Housing Market Crisis

December 15, 2020 By Marc Dann

Brian Flick - Managing Partner Dann Law Brian Flick Superlawyer badge One of America’s most prestigious attorney rating services has just confirmed what his colleagues at DannLaw and the thousands of clients he has represented have long known: Brian Flick is a “SuperLawyer” in the field of consumer law. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multi-phase process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of professional achievement. Those who score highest then undergo a “blue ribbon” peer review by practice area. Only the highest-rated attorneys make the Super Lawyer list for each state and the designation is reserved for attorneys who excel in their field, contribute to their community, and abide by the highest professional and ethical standards. We are extremely proud that Brian is listed among them.

You can learn more about the SuperLawyer selection process here.

Brian was previously named to the “SuperLawyers Rising Star” list of outstanding attorneys practicing in the fields of consumer and consumer bankruptcy law.

If you are having difficulty making your mortgage payment, are in or are about to be in foreclosure, are being harassed by debt collectors, or believe you have been cheated or abused by a bank, mortgage servicer, lender, or debt collector, contact DannLaw’s very own SuperLawyer, Brian Flick to arrange a free consultation today. You can reach Brian by calling 513-951-7124 or by using our contact form.

Superlawyer selection process

July 20, 2020 By Marc Dann

Marc Dann - Marc Dann Consumer Fraud & Foreclosure Defense Attorney A lot has happened since we issued our first COVID-19 on March 13. In our tenth update we’ll take a look at recent developments, discuss impending challenges and opportunities, issue a couple warnings, and dispense some sage advice…

Involuntary Forbearance can threaten your financial future

Let’s start with a cautionary tale about involuntary mortgage forbearance. As we’ve said repeatedly, while it can be a lifesaver for people who are facing financial disaster as a result of the pandemic, forbearance is NOT forgiveness. Homeowners will eventually have to make the interest, principal, and escrow payments they have been delaying.

In addition, forbearance may jeopardize court-approved bankruptcy repayment plans and could make it difficult to buy a new home or refinance an existing loan. That’s why we urged homeowners to think carefully before taking advantage of the forbearance programs made available by the CARES Act and many private lenders.

Unfortunately, a number of banks and servicers didn’t give borrowers a choice. Back in May we warned that a number of banks and mortgage servicers were putting homeowners into forbearance by “mistake.” One of the offenders, and I’m sure this will shock no one, was Wells Fargo. According to a CNBC report, borrowers who called servicers seeking information about forbearance and other relief programs were put into forbearance without their consent by swamped call center workers.

At that time we doubted that Wells, perennial winner of the worst bank in the world award, was really doing this by accident. Turns out we were right. NBC News reported on July 16 that Wells was purposely placing borrowers into forbearance without seeking or receiving their permission.

The story focused on Troy Harlow of Buchanan, Virginia who filed personal bankruptcy in 2017 after a kidney transplant put him on permanent disability. Troy never missed a house payment because his primary goal was to stay in his home.

Wells Fargo is among the banks and servicers who have placed borrowers into forbearance without their consent.

That didn’t matter to Wells. Without his knowledge or permission, on April 29 the bank told the bankruptcy court overseeing Harlow’s payment plan that he had asked to pause his mortgage payments because he had been hurt by COVID-19. Harlow who never even thought about asking to be placed in forbearance continued to forward the full amount owed on his mortgage to Wells.

Harlow’s attorneys soon learned that he wasn’t the only victim. Wells had played the same dirty trick on homeowners in 11 states.

That news set off alarm bells here at DannLaw and led us to launch an investigation to determine if borrowers in Ohio and New Jersey have been scammed by Wells and other lenders. With that in mind, we’re asking homeowners to do two things:

First, contact your lender to determine if they have placed you in forbearance without your permission.

Second, if they have you should contact us right away so we can help rectify the problem and determine if we should file a class-action suit on behalf of every borrower who has been abused by Wells and other lenders. You can reach us by calling 216-373-0539 or filling out and submitting our contact form. Please do this right away because involuntary forbearance can cause real problems for years to come.

Is it time to take your loan out of forbearance?

If you chose to place your loan in forbearance, it’s time to start thinking about an exit strategy. If you haven’t been able to make payments because you lost your job or were laid-off when the COVID-19 crisis cratered the economy but are now back to work you should consider taking your loan out of forbearance before the amount of delayed interest, principal, and escrow you owe becomes unmanageable.

To determine if you should begin making your house payment again, consider the amount you owe on your home relative to its value. If your home is worth more than your mortgage balance it is an asset that you should protect. If it is worth less than you owe it is a liability so your mortgage payment should be viewed as a housing cost and compared to alternatives like paying rent. You should also evaluate other factors including the state of the housing market in your neighborhood, the company that owns your loan, and whether you intend to sell your house sometime in the next few years.

The moratorium on foreclosures is about to end

OH Foreclosure Timeline The moratorium on foreclosures imposed at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis are coming to an end in some Ohio counties and will lapse for federally backed mortgages at the end of August. That means sheriff’s sales will resume soon.

If you were in foreclosure when the pandemic struck you should contact your attorney right away. If you have not retained a lawyer contact us to arrange a no-cost consultation so we can review your case and discuss ways we may be able to help save your home. To learn more about the options available to you click here to visit the Foreclosure Defense page on Dannlaw.com.

Evictions set to resume

Dann Law Firm - Foreclosure Defense Today it is estimated that more than 8 million Americans, including tens of thousands of Ohioans, are behind on their rent payments and may soon be evicted from their homes. This number could rise substantially when the CARES Act’s Pandemic Unemployment Insurance payments sunset at the end of July.

While distressing, the situation is not hopeless if renters and landlords communicate with each other and work together to overcome the challenges caused by the pandemic. Here are some important steps to take:

1. Renters should communicate in writing with their landlords about their ability to pay, partially pay, or not pay rent. Both renters and landlords are trapped in a dilemma they did not cause, so landlords may be willing to work out payment arrangements. No one benefits from a vacant apartment.
2. Check this list to determine if your landlord has a federally backed mortgage and is therefore prohibited from evicting tenants. If you are a landlord with a federally backed mortgage you may apply for forbearance if your tenants are unable to pay their rent. The eviction moratorium/forbearance program will end in late August unless Congress extends it.
3. If you reach an agreement with your landlord regarding late or partial payments put it in writing. We will soon post a form on our website that will make it easy to create written versions of tenant/landlord agreements.
4. Do not ignore letters or emails you receive from a court and always attend hearings when ordered. While there are legal defenses available to renters and strict procedures that must be followed before a landlord can evict a tenant, ignoring notices and/or failing to appear just about guarantees that your belongings are going to end up on the street.
5. Retain legal counsel. If you cannot afford an attorney call your local legal aid office. As a service to people impacted by COVID-19, we are making DannLaw’s Cleveland and Cincinnati offices available if you need a computer or internet access to participate in a virtual eviction hearing. A member of our legal team will also be on hand to answer general questions about evictions.
6. I and Jeff Watson, General Counsel to a number of real estate investor groups will conduct a virtual seminar for landlords and tenants on Thursday, July 23 at 8:00 P.M. This informative session, titled, “The Eviction Tsunami: Facts and Strategies that Lawyers, Landlords and Tenants Must Know,” will feature a discussion of the growing eviction crisis as well advice and strategies that will help landlords avoid insolvency and tenants escape homelessness. To register for the seminar click here.

Collection firms are up to their old (dirty) tricks

While debt collectors are typically shameless, there has been noticeable slow-down in activity since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in March. But as states take steps to restart their economies and courts begin to reopen, we’ve received reports that collection lawyers, debt buyers and creditors are ramping up operations. That means debtors must be on the lookout for and pay close attention to any legal notices they receive.

As we noted in our discussion about evictions, the quickest way to lose a case and have a judgement entered against you is to ignore the problem. Trust me, it’s not going to go away simply because you toss a letter in File 13 or don’t show up for court. So please, respond in writing to communications you receive and appear in court when ordered.

In addition, you should contact us to arrange a no-cost consultation. We’ll be happy to discuss your situation and your options. We’ll also determine if debt collectors have violated any of the laws and rules that protect consumers. If they have, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Here’s a brief overview of the rules that govern the collections industry:

The Fair Debt Collections Act (FDCA). Enacted in 1978, the FDCPAis the most well-known federal consumer protection statute. Its primary purpose is to prevent third-party debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, false, or deceptive practices to collect debts. To put it simply, collectors may not lie to or mislead consumers in the course of attempting to collect a debt. Violators of the Act may be liable for statutory damages, actual damages, and attorney’s fees.
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) The TCPAlimits the use of automatic telephone dialing systems (ATDS) and artificial or prerecorded voice messages by telemarketers. Since its passage in 1991, the TCPA has been expanded to cover the use of ATDS’s and voice messages by debt collectors and now applies to cell phones if an affected consumer does not have a landline. Under the law collectors may not call a cell phone unless the owner gives consent. That means it’s important for consumers to deny consent verbally during the initial call and then to immediately withdraw consent in writing.

Statutory damages under TCPA range from $500.00 to $1,500.00 per call and may be applied to each and every call made if it is found that a debt collector willfully violated the Act. The ability to “stack” damages serves as an effective deterrent and provides just compensation for consumers who have been victimized by aggressive debt collectors who willfully violate the law.

Check Your Credit Report Weekly

The CARES Act allows you to obtain copies of your credit reports from annualcreditreport.com on a weekly basis. You should take advantage of this opportunity because a number of state unemployment computer systems have sustained massive data breaches. DannLaw has filed class-action lawsuits in Ohio and Arkansas related to those breaches.

In addition, several provisions of the CARES Act are inconsistent with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Please reach out to us right away if you notice inaccuracies on your credit report because you can sue credit reporting agencies and entities that furnish information to them if they refuse to correct mistakes.

The Con Premieres August 5

Marc Dann - "The Con" Documentary Screenshot Finally, I would like to extend a personal invitation for you to join me on August 5 for the premiere of “The Con,” a four-part series about the 2008 fraud and corruption-fueled collapse of America’s housing market. I’m both proud and humbled to say the series highlights the steps I took as Ohio Attorney General and at DannLaw to hold those responsible for the crisis that led to 10,000,000 families losing their homes accountable for their actions. The series provides a lesson for the risks we face as we hurtle toward a pandemic-related recession.

“The Con,” like all movies being released in the midst of the pandemic, is being released direct to video via independent theatres. To receive your invitation to the free live premiere, click here and then click on “Follow” above the video. If you like The Con on Facebook, you’ll be invited to the free live premiere on August 5. We’ll be posting more news about “The Con” in our blog and on our Facebook page in the weeks to come.

February 12, 2018 By Marc Dann

Last year, Edwardo Sanchez, a paralegal in DannLaw’s New Jersey and New York office became the first person in his family to graduate from college, an event he proudly shared on Twitter. His tweet was noticed and retweeted by none other than Bill Gates who told his 43.2 million followers that Edwardo’s story was an “amazing moment of hope and progress” in what had been a “really tough year.” I agree with Mr. Gates, Edwardo’s achievement gives us all hope that the American Dream is still alive.

Like Mr. Gates I also believe 2017 was a really rough year – and I’m afraid it may have been the first in an epoch during which it will become increasingly difficult for people to realize their dreams whether they involve graduating from college, buying a home, living in a safe neighborhood with good schools, achieving financial security, participating in the democratic process, realizing their full potential as human beings, or enjoying their retirement years. All those things are now at risk because the current administration is rolling back regulations and refusing to enforce laws that ensure Edwardo and other Americans have the opportunity to use their talents to achieve and succeed.

I’ll readily admit I was depressed about the situation until I realized that there was one group in the country that could step in and assume the responsibilities government was abdicating – lawyers. That’s right, lawyers like me, like my colleagues at DannLaw, like the thousands of lawyers across the country who do one thing in many different ways – help clients achieve their dreams.

When you think about it, we lawyers have always been in the hope and progress business. We’ve always been there when the government failed to protect its citizens. Lawyers were at the forefront of the civil rights movement, the drive to make cars safer, to rid medicine of bad doctors and dangerous drugs, to clean up our air and water, to protect consumers, and advocate for the disabled.

Armed with only JDs, knowledge, guts, and an unwavering belief in the principle of equal justice under law, lawyers made America a better place to live time and time again.

That aspect of our profession has never been more important than it is today.

With that in mind, we at DannLaw are redoubling our efforts to battle the home foreclosure crisis that is still roiling communities across Ohio by using Regulation X of the Real Estate Settlement Protection Act (RESPA) and Regulation Z of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to hold lenders and servicers accountable when they ignore the law and abuse borrowers.

Fortunately, these powerful tools managed to escape the fate that has befallen large portions of the nation’s regulatory regime over the past year. Indeed, I’m both happy and astonished to report that Reg. X is stronger than ever thanks to the enactment of additional amendments that became effective in October. Readers can learn more about the new provisions by visiting DannLaw.com or by contacting Dan Solar, leader of our RESPA practice group.

We also plan to do more to help borrowers deal with student loan debt which now exceeds $1.31 trillion and is turning the dream of obtaining a college degree into a nightmare for American families. According to Emily White, director of our student loan practice group, the Department of Education’s decision to relax oversight of the industry has freed lenders to use increasingly aggressive tactics against borrowers. Although people who took out loans backed by the government have few options, we can help students who borrowed from National Collegiate and other private lenders because those companies, like their counterparts in the mortgage industry, often commit sloppy mistakes and paperwork errors that make it difficult if not impossible for them to collect. Emily and I will have more to report during 2018.

Which is a great segue into an area in which we made great progress during 2017 – disability rights law. I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done to convince companies to bring their digital platforms into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and similar state statutes.

Here’s a special note to my friends who practice corporate defense law and their clients – complying with the ADA is a win/ win. Enabling people with disabilities to purchase goods via your websites and apps will create millions of new customers and generate billions in profits. Don’t take my word for it, just ask Target, the company’s reaped huge profits since becoming a leader in accessibility.

Those are just a few areas where we have and will continue to step in and use the law to do what government won’t – protect and enhance our clients’ ability to achieve their dreams.

Knowing we have the power to do it has made me prouder than ever to be a lawyer.

December 7, 2017 By Marc Dann

In 2007 then-Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann was among the first officials in the nation to recognize that years of predatory mortgage lending and Wall Street greed was about to devastate the housing market and bring the U.S. economy to the brink of collapse.

Now the filmmakers at Red Point Digital have produced and are preparing to release The Con, a documentary that chronicles the crisis, the people crushed by it, and those like Marc Dann who attempted to stop the economic carnage and hold those responsible for it accountable. Marc plays a prominent role because he, unlike federal officials, actually formed a criminal investigation task force that led to arrests and prosecutions of the scam artists who came close to utterly destroying the American Dream.

You can watch a trailer of The Con by clicking on the pic above. We’ll let you know when the full movie is released.

And just in case you think all is right with the world ten years after the crash, read the following piece about the ongoing foreclosure crisis in Ohio…

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” American author and humorist Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) commenting on his supposed demise in 1897.

Unfortunately, the same thing can be said of the supposed demise of the housing crisis that’s cost millions of Americans their homes, savings, and peace of mind. Yes, like everyone else, I’ve seen the stories touting the economic recovery that’s sweeping the nation, but a number of things prevent me from adding my voice to the chorus singing Happy Days are Here Again.

First, there’s my own experience: distressed homeowners contact my firm every day desperately searching for a way to save their homes.. According to media reports, the only thing I should be hearing in my office are crickets, but the opposite is true.

Second, there’s the 2016 presidential election. I normally avoid the temptation—my spouse would call it a compulsion—to be overtly political in these columns, but pundits of all persuasions point to the economy and working class angst as the main reasons Donald Trump won. It’s not a coincidence that the voters who handed him the keys to the Oval Office live in states like Ohio that have been hit hard by a housing crisis that’s supposed to be over.

Except it isn’t, as a new report issued by Attom Data Solutions clearly shows. According to the company’s figures, nearly 20% of Ohio homeowners are underwater, i.e. they owe more than their houses are worth. The numbers are even more depressing when you look at the negative equity statistics city-by-city: Cleveland, 22.9%; Akron, 20.3%; Dayton, 20.3%; Toledo, 20.0%. If that data set isn’t bleak enough for you consider this: Columbus and Cincinnati are among the cities with the fastest rate of growth in underwater mortgages in the nation.

All of which explains why my phones will be ringing incessantly for some time to come.

I have often written about the economic toll the ongoing housing crisis already has and, based on the Attom report, will continue to extract from individuals, families, and entire communities in Ohio and other states. What we don’t talk about often enough is its impact on domestic relations law.

Let me explain…

Fifteen years ago, when I ran a law firm located in a strip plaza just outside Youngstown, Ohio, domestic relations work made up a considerable portion of my practice. Then, fighting over the equity in the marital home often led two people who had once been madly in love to regard each other with disdain that bordered on downright hate. But, in the end, at least one or both parties walked away with some cash and/or a home at the end of the day.

In 2008 the housing market collapsed and the situation changed. Although I had stopped doing domestic work, colleagues who did told me couples regularly engaged in “I don’t want it, you can have it” battles to determine which spouse would be stuck with a residence that was tens of thousands of dollars or more underwater. Divorce and dissolution proceedings ground to a halt as couples struggled to find a way to deal with crushing debt and the consequences of foreclosure. When people mired in this type of situation finally were divorced they ended up homeless and deeply in debt.

Nine years later not much has changed. The stress caused by attempting to bail out a home that’s underwater not only destroys marriages, it forces people who want to separate to stay together, increases the negative financial impact that often accompanies divorce, and makes it even harder for both parties to get on with their lives.

That’s why we readily agree to work with couples and attorneys who call us to help resolve mortgage and negative equity issues. They trust us to act as honest, impartial professionals who know how to delay, defend and deal with the aftermath of foreclosures. Whether we negotiate loan modifications, arrange short sales, ensure that mortgage companies have legal standing to foreclose, or use Regulations X and Z to hold financial institutions accountable when they break the rules, we extricate homeowners from situations that appeared hopeless and put them in a position to build a brighter future for themselves and their families.

That’s what makes foreclosure defense the most satisfying work I’ve done since I graduated law school. But I have to admit that I dream of the day when my phone’s not ringing because that would mean the housing crisis had ended, mortgage lenders and servicers were acting responsibly, and all was right with the world.

I know, it’s not going to happen, but I can dream can’t I? Until then, we at the Dann Law Firm will just keep doing what we do: helping people deal with the ongoing nightmare that is the housing crisis.