Dear Wells Fargo, Thanks for All the Foreclosures!

Wells Fargo Bank remains #1 in foreclosures in San Francisco with more than double the foreclosure auctions (92 auctions) scheduled than #2 forecloser JP Morgan Chase (44 auctions) and #3 forecloser Bank of America (43 auctions) to sell off family’s homes this holiday season.

One indicator of trends in foreclosures is the situation with bank preforeclosures (properties in default with no foreclosure auction date yet set). Wells Fargo is #1 in San Francisco in preforeclosures (77 homes) with JP Morgan Chase at #2 (54 homes) and Bank of America #3 (24 homes).

For current bank-owned (REO) properties in San Francisco since July 25, 2012, JP Morgan Chase is #1 in San Francisco REOs (11 properties), Wells Fargo is #2 (9 properties), and Bank of America and US Bank are tied for #3 (7 properties each).

Top Ten Data

The top 10 lenders by number of foreclosure auctions scheduled in San Francisco as of November 17, 2012 (source Foreclosure Radar, aggregated by corporate empire):

Rank Lender Auctions Scheduled
1 WELLS FARGO BANK N A 92
2 JP MORGAN CHASE BANK N A 44
3 BANK OF AMERICA N A 43
4 THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST CO 31
5 US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 28
6 NATIONSTAR 16
7 DEUTSCHE BK NATL TRUST CO TR 11
8 CITIBANK N A 10
9 HSBC BANK USA N A 8
10 (tie) OCWEN LOAN SERVICING LLC 5
10 (tie) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION 5

The top 10 lenders by number of foreclosure auctions scheduled in San Francisco as of November 17, 2012 (source Foreclosure Radar, aggregated by corporate empire):

Rank Lender Auctions Scheduled
1 WELLS FARGO BANK N A 77
2 JP MORGAN CHASE BANK N A 54
3 BANK OF AMERICA N A 24
4 DEUTSCHE BK NATL TRUST CO TR 18
5 US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 16
6 THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST CO 15
7 CITIMORTGAGE 10
8 (tie) EAST-WEST BANK 10
8 (tie) ONEWEST BANK FSB 6
9 OCWEN LOAN SERVICING LLC 5

The top 10 lenders by number of bank-owned properties in San Francisco as from July 25, 2012, to November 17, 2012 (source Foreclosure Radar, aggregated by corporate empire):

Rank Lender Auctions Scheduled
1 JP MORGAN CHASE BANK N A 11
2 WELLS FARGO BANK N A 9
3 (tie) US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 7
3 (tie) BANK OF AMERICA N A 7
4 (tie) NATIONSTAR 4
4 (tie) CITIBANK N A 4
5 DEUTSCHE BK NATL TRUST CO TR 3
6 (tie) ING BANK, FSB 2
6 (tie) ONEWEST BANK FSB 2
6 (tie) THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST CO 2
6 (tie) VERICREST FINANCIAL, INC 2

Occupy Fortress Investment Group for the Nationstar 8 (Occupy Anniversary Action)

Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters (FEFs) and supporters from Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, Occupy Direct Action Workgroup, and ACCE occupied One Market Plaza in San Francisco where the offices of the Fortress Investment Group (FIG) are located. The protestors demanded that Fortress Investment Group stop evictions and foreclosures of FEFs in San Francisco and beyond. Fortress Investment Group owns 77% of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, the corporate entity actually engaging in the foreclosure activity. FIG Co-Chair Peter Briger has called for a strategy of financial “garbage collection”, so protestors dressed up in garbage bag and chanted: “Fortress: We’re Not Garbage, Nationstar: Stop the Evictions!”, “Nationstar, You’ve Gone to Far; Stop the Evictions!”, and “Share the bailouts to save our homes and schools!”

September 17 OccuAnniversary Events

The Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters of Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and ACCE-SF consensed on the following three OccuAnniversary events at the regular Saturday 10am meeting on September 1, 2012:


EVENT#1) Occupy Senior and Veterans Foreclosures and Evictions

What: Press Conference and Protest

Time/Date: 12:00pm (noon) – 1:00pm on Monday, September 17

Venue: San Francisco War Memorial Building

Address: 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102

Description: Please join the Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters of Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) for a press conference on and protest of bank’s foreclosures and evictions of seniors, veterans, and disabled folks. The press conference and rally will take place at 12:00pm (noon) on Monday, September 17. This action is in cooperation with the OccuAnniversary events and the Occupy Action Council of San Francisco.

Contact: Occupy Bernal, info@occupybernal.org



EVENT#2) Occupy Fortress Investment Group

What: Protest

Time/Date: 3:00pm – 4:30pm on Monday, September 17

Venue: Fortress Investment Group Offices

Address: One Market Plaza, Spear Tower, San Francisco, CA 94105

Description: Fortress Investment Group (FIG) is a multi-billion-dollar corporation run by vulture capitalists like Peter Briger, FIG Board Co-Chair, who developed the corporation’s “Financial Services Garbage Collection” strategy. Who’s the garbage according to Briger? That’s homeowners in foreclosure, students who can’t pay their loans, etc. FIG owns 77 percent of Nationstar Mortgage, which has been purchasing distressed home mortgage debt and foreclosing on homeowners at an accelerating pace. Seven San Francisco homeowners, dubbed the “Nationstar 7” face evictions and foreclosures by Nationstar at the moment, and FIG has a long history of poor treatment of tenants and alleged violations of tenants rights laws at Park Merced and elsewhere. Please join us to protest the billionaire “garbage” collectors like Peter Briger who are throwing our neighbors out of their homes. Bring a large garbage bag if you can! Brought to you by the Foreclosure and Evictions Fighters of Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) San Francisco, in cooperation with the San Francisco Tenant’s Union, the Occupy SF Housing Coalition, and the Occupy Action Council of San Francisco.


EVENT#3) Occupy Anniversary Mass Convergence

What: Protest

Time/Date: 5:00pm – 7:00pm on Monday, September 17

Venue: Bank of America and Goldman Sachs Offices

Address: 555 California Street @ Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94104

Description: OCCUPY WALLS ST (WEST): 1 YEAR! MON SEPT 17, 5pm
Monday, September 17, 2012
555 California st @ Kearny st, San Francisco

Join us on Facebook!

Commit in the coming year to keep building a movement of the 99% to end the rule by the 1%

OCCUPY THE BANKS
All Day: Occupy, move your money, take creative nonviolent action to confront the banks’ theft and destruction of our communities, homes, environment, education, health care and democracy. Plan an action with your neighbors, group, friends, family, co-workers, congregation, or classmates. Let us
know when/where/what and we will include in our list of actions.

HELL NO, WE WON’T PAY! STRIKE DEBT

5PM MASS CONVERGENCE
Debt Burning (Bring Copies of Your Debt Papers to Burn Symbolically), March, Casserole (Bring Your Pots, Pans and Spoons in the tradition of Argentina, Iceland and Quebec rebellions against 1% austerity), Celebration, Music, Guerilla Movies…

“Debt affects us all. Student debt, mortgage debt, health care debt, credit-card debt, and more: debt is the tie that binds the 99%, and it is a primary engine of Wall Street profits. Are the promises we believed in order to take this debt — of prosperity, of stability, of enfranchisement — even worth the paper our statements are printed on? Debt is ruining the lives of individuals, families, and communities while banks get bailed out. We say enough! Join us as we begin to build a people’s movement to strike debt, break the chains of debt, and to create new bonds of solidarity.”
­from StrikeDebt.org in New York City

All occupy groups, allies and supporters are invited to join and mobilize.

Planning Meetings: The SF Occupy Action Council has agreed to be its organizing/planning hub. The SF Occupy Action Council meets every Sunday, 2-4pm at HERE/UNITE Local 2, 209 Golden Gate Avenue (between Leavenworth/Hyde).

Sponsored by (to date): Foreclosure Fighters of Occupy Bernal, ACCE and Occupy Noe, Occupy SF Direct Action Work Group, Occupy Education­ Northern California, Occupy Action Council SF, Occupride/Community Not Commodity, Occupy Monterey, Occupy Bay Area United, Occupy SF Environmental Justice Work Group

Occupy Anniversary: Mass Converge with Me 17 Sept 2012 #S17 from Peter Menchini on Vimeo.

Occupy Peter Briger – Fortress Investment Group Co-Chair – To Stop the Evictions and Foreclosures of the Nationstar 8

On September 9, 2012, Foreclosure and Evictions Fighters from the Nationstar 8 and their supporters from the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and other organizations traveled to the Atherton home of billionaire Fortress Investment Group Board Co-Chair Peter Briger. After leafleting his neighbors about Briger’s activities with the corporate strategy of “garbage collection”, including foreclosing on people’s homes and evicting them, the protestors actually got to meet with Briger on his driveway. The Fortress Investment Group owns 77% of Nationstar, which acquired Aurora mortgage loans. Briger assured the group he would have Nationstar management look into the eight cases, including the upcoming evictions of Kim Mitchell and Denise Collins. Nationstar postponed those evictions and has been negotiating with the Nationstar 8 regarding potential buyouts or loan modifications.

Links: Menlo Park Patch Article    San Jose Mercury News Article    SF Weekly Article

Thanks to Peter Menchini for this excellent video and the photos below:

ALERT: Demand Nationstar Stop Eviction of Denise Collins

Update as of September 4: Eviction postponed, probably by Nationstar, until September 12, so we have one more week to pressure Nationstar to rescind the eviction and offer Denise a fair deal loan modification.


Update as of August 29: Eviction postponed by California State Superior Court until September 5, so we have one more week to pressure Nationstar.


When a bank forecloses on a home, we don’t only lose a neighbor, we lose people that have helped build that neighborhood.

“After three years of fighting for my home, Aurora let me believe that if I got behind, I would qualify for a modification,” says Denise Collins, an ACCE FEF who is also one of the Nationstar 7. “They had committed to rescind my foreclosure and modify my loan, but a week before Aurora ‘sold’ its loans to Nationstar, they told me they had changed their mind and I no longer qualify.”

Aurora Loan Servicing, now Nationstar, is going forward with an eviction scheduled for this Wednesday, September 5 was August 29.

Denise isn’t the only victim of Nationstar/Aurora loans. Six other families in San Francisco are standing up to Nationstar and are demanding that Nationstar do the right thing and offer them fair loan modifications.

Please take action to help Denise Collins and the rest of the Nationstar 7 stay in their homes–

1) Call and email Nationstar with the following message:

* Ramie Baker, Vice President of Foreclosure, +1 469-549-2272
* Jay Bray, President & CEO, +1 469-549-3337

Sample Email:
To: ramie.baker@nationstarmail.com, jay.bray@nationstarmail.com
Cc: tony.barone@nationstarmail.com, mike.rawls@nationstarmail.com, john.deptula@nationstarmail.com, david.little@nationstarmail.com, samantha.kerlick@nationstarmail.com, bob.orkis@nationstarmail.com, marshall.murphy@nationstarmail.com, jim.kelley@nationstarmail.com, action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop the Eviction of Denise Collins and work with the Nationstar 7

Foreclosure Fighters have repeatedly requested that you stop the eviction of Denise Collins of 60 Garnett Terrace in San Francisco scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5 (was August 29). We are now demanding that you do the right thing and work with her and the rest of the Nationstar 7 to 1) stop Denise Collins’ eviction and 2) offer them fair, affordable loan modifications.

The Nationstar 7 are: Denise Collins (60 Garnett Terrace), Vivian Richardson (1479 Quesada Ave.), Mike Doyle (1471 18th Ave.), Daniel Pociernicki (324 Bocana St.), Sherrell Fennell-Murphy (400 Alemany, Unit 5), Kim Mitchell (8 LeConte Ct.), and John Nolan (1175 Palou).

We will continue to demand that Nationstar do the right thing.

Sincerely,

[your name]

2) Call and email the San Francisco County Sheriff with the following message:

* SF Sheriff, +1 415 554 7225

Sample Email:

To: sheriff@sfgov.org
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop Nationstar’s Eviction of Denise Collins

Please postpone the eviction of Denise Collins of 60 Garnett Terrace for this Wednesday, September 5 (was August 29). We, her community of support, are demanding that Nationstar do the right thing and work with her to 1) stop Denise Collins’ eviction and 2) offer her a fair, affordable loan modification.

Sincerely,

[your name]

For updates and this action alert: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=4210

ACCE and Occupy Take on Fortress Investment Group and PNC Bank

About 40 strong, ACCE and Occupy Bernal Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters demonstrated on August 27, 2012, at the San Francisco offices of PNC Bank and Fortress Investment Group, which owns 77 percent of Nationstar.

Links: Videos    Photos    Media Coverage    Press Release

Videos

Thanks to Peter Menchini for the first video.

Photos

Media Coverage

KQED Article

San Francisco Business Times Article

Fortress Investment Group Shares Tumble As San Francisco Protests “Garbage Collection” Strategy

Fortress Investment Group stock tumbled today as community organizers in San Francisco protested the firm’s “Garbage Collection” strategy to profit off the misery of those in debt, especially homeowners facing foreclosure and eviction by Nationstar, in which Fortress owns a 77% stake.

Action: Nationstar 7 Take on Fortress Hedge-Fund Billionaire Peter Briger to Save Foreclosed Homes

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Nationstar 7 Take on Fortress Hedge-Fund Billionaire Peter Briger to Save Foreclosed Homes

Growing Number of Nationstar and PNC Bank Homeowners Stand Together Against Mistakes in Foreclosure and Loan Modifications

SAN FRANCISCO — This Monday, August 27, members of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Occupy Bernal, and supporters will protest at Fortress Investment Group, majority owners of Nationstar Mortgage, and at PNC Bank offices in San Francisco for foreclosing on and attempting to evict eight San Francisco Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters (FEFs).

Homeowners facing foreclosure and eviction will call on billionaire Peter Briger, Board Co-Chair of the Fortress Investment Group, to halt Fortress’ “Great Liquidation” strategy for acquiring distressed credit, which they refer to as “Financial Services Garbage Collection”.

Seven of these FEFs, known as the “Nationstar 7”, have made repeated attempts to reach Nationstar in the last month, when Aurora Loan Servicing sold their entire loan portfolio to Nationstar. A recent Denver Post article reports that this sale was a re-branding attempt by Aurora, perhaps in an attempt to avoid lawsuits from Aurora mortgage holders nationwide. So far, Nationstar has responded only with eviction notices, such as the one received by Nationstar 7 FEF Denise Collins scheduled for this Wednesday, August 29.

“Billionaire Peter Briger over at the Fortress better not try to take us out with the trash,” said Denise Collins. “We’re not garbage — we’re homeowners trying to make our payments and take care of our families.”

PNC Bank previously postponed the eviction of Yin Wong and her family six times, but instead of following up with an offer of a fair deal loan modification, they have issued another eviction notice for this Wednesday, August 29.

Press Conference

WHEN:   Monday, August 27 at 12:00pm (noon)
WHERE:  Fortress Investment Group Offices, One Market Plaza, Spear Tower, San Francisco, CA
WHO:    ACCE and Occupy Bernal Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters, the Nationstar 7, Yin Wong, and supporters

PNC Protest–

WHEN:   Monday, August 27 at 10:00am
WHERE:  PNC Bank Offices, meet in front of 575 Market St., San Francisco, CA
(at 11:00am, a march to One Market Plaza)

Nationstar Protest–

WHEN:   Monday, August 27 at 12:00pm (noon)
WHERE:  Fortress Investment Group Offices, One Market Plaza, Spear Tower, San Francisco, CA

Background on Nationstar Cases

Nationstar is one of the largest home mortgage loan servicers in the United States. The Fortress Investment Group, a humongous hedge fund operation run by many former Goldman Sachs employees, owns 77 percent of Nationstar. James Briger is a billionaire hedge-fund strategist, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Fortress Investment Group, and a former partner at Goldman Sachs, known for its role in financial malfeasance that led to the current economic crash.

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office previously investigated the role of Fortress Investment Group in the wake of housing advocates’ concerns that tenants have been issued a high volume of notices warning that they could face eviction due to unpaid utility fees just after Fortress acquired a controlling interest in the 3,221-unit San Francisco residential compound at Park Merced. Housing activists report that Fortress is evading San Francisco rent control laws, forcing out current tenants to renovate or build new units without rent control protections.

Kim Mitchell purchased his home on 8 Le Conte Cir. in 2005, after living in Bayview Hunters Point his whole life. When Kim’s loan payments begin to increase, Kim called Aurora to apply for a modification. He was told that he needed to be behind for 6 months to qualify for a modification. After 6 months of holding on to his payments, he applied for modification and entered into a trial modification. He paid on the trial modification for one year, never missing a payment. In December 2010, Kim reached out to Aurora about his last payment and if he was going to receive a permanent modification. He was informed to not to bother sending this last payment in as they were not going to approve his modification request because he was missing paperwork.

“After three years of fighting for my home, Aurora let me believe that if I got behind, I would qualify for a modification,” says Denise Collins, an ACCE FEF who is also one of the Nationstar 7. “They had committed to rescind my foreclosure and modify my loan, but a week before Aurora ‘sold’ its loans to Nationstar, they told me they had changed their mind and I no longer qualify.”

In mid-January 2011, a potential buyer approached Kim Mitchell’s home and informed him that his home was up for auction that day. This was the first he had heard of a sale date after a year of paying on a trial modification. However, it’s still unclear who exactly homes the note on the home as Aurora Loan Services, according to its website, is closed and “transitioned all accounts to new servicers”. Aurora continues to be named as the party evicting Kim Mitchell.

But according to the Denver Post article on July 5, 2012, as many as 1,400 Aurora Loan Servicer employee would be retained as employees to Nationstar.

“At this point, I’m not sure who is evicting me, Nationstar, Aurora…” said Kim Mitchell, “We’ve tried to call both. But I’m going to fight to keep my home.”

Last Wednesday, August 22, 2012, about 40 ACCE and Occupy organizers showed up at the Mitchell’s home and succeeded in pressuring Nationstar to fax the San Francisco Sheriff to postpone the eviction of Kim Mitchell and his family that day.

The activists are now continuing to pressure Nationstar to rescind the foreclosure and offer Kim Mitchell, as well as the rest of the Nationstar 7, affordable loan modifications.

Nationstar and PNC Bank Foreclosure and Evictions Fighters will be available for interviews at the press conference.

The Nationstar 7 are Denise Collins (60 Garnett Terrace), Vivian Richardson (1479 Quesada Ave.), Mike Doyle (1471 18th Ave.), Daniel Pociernicki (324 Bocana St.), Sherrell Fennell-Murphy (400 Alemany, Unit 5), Kim Mitchell (8 LeConte Ct.), and John Nolan (1175 Palou).

Background on PNC Cases

PNC Bank is illegally foreclosing on the home of Yin Wong, a disabled senior, after National City Mortgage sold the loan on her home to PNC Bank. The first she heard of PNC’s purchase of the loan was a foreclosure notice in the mail. Even though Yin Wong has the money to pay the loan and has tried to get PNC Bank to accept it, PNC has refused and has pushed eviction proceedings forward even after four prior court appearances during which the Superior Court judge urged PNC to correct the problem. Yin Wong has tried over and over to work with PNC, but PNC has refused to work with her.

“I paid every month,” said Yin Wong, ACCE Foreclosure Fighter, “PNC never called or talked to me until they foreclosed on my home. PNC is trying to steal my home.”

PNC Bank did the exact same thing with the Cruz family in Minneapolis… thousands of people protested their eviction, organizing to re-occupy their home with dozens of arrests.

Organizations and Campaign

ACCE is the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and is a network of dozens of community based organizations across California working in 14 different counties to raise the voice of low income, immigrant and working families across the state  for better jobs, schools, healthcare and housing.  In San Francisco, ACCE chapters work in the city’s lowest income communities to bring accountable and transparent investment back to their communities to achieve these goals.  For more information visit www.calorganize.org.

Occupy Bernal is a neighborhood-based Occupy currently focusing on preventing the banks from throwing our neighbors out of their homes. Web: www.occupybernal.org

Occupy the Auctions/Evictions is a campaign to halt for-profit and predatory evictions, foreclosures, and foreclosure auctions in San Francisco and beyond. Web: www.occupytheauctions.org and www.occupyevictions.org

Updates and Photos

For updates, photos, and for this release on the web: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=4096

August 22 at the Auctions

On August 22, 2012, Lender Processing Services / Agency Sales And Postings (LPS/ASAP) auctioneer Terry Redmon went ahead with sales of one family’s homes in San Francisco (none went to investors and 1506-1508 Underwood Ave. went to the bank, that is to Aurora, now owned by Nationstar) despite yelling and loud music in protest.