stuff to drink. They have to change her diapers. They have to escort her around. They have to tend to her 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

And I think her medical condition is very painful one. I suffer chronic pain so I feel for her in that regard. I think her muscles get overly tense and that's why she's twisted in pain so much and that makes her cry out too.

But she can hear, so when she comes up to me or cries out. I try to talk to her and call her by her name and just try reassure her because I know she can hear me.

[Herbalicious]

49. Thank you!

Thank you for standing up for this family.

[WillyT]

54. You Are Quite Welcome !!!

[Herbalicious]

48. Yes!

She went to at least 2 companies that said they would help her but they only scammed her. Not only did they not show up in court for her or notify her, they clouded her title and put other people's names on her title. We are currently working on complaints against them now as well. There are a lot of scammers out thee.

She's a wreck right now because she's been defrauded by so many different companies (at least 6 we currently know of) that she's beating herself up for trusting scammers.

[KamaAina]

13. "You might wonder why Bank of America found it smarter to sell at a loss"

Could they possibly be in cahoots with this "West Ridge Rentals" outfit?

[Herbalicious]

27. I'm confused

Could WHO be in cohoots with this "West Ridge Rental" outfit? Who is the "they" you mention?

[KamaAina]

33. B of A

a/k/a the Evil Empire.

[Herbalicious]

37. Oh BofA?

Yes, it is possible the BofA is in cahoots with West Ridge Rental...I'd love to find proof of that.

[HiPointDem]

36. yes, interesting in light of today's article about one-percenters buying up foreclosed properties

en masse in order to turn them into rentals.

[Herbalicious]

39. They want to make us a nation of renters (land slaves)

It's all part of their plan to turn us into a nation of renters (not landowners) so we can become even more enslaved to their system...

[HiPointDem]

45. which is kind of what a lot of europe already is.

[Herbalicious]

50. Which is kinda...

Which is kinda what our forefathers were trying to escape!

[Logical]

35. So some people should never be foreclosed on????? Really? Who will...

Fund that?

[Herbalicious]

40. Banks make huge profits off of fraudulent foreclosures...

Make the banks pay for this mess. We have one family that has proof that the bank made $7billion dollars off of their mortgage which was only $400,000.

So, I think if families can prove there was fraud in the origination of the loan or anywhere along the way, then no, I don't think the banks should profit from foreclosing on them. And if there is an issue of funding the banks have make trillion off of this mess, I am sure they can fund its clean up.

[Snake Alchemist]

52. I have my doubts about this. nt

[Herbalicious]

9. BofA made millions off this foreclosure...

Well, we have proof that BofA fraudulently foreclosed on her and PROFITED off of the foreclosures. So, she may not have to pay that all back since they have already been paid for the amount of the loan from government money, mortgage insurance, etc.

[Codeine]

4. She bought the place for $125,000.

She refi'd twice and took out a total of $350,000 cash. It's a duplex with the other unit rented out -- she didn't inform the renters she wasn't paying the mortgage.

The story is perhaps a bit more complex than it may first seem.

[Herbalicious]

8. Where did you get that info?

Hello Codeine,

I am not exactly sure where you got that info but I have been helping the family since they day of their eviction and I feel I know a lot of the facts of the case pretty well. I am still gathering all the info but I have never heard that "she didn't inform the renters she wasn't paying the mortgage".

In fact, she refinanced the home to add modifications for her daughter and they build an annex (upstairs unit) which turned the single family home into a duplex. And it's not like she just decided to stop paying her mortgage. The payments kept going up and up and she went to the local branch to get help understanding why and finding ways to modify it.

The local branch was of no help. They told her that they didn't have anyone to translate for her or that the translator was at lunch. On one of her visits to the branch, a customer in the teller line offered to translate for her. But the BofA employee told her to leave because her daughter Ingrid was disrupting the office. The BofA employee threatened to call the police on her.

Then she was told she had to be in default to qualify for the loan modification. Then when that didn't work for the bank, they added over $4,000.00 to one bill stating they had "forgotten" to include the property tax on the previous statements and that it was all due in full.

And when that didn't work for the bank, they started returning her payments.

So, please don't assume she just stopped making payment. The banks did everything they could to get her to default because they make money off of defaults and foreclosures.

And besides, one of her sons was a tenant and he was aware of the issues she was having, so I am not sure where you got the info she didn't let the tenants know.

Also, there is a property company called Maxim Properties and they have hired 3 "security guards" to sleep in the upstairs unit for the last 6 months. These "guards" have never paid for any of the utilities they have used while staying there. And the 2nd "guard" caused water damage from "playing" in the bathtub with his numerous "lady friends".

So yes, there is more to this story then it seems but it's not like you implied....

[KamaAina]

12. One should NEVER have to refi to pay for access modifications!

At least here in NorCal, there are city and county programs available to help pay for ramps and so forth.

[Herbalicious]

25. We're looking into services

Hey,

We're helping the family connect with the Cerebral Palsy foundation and we're trying to get them connected to a legal aid group called Public Counsel. LA City Hall gave us some referrals and we're going to see if there is more we can do for this family.

[KamaAina]

34. Get in touch with your local Independent Living Center

There are six in L.A. County.

Claremont: Service Center for Independent Living (SCIL)
107 South Spring Street, Claremont, CA 91711-4930
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
VP/TTY: [phone]
http://scil-ilc.org

Downey - Southern California Rehabilitation Services (SCRS)
7830 Quill Drive, Suite D, Downey, CA 90242
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
http://www/scrs-ilc.org

Long Beach - Disabled Resource Center (DRC)
2750 East Spring Street, #100, Long Beach, CA 90806-2249
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Dolores Nason, Executive Director
http://drcinc.org

Los Angeles - Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF)
634 S. Spring Street #200 Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TDD: [phone]
http://calif-ilc.org

West Los Angeles - Westside Center for Independent Living (WCIL)
12901 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TTY: [phone]
Toll Free: (888) 851-WCIL (9245)
http://www.wcil.org

Van Nuys - Independent Living Center Southern California
14407 Gilmore Street, #101
Van Nuys, CA 91401
818.785.6934 / 818.785.7097 TTY
http://www.ilcsc.org

[Herbalicious]

41. What if the daughter cannot live independently

Do these services still help if the daughter is unable to live independently?

[KamaAina]

46. ILCs are nonprofits that serve all people with disabilities

in this case, "independent living" would mean continuing to live with Mom, rather than in a nursing home or group home or something.

[dkf]

15. The truth is many banks are too large to be flexible enough to handle modifications.

I'm not sure how realistic it was to think they could be modified in any efficient manner. It's like trying to turn the federal government. How long is it taking to implement Dodd Frank after all?

And in the end this was a Freddie Mac loan. The government should be taking it on directly so they can set consistent policy.

[sammytko]

21. That information is in the comments section of the article

Even has a link with pictures of the place.. Shows no modifications to the house.

[Herbalicious]

23. limited photos

I have been to the house. There is a ramp in the front from the steps to the rose garden. The link only has so many photos on it. It's not the same as being at the house and looking around.

[steve2470]

16. Bank of America = Zombie Demon Spawn Bank nt

[Fire Walk With Me]

22. All power to those helping Dirma and Ingrid keep her home.

Those who have been there, who are involved, know better than any who would post conjecture. Kudos to those who get it and support. Thanks for posting this thread.

BofA launches 2nd round of bulk foreclosure sales

[Herbalicious]

24. I appreciate your comment

Thank you! I've been reading all kinds of awful comments about this family but I have been there. I was there the night they were evicted! I was handcuffed and detained in the back of an LAPD car for standing up for this family. I've held rallies and community meetings at the house.

We are here to help this family which has been defrauded by no less than 6 different companies.

I am sure the family will take responsibility for their part in this mess but 6 different companies took advantage of this family. It's not right what happened to them.

[Fire Walk With Me]

28. People need to understand the banks are doing a planned land grab.

And that we are suckers unless we stop them:

Turning Foreclosed Homes Into Rentals Could Be $100 Billion Industry This Year

Why is the market for foreclosed properties-turned-rentals poised for a boom? In the aftermath of the housing bust, demand for owning homes has fallen, pushing rents up and home prices down. In response, everyone from big banks to smaller firms are increasingly taking advantage of the disparity by turning foreclosure properties into rental homes.

Bank of America is currently running its own pilot program to rent homes to families that have been foreclosed on, called Mortgage to Lease. In addition, private equity firms and hedge funds are now spending hundreds of millions of investment dollars and racing to buy up foreclosed properties.

In turn, Bank of America and government mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are responding to the demand, selling off their holdings of foreclosed homes by the hundreds. Just this week, Bank of America announced a bulk offering of 500 foreclosed homes in six different states, following up on an offering of 200 properties late last year.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/13/foreclosure-rentals-100-billion_n_1424055.html

[haele]

30. Notice they're bulk sales - individual families need not apply.

So the set it up that you have to pay two or three million for bundled group of 25 - 50 homes within a couple contiguous zip codes instead of fifty thousand for one fixer-upper.
Only real estate management companies and investment developers will be able to afford these bundles, and they will just "fix them up" - do a quick clean-up, touch up of paint and put in new carpets and sod, then turn around and either rent or sell at three times the cost to buy and "fix" the properties - the newest round of flippers making massive profits.

Build the bubble up again, burst it so the rubes get forclosed on again, rinse and repeat.

You know that's what they're hoping will happen.

Haele

[Fire Walk With Me]

32. Yep, and Wall Street are some of the eager investors, big surprise:

...Wall Street eyes foreclosures

Longtime Los Angeles real estate agent Leo Nordine said Southern California’s housing market has probably hit bottom, but he added, “prices are going to be flat as a pancake this year.”

Investors seeking to refurbish foreclosed properties and either resell them to first-time buyers or rent them out were flooding the real estate market at an unprecedented level, Nordine said.

“I’ve never seen it like this before,” Nordine said. “There are so many investors buying right now it’s insane. The top 1% is buying up all the real estate.”

Big-money investors, including Wall Street hedge funds and private equity firms, are positioning themselves to snap up foreclosed homes and convert them into rental units. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, for instance, said in a recent cable news interview that he would buy foreclosed homes if he could find the right way to manage those properties.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-southland-home-sales-20120314,0,6234067.story


Rent from Wall Street! What could possibly go wrong! :/

[coalition_unwilling]

26. The Democratic Socialist policy option of nationalizing banks is

looking pretty good right about now isn't it? Your tax dollars bailed out wealthy share- and bondholders of BofA and this is how you are repaid.

As the Occupy chant put it, "Banks got bailed out. We got sold out."

[fascisthunter]

44. damn right it is.... it's extreme shit like this that makes me all for it!

[MineralMan]

31. What a terrible situation, and it's not that uncommon.

I hope the people helping this woman find a place for her soon.

[Herbalicious]

43. We hope to keep this family in their home

The banks committed fraud against this family. We are hoping to keep them in their home not find a new place.