ALERT: Wells Fargo – Stop the Auction of Alberto Del Rio’s Home!

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

Update as of February 4: Auctioneer Thomas of Lender Processing Services / Agency Sales and Posting (LPS/ASAP) sold 565 Banks Street back to lender Wells Fargo for $581,017.

Update as of January 31: Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Alberto and his family’s home until February 4. Please keep the calls and emails coming to get Wells Fargo to cancel the auction and offer the family a fair deal loan modification so they can remain in their home.

Please take action:

Contact Wells Fargo staff with the following phone and email message:
- Brenda Wright, Senior VP of Community Relations, +1 415-623-7738
- Alfredo Pedroza, Director of California Local Government Relations, +1 415-396-0829
- Ruben Pulido, Communications Staff, +1 415-852-1279
- John Stumpf, CEO, +1 866-878-5865
Sample message:

To: brenda.wright@wellsfargo.com, alfredo.pedroza@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com
Cc: action@occupybernal.org
Subject: Stop the Auction of Alberto Del Rio’s Home!

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Postpone the auction of Alberto Del Rio’s home at 565 Banks St., San Francisco, loan # 47339080 (owner’s name is Gloria Lomeli) and offer the family a fair deal loan modification so they can remain in their home.

Sincerely,

Your name here
Protest on THURSDAY, January 31, 1:45pm at CITY HALL (Van Ness side)

Together we can stop predatory banks and help our neighbors!

In the past few months we’ve stalled/stopped dozens of home auctions.

Background

Alberto Del Rio is a Bernal Heights resident who grew up in his family home. He lives there with his wife and 3 kids. To help his mother have a decent retirement, the Del Rio family took equity out of the home and refinanced. But their loan from World Savings was a Pick-a-Payment loan. Lawsuits have found these sorts of loans to be predatory. World Savings sold the loan to Wachovia, which was then acquired by Wells Fargo. “Wells took advantage of me like they did so many other people. They promised us the moon,” says Alberto, who has been trying to get a loan modification since 2000. The bank has continually lost his paperwork, and refused to negotiate in good faith. The bank even advised him to stop making payments in order to qualify for a loan modification, which triggered the foreclosure process. Alberto has been working hard and succeeded in raising his income so he can qualify for a fair deal loan modification. Now, Wells Fargo is scheduled to auction his home on January 31. But we won’t let them.

As #1 in foreclosures in San Francisco, Wells Fargo is putting 29 families at risk of losing their homes due to foreclosure and related evictions. Wells Fargo is foreclosing on and evicting veterans and disabled and senior homeowners and families with children, as well as targeting homeowners with life-threatening illnesses. Wells Fargo has engaged in predatory, fraudulent, and racist lending practices and has contributed to a rash of foreclosure deaths.

Links: Stop the Foreclosures and Evictions of the “Wells 29” Prior Auction Stopped (photos and videos) Profile (old auction date)

For more info and updates: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=8143 or call Occupy Bernal at 415-483-9138.

ALERT: Demand Chase Stop Auction of Baful Home

Posted on January 24, 2013 by admin

Update: JP Morgan Chase has postponed the foreclosure auction of the Baful home until March 1, 2013. Please continue the calls and emails to request cancellation of the auction and a fair deal loan modification so the Baful family can remain in their home.

JP Morgan Chase is planning to sell Romeo Baful’s home at a foreclosure auction on January 28, 2012.

Please take action to help Romeo, as well as his mother and his daughter:

Call and email Chase with the following message:
- Jamie Dimon, CEO, +1 212-270-1111
- Peter Barker, California Chair, +1 888-342-6441
Sample email:

To: Jamie.Dimon@chase.com, executive.office@chase.com, peter.barker@chase.com
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop Auction of Baful Home (Loan #1835186059)

Please postpone the foreclosure auction of Romeo Baful’s home at 1352 Quesada Avenue in San Francisco (loan #1835186059) and offer him a fair deal loan modification. Romeo has lived for more than 20 years in the home he shares with his 82-year-old mother and 7-year-old daughter. A single father, he works part-time as a home care provider after getting laid off from his job due to budget cuts two years ago. In July, Chase approved a trial modification but, after several months payments, denied a permanent loan modification and set a date of January 28 to sell of the Baful home at a foreclosure auction.

Sincerely,

your name
9:00am on Monday, January 28, come protest at a Chase bank branch, Mission Street at 21st Street, San Francisco (please bring signs, banners, and whistles)
1:45pm on Monday, January 28, come protest at the foreclosure auction at City Hall, 400 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco (auction may start promptly at 2pm, please bring signs, banners, and whistles).

For updates and this action alert: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=7496/

ALERT: Wells Fargo Stop Foreclosure of Reed Family and the “Wells 29”

Posted on January 23, 2013 by admin

Update: Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of the Reed’s home until February 26, 2013, but let’s keep the calls and emails coming to let them know that postponing isn’t enough: the Reed family needs a fair deal loan modification to remain in their home.

Please call/email Wells Fargo to stop the foreclosure auction of the home of Tuskegee Airman Benjamin Reed and his family on January 24, 2013:

Brenda Wright, SVP of Community Relations, +1 415-623-7738
Alfredo Pedroza, Director CA Gov’t Relations, +1 415-396-0829
Ruben Pulido, Comm. Staff, +1 415-852-1279
John Stumpf, CEO, +1 866-878-5865

Sample message:

To: brenda.wright@wellsfargo.com, alfredo.pedroza@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop Foreclosure of Reed Family & “Wells 29”

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Please take IMMEDIATE action to stop Wells Fargo’s January 24 foreclosure auction of 85-year-old disabled Tuskegee Airman Benjamin Reed and family at 2 Warren Drive in San Francisco. Please offer the family a fair deal loan modification to remain in their home and meet the demands listed for each of the 29 families who Wells Fargo has put at risk (see list sent by ACCE and Occupy Bernal).

Sincerely,

your name here

Action alert updates: http://occupytheauctions.org/wells

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service March & Call Rally on January 21, 2013

Posted on January 19, 2013 by admin

Update: Dozens of protestors mixed with revelers attending the Martin Luther King Jr Day at the Museum of the African Diaspora today asking Wells Fargo to stop the foreclosure auction of 90-year-old Tuskegee Airman Benjamin Reed and his family, as well as the 28 other families of the “Wells 29”. Please feel free to use the following photos and videos (hi-res available by clicking on the photos).

Tuskegee Airman Benjamin Reed

Thanks to Larry Faulks for the last picture of the dream he told the chalk artist at MOAD.

What: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service March & Call Rally
When: 11:30 a.m. January 21, 2013
Where: Museum of African Diaspora, 685 Mission St. (@Third St.), San Francisco, 94105

STOP WELLS FARGO FORECLOSURES

ACCE / OCCUPY BERNAL / OCCUPY NOE ACTION

“No Home For You!”

Wells Fargo Bank Shoots Down Tuskegee Airman

What Would Martin Do?
Help Save Homes From Foreclosure!

Wells Fargo Bank settled with US Department of Justice on predatory and discriminatory loan practices for $175 million (including Bayview Branch).

Tell Wells Fargo to Stop Foreclosures & Evictions Now
Tell Wells Fargo to provide fair deal loan modifications Now
Tell Wells to Stop Throwing Pennies at The Arts To Look Good While Robbing Millions of Homes
Honor Dr. King! Call Wells Fargo Out Now- Tell Them to Save Tuskegee Airman Ben Reed’s Home & Other Homes! +1 415-623-7738 Brenda Wright, SVP Wells Fargo/MoAD Board, and +1 866-878-5865 John Stumpf, CEO

“Our needs are identical with labor’s needs: Decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For updates, including photos and videos of this action: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=7953

Freddie Mac: Don’t Evict Disabled Veteran, Wife, and Mentally Challenged Child in Saint Louis

Posted on January 14, 2013 by admin

Freddie Mac plans to evict Sally Scott and her family from their St. Louis home at 8:00am this Thursday, January 17.

After their staff refused a loan modification approved by a HUD-certified counselor, Freddie Mac auctioned back to themselves the home of 65-year-old Sally Scott and her family in west St. Louis, Missouri. Her 84-year-old husband Bob is a WWII and Korean War veteran who was disabled by a stroke five years ago. Sally, her disabled husband Bob, and her 26-year-old mentally handicapped “special child” Susie live in a constant state of fear, not knowing when the county sheriff will show up to evict them and throw all their belongings out onto the sidewalk.

They originally obtained their loan from Southwest Bank, then it was transferred twice over the last 11 years, ending up serviced by Select Portfolio Servicing and owned by Freddie Mac.

Please take action to help keep the Scott family in their home–

1) Call and email Freddie Mac staff with the following message:

* Donald H. Layton, CEO, at +1 703-903-2000 (say “Donald Layton” to transfer call)
* Brad German, Public Relations, at +1 703-903-2437
* Patti Boerger, Media Relations, at +1 703-903-2445
* Chad Wandler, Media Relations, +1 703-903-2446 or +1 571-236-2533 (cell)
* Aaron Elking, Attorney at Martin, Leigh, Laws, & Fritzlen, in Kansas City, +1 314-862-5200 or +1 636-534-7600

To: Donald_Layton@freddiemac.com, Brad_German@freddiemac.com, Patricia_Boerger@freddiemac.com, Chad_Wandler@FreddieMac.com, ame@mllfpc.com
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Postpone Eviction of Scott Family in St. Louis (SPS Loan #0009962887)

Please immediately postpone the imminent eviction of the Scott family at 115 Ladue Pines Drive in Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, to give them time to negotiate a fair deal loan with Select Portfolio Servicing (SPS) and Freddie Mac. The family includes an elderly couple, one of whom is a disabled veteran of two wars, and a mentally handicapped daughter. They have more than $4,000 in monthly regular and disability income. Their loan number with SPS is 0009962887.

2) Call the St. Louis County Sheriff with the following message:

* Jim Buckles, St. Louis County Sheriff, at +1 314-615-4724

Please postpone the eviction of the Scott family at 115 Ladue Pines Drive in Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, to give them more time to negotiate a fair deal loan with Select Portfolio Servicing and Freddie Mac. The family includes an elderly couple, one of whom is a disabled veteran of two wars, and a mentally handicapped daughter.

3) Please sign a petition, already signed by more than 900 people, on behalf of the Scott family and veterans raised more than $10,000 to assist the family.

4) If you live in St. Louis and can provide local support for the Scott family, please contact us at action@occupytheauctions.org … find out about and help make plans for an eviction witness or eviction defense action this Thursday.

Thanks for supporting a good Missouri neighbor!

Web address for this alert and updates: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=7894

ALERT: Vericrest – Stop the Eviction of the Mohamed Getu Family!

Posted on January 14, 2013 by admin

Please take action to prevent Vericrest Financial from evicting Jemal and Jamila Mohamed Getu and their two children:

Call and email Vericrest Financial staff with the following message:
- David Schneider, CEO, +1 214-874-4101 (or assistant Leah Garfield at +1 214-874-4193)
- Carolyn Marshall, VP of Corporate Communications, +1 214-874-4156
- Craig Lackey, SVP and General Counsel, +1 214-874-4106
- David Slear, SVP of Default Servicing, +1 214-874-4965
Sample message:

To: David.Schneider@vericrestfinancial.com, Carolyn.Marshall@vericrestfinancial.com, clackey@vericrestfinancial.com, David.Slear@vericrestfinancial.com
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop the Eviction and Save the Mohamed Getu Family’s Home (loan #9800937154)

Dear Vericrest Financial staff,

Please stop the eviction of the family of Jemal Getu at 1516 Kirkwood Avenue in San Francisco (loan #9800937154). The Mohamed Getu family fell behind on loan payments due to Jamila Mohamed Getu’s work injury and medical disability. Citibank refused a loan modification prior to Vericrest’s acquisition of the loan. Then, Vericrest sold the home back to the lender on August 20, 2012.

The Mohamed Getu family wants to remain in their home and they now have the income to do so.

Please stop the eviction, rescind the foreclosure sale, and offer the Mohamed Getu family a fair deal loan modification so they can remain in their home for the holiday season and beyond.

Sincerely,

your name
Mark your calendar for 11:30am on Thursday, January 17, for a protest at the office of Vericrest Financial.

Background

Jemal and Jamila Mohamed Getu have raised their two children in the home they bought eight years ago in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. As a nursing assistant and bell man, they saved up money to put a substantial down payment to realize their dream of owning a home where their kids can play.

Their loan bounced through several bank bankruptcies while they spent a lot of their savings fixing up their home. When Jamila went on medical disability due to a work injury in 2008, the family could no longer make all of their mortgage payments, so they tried to refinance with loan servicer Citibank multiple times in 2009. However, Citibank refused a loan modification due to their credit score. Then, their home loan moved to Vericrest.

Like so many families, Jamila and Jemal were scammed by a “loan modification” company, who promised that they would get Jamila and Jemel a modification. An attorney accepted fees for two years without providing any help.

To buy the house, the family had made a down payment of $70,000 and, in the six years before the loan became unaffordable, made $205,000 in loan payments, for a total of $275,000. Despite all the money they paid, Vericrest auctioned off their home in August 2012.

The Mohamed Getu’s have been to eviction court three times and have only a short time left in their home unless the bank agrees to stop the eviction, rescind the foreclosure sale, and offer them a fair deal loan modification.

Jamila and Jemal’s story is one of many similar stories where banks have refused to work with families, demanding payments for a loan that are now higher than the actual value of the house.

Vericrest CEO David Schneider — who was formerly the head of Washington Mutual, JP Morgan, and CITI mortgage, and who the FDIC charged with illegal banking practices — has the power to make it possible for Jamila and Jemal to stay in their home.

We are demanding that Vericrest and its CEO David Schneider do the right thing.

STOP the eviction of Jamila and Jemal Getu, RESCIND the foreclosure, and work with them for a fair loan modification with principal reduction as needed.

For this alert and updates, see http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=7173

Occupy the Dream House Press Conference/ Action at the Dream House in Menlo Park

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

Update: The Occupy the Dream House event at the so-called Dream House in Menlo Park was a great success… thanks to all who participated and please check out the media coverage, videos, and photos below.

Media coverage: IndyBay

You are invited to our event! Please come help us show the contrast between get rich quick raffle illusions and those fighting to keep their homes and their ability to create wealth.

Occupy the Dream House Press Conference/ Action in front of the “$4.1 million Silicon Valley Dream House” in Menlo Park

Demonstrating the stark contrast of our hardworking neighbors trying to save their homes from billion-dollar corporations and the “Let Them Eat Cake” mentality of the 1 Percent financial institutions.

When: 10 a.m., Thursday January 10, 2013

Where: Silicon Valley Dream House in Menlo Park
3 Patricia Place
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(Cross street is San Mateo Drive) map

Who: Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters
Confirmed speakers include Ian Haddow and Stardust. (Please contact us if you would like to volunteer to speak or if you would like to carpool to the event.)

Why: Occupy, other social justice organizations, foreclosure fighters and people who just want to reclaim the American dream of home ownership, gather the day before the raffle winner is chosen to bring attention to economic injustice.

$4.1 Million Silicon Valley Dream House Raffle Demonstrates Homeownership Nightmare
Dream House Raffles such as the one for the opulent home in Menlo Park serve as lures and create a lottery mentality that blinds people to the economic nightmare. They serve as a ruse to keep people from seeing how bad things really are.

Why hold a Press Conference in front of the “$ 4.1 Silicon Valley Dream House?”
To send and repeat the message that the banking and financial system is rogue and is devouring the well-being and livelihood of the 99%.

To send a message to besieged homeowners to fight back and that they are not alone. We stand ready to help.

To send a message to the banks that they must create a humanitarian solution for the economic crisis they helped to create.

To send a message to lawmakers that they have to do more to protect the people from the laws and policies that created this financial quagmire that has eroded the middle class.

To repeat the message that raffles and lotteries are a tax on the poor and create false expectations. Policies and laws should be put back in place to invest in people to grow the economy.

As a story subtext: Banks and corporations should more robustly support public organizations through paying their fair share of taxes. Arts organizations should, in a better world, receive public funds from taxes paid by corporations for their operations. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and other nonprofits are used by banks and other corporations for “public relations” subterfuges to clean up their image and deflect attention from the criminal and inhumane activity they engage in as part of their business practice. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts raises much of their funding in this annual raffle. However, compared to their profits, the minimal donations corporations give, while creating profits on the back of the 99%, using tax loopholes, sending jobs and finances offshore, create an illusion of helping the needy. We need an end to austerities. We need to restore funding to public institutions (libraries, universities, parks/lands) and an end to privatization of the commons. We can do better than this!

Occupy The Dream House, Cheryl Meeker +1 415-255-0668, Stardust +1 415-425-3936, and Eric.

For updates and this action alert: http://www.occupytheauctions.org/dreamhouse

Links: The Middle Class American Dream Visits the Occupy Bay Area Show

Action: SFERS, Please Stop Investing in Wells Fargo!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

Update: ACCE, Occupy Bernal, and Occupy Noe Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters provided important testimony about the illegal, predatory, and discriminatory practices of banks like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America at the meeting of the San Francisco Employee Retirement System Retirement Board on January 9, 2013.

The group asked the Retirement Board to investigate the illegal, predatory, and discriminatory practices of the banks, to request that the banks stop these practices, to sponsor shareholder resolutions if they don’t stop, and to divest from the banks’ stocks if the shareholder resolutions do not succeed. Some of the Commissioners responded favorably to the public comment testimony.

Media coverage: San Francisco Business Times KCBS (including audio segment)

Videos and photos:

#1 in SF Foreclosures and Related Evictions: Racist and Predatory

Who: (Retired and Current) City Employees, especially those facing foreclosure/eviction and supporters
What: Public Comment at San Francisco Employees Retirement System (SFERS) Retirement Board Meeting (2 minute limit)
When: 2:00pm, Wednesday, January 9
Where: 30 Van Ness Avenue, 3rd floor (near Market Street)

We are asking SFERS to do the following:

Investigate investments in Wells Fargo, which is #1 in foreclosures and related evictions in San Francisco and elsewhere, as well as other lenders foreclosing on and evicting San Francisco homeowners..
Prepare and submit a Wells Fargo shareholder resolution to stop predatory and/or racist foreclosures and related evictions for consideration at the next annual Wells Fargo shareholder meeting (probably in April 2013).
If Wells Fargo doesn’t adopt the shareholder resolution at its next shareholder meeting and take immediate steps to implement policies and practices in line with the resolution, then divest from any investment in Wells Fargo within three months after that shareholder meeting.

We are asking San Francisco Mayor Lee to do the following:

Appoint only qualified candidates to the SFERS Retirement Board who are not executives or employees at Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, or Bank of America (the top three in predatory foreclosures and related evictions in San Francisco).
Issue a statement in support of divestment from Wells Fargo of all San Francisco City and County funds, including employee retirement and disability funds.

Background:

The San Francisco Employee Retirement Systems (SFERS) handles investments for pension funds for current and retired San Francisco city employees. SFERS has policies that include “Social Investment Procedures” adopted at the SFERS Retirement Board meeting of September 27, 1988, which requires the SFERS Retirement Board when making investments in stocks, mutual funds, and so on, to consider:

“Community Relations: the relationship of the corporation to the communities in which it operates shall be maintained as a good corporate citizen through observing proper environmental standards, supporting the local economic, social and cultural climate, conducting acquisitions and reorganizations to minimize adverse effects and not discriminate in making loans or writing insurance.” (emphasis added by Occupy the Auctions)

Wells Fargo is #1 in San Francisco foreclosures. San Francisco’s Mayor and Board of Supervisors have unanimously requested a halt to foreclosures and related evictions, especially since San Francisco Assessor-Recorder’s report showing that 84% of foreclosures have at least one legal violation and due to Wells’ $175 million settlement with the United States Department of Justice paid in response to allegations of racial discrimination in providing mortgage loans in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point and other neighborhoods.

Wells Fargo’s “waterfall” model, along with similar policies from other lenders, ensures that the bank can squeeze the most money possible from homeowners struggling to make payments while finally discarding them like trash if the bank can’t make a profit on every single loan. Running a mortgage loan business means assuming risks, especially after receiving billions in bailout funds from the taxpayers, many of whom are Wells’ mortgage loan borrowers.

Wells Fargo is putting 29 families at risk of losing their homes due to foreclosure and related evictions during this holiday season. Wells Fargo is foreclosing on and evicting veterans and disabled and senior homeowners and families with children, as well as targeting homeowners with life-threatening illnesses. Wells Fargo has engaged in predatory, fraudulent, and racist lending practices and has contributed to a rash of foreclosure deaths.

This alert brought to you by ACCE, Occupy Bernal, and other supportive organizations coordinated within the Occupy the Auctions and Evictions campaign.

Links: Wells 29 Action Alert Wells 29 Action Flyer (four to page) Wells Pays $175 Million to Resolve Allegations of Racial Discrimination in Providing Mortgage Loans Occupy Our Homes Wells Fargo Bayview Branch Action Occupy Wells Fargo Noe Branch Occupy Wells Fargo HQ Occupy Senior and Veteran Evictions and Foreclosures (Occupy Anniversary) Upcoming Bank Auctions of Foreclosure/Eviction Fighter Homes Foreclosure/Eviction Fighter Profiles

For updates and this action alert: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=7719

25 Cameo Way: Home Protected by Occupy

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

The home of Larry Faulks at 25 Cameo Way in San Francisco is protected by Occupy.

Prospective buyers and realtors should be aware that Wells Fargo sold the property illegally at a foreclosure auction to DMG Asset Management, which then illegally evicted Larry from the home.

Realtors should provide buyers with full disclosure about the illegal foreclosure and eviction before showing the property to any potential buyer.

There are currently three federal agencies investigating the case, since Larry never received notice of the foreclosure sale from the trustee and only heard about it when an auction investor visited his home less than an hour before the foreclosure auction.

Senior and Disability Organizations Move Money Out of Wells Fargo

Posted on December 18, 2012 by admin

Senior and Disability Action and the Grey Panthers announced that they plan to move their money out of Wells Fargo due to Wells’ policies with regard to foreclosures and evictions of senior and disabled folks. Protestors from those and other supportive groups such as Poor Magazine, Occupy Noe, Occupy Bernal, Occupy Action Council SF, and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) gathered at the Wells Fargo bank branch at 1 Grant Avenue in San Francisco at noon on December 18, 2012. Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters including Kathy Galves spoke at the rally.

Media Coverage: Fog City Journal SF Examiner