Friday, January 20, 2012

Bankster's Insurance Premium Overcharge Drives Foreclosure Defense Attorney Into Foreclosure

In Indianapolis, Indiana, The Huffington Post reports:

  • Christine Jackson's three-bedroom wood-frame home in Indianapolis is in danger of foreclosure. It's not because she can't afford her mortgage, but because of a bank error, she said.


  • Jackson is among thousands of homeowners from all walks of life who have complained that the major banks that service their mortgages have made frequent errors in calculating their loans. These errors include slapping unnecessary inspection fees onto accounts, misapplying payments in violation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines and "force-placing" expensive insurance on homes that are already insured.


  • Jackson knows all this all too well because she is a lawyer who represents homeowners trying to stave off foreclosure. Often, those clients have claimed that their bank or mortgage servicer made a mistake in tabulating the cost of their loan, triggering a wrongful default.


  • Jackson, 54, a former fraud investigator for the Internal Revenue Service, now understands firsthand the frustration that her clients feel.


  • JPMorgan Chase & Co., the bank that services Jackson's mortgage, has declared her loan in default, blocked access to her online account and threatened foreclosure if she doesn't pay late charges that she said are unwarranted. Her once sterling credit is ruined and she could lose her home if the mess isn't resolved, Jackson said in a recent interview.


  • Jackson blames her situation on an extra annual insurance premium that she said Chase deducted from her account in 2009 on top of her usual payment. The overcharge triggered a series of account miscalculations, eventually leading to default, according to Jackson.


  • "I'm disgusted with the whole thing," she said. "My credit is trashed. I have nothing at all to finance my business. I might have to file for bankruptcy."

For more, see Foreclosure Lawyer Could Lose Her Home Because Of Alleged Bank Error.