Another Case of Law Firm Mistake Involving Foreclosure
A consumer is complaining about how she has received foreclosure papers on a mortgage she did not make. The complaint comes as mortgage banks and their lawyers face raps on how they handle and keep mortgage documents.
How would you feel if one day you have received foreclosure papers for a home loan you did not make? Amid the financial and unemployment crisis,
most Americans surely would not let it pass. This was the exact case when a woman from Virginia was served with foreclosure papers for her parents’ mortgage in 1994.
According to Cathy Hammers, she was one day abruptly woken up by loud and continuous banging on her front door. It was a Saturday following Thanksgiving and her Virginia neighbors were all busy preparing for their breakfasts. When she opened the door, Ms. Hammers said she was unpleasantly greeted by representatives from Fort Lauderdale law firm Marshall Watson and Texas’ Nationstar Mortgage.
The foreclosure document was for a mortgage her parents made more than 15 years ago. The paper said the mortgage servicer was foreclosing the home Ms. Hammers used to own in port St. Lucie. It was not a good morning for Ms. Hammers and she knew the mortgage provider and the law firm had committed a serious and annoying blunder.
Ms. Hammers said she went to the office of Marshall Watson to set everything clear. When she discussed things with the litigation department of the company, she asked why she was served with foreclosure documents she did not actually sign. She even reiterated that she has not been living in the house for close to 20 years already. Ms. Hammers noted that the staff that accommodated her even got snippety with her and sarcastically asked if she had a lawyer.
Ms. Hammers recalled that she responded by saying she did not need any attorney when she has not made any mistake. It served somehow as a wakeup alarm that prompted the law firm to reconsider its stance.
She said last week, Marshall Watson seemed to have completely changed its tune. According to Ms. Hammers, the legal firm seemed to have finally realized its mistake. However, she emphasized her decision to file for a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Ms. Hammers said she intend to document how the legal firm treated the situation.
The instance came as the mortgage lending industry and law firms face raps about how they handle foreclosure documents. Investigations by regulators, state attorneys general, and legislators have discovered that most mortgage servicers are not careful about how they handle foreclosure and mortgage documents.
For more news on the foreclosure housing market, visit ForeclosureConnections.com.
