Phoenix Condo Owner Who Paid Cash For Unit The Latest Victim Of Illegal Foreclosure Lockout; Fannie Reportedly Giggles About Screw-Up, Then Responds: 'Oops, It Was The Real Estate Agent's Fault!'

In Phoenix, Arizona, KTVK-TV Channel 3 reports:

• A Phoenix man is outraged that he found himself locked out of this own condo. Kevin Hunter has a free and clear mortgage on his unit, since he paid cash. So he was shocked when he tried to get in one day, and his key didn't work. New locks had been installed on his doors.
  
  And now those new door locks have Hunter keyed up. “I'm mad,” he said. “It’s breaking and entering as far as I'm concerned!”
  
  The locks come from his west Phoenix condo that he paid cash for years ago. He rents the condo out. But since he doesn't currently have a tenant, only Hunter is supposed to have access inside.
  
  Apparently, that's not the case, because someone recently drilled out Hunter's locks and installed their own, preventing him from entering.
  
  “It looked just like this,” he said, pointing to his front door. “But none of it was mine. I have smart keys on it so every time I have a new renter I can rekey it without having a locksmith come. They drilled these out; they cut my lockbox off.”
  
  Hunter later found out that representatives from Fannie Mae were responsible for removing the locks and installing their own. Hunter says he spoke with the representative, who immediately acknowledged that a mistake had been made.
  
  “They told me that they had drilled into the wrong unit. They drilled into 205 instead of 250 and laughed and thought it was funny,” he recalled.
  
  Turns out, Fannie Mae actually tried to take possession of Hunter's condo, unit 205, when they should have been at unit 250.
  
  Hunter immediately took Fannie Mae's locks off and put his own back on. But still, he says, he's outraged and feels that Fannie Mae should pay his $368 repair bill. “It’s public record who this belongs to and if it’s paid for or not,” he said.
  
  3 On Your Side wanted to know how Fannie Mae made such a mistake. Fannie Mae tells us unit 250 was in foreclosure and that was the unit they were attempting to take back. Fannie Mae representatives acknowledged when they went to Desert Breeze Villas, they mistakenly went to unit 205 instead, which is the unit which Hunter owns.
  
  But, Fannie Mae blamed the confusion on a real estate company called West USA Realty, which cut Hunter a check for $368, the amount he spent to repair his locks.
  
  Kevin says it was the right thing to do.(1)

Source: Locks changed at wrong home being called a mistake.

(1) For Kevin and other homeowners who've been screwed over by wrongful lockouts by foreclosing lenders (and their confederates) and seek some possible guidance on how much their cases might be worth if they seek to sue, see:

• Nevada High Court OKs $1M+ Damage Award To Homeowner Due To Mortgage Company Misidentification Of Home In Foreclosure (for the court ruling, see Countrywide Home Loans v. Thitchener, 192 P.3d 243; 2008 Nev. LEXIS 79; 124 Nev. Adv. Rep. 64 (Nev. 2008)),
  .........................
• Long Island Judge Hammers Wells w/ $155K Tab For Oppressive, Heavy Handed, Egregious Conduct For Pre-Sale Lockout Of Homeowner In Foreclosure (for the court ruling, see Wells Fargo v. Tyson, 27 Misc.3d 684, 897 N.Y.S.2d 610 (Sup. Ct., Suffolk County, 2010); reversed on procedural grounds Wells Fargo v. Tyson, 82 A.D.3d 757, 917 N.Y.S.2d 914 (App. Div. 2d Dept. 2011).

For examples of filed lawsuits involving illegal bank break-in, "trash-out" lockout cases, see:

• Bank admits mistake on Willcox home foreclosure (involving an Arizona homeowner) (for a copy of the resulting federal lawsuit, see Newman v. Bank of America, N.A. and go here for the attached Exhibits),
• Couple: Bank Foreclosed On Wrong House (New Bedford Couple Suing Bank Of America) (involving a Massachusetts resident with a home in Florida) (for a copy of the resulting federal lawsuit, see Cardoso v. Bank of America, et al.),
• Family's recently purchased home, gutted by property removal service (involving a Michigan homeowner) (for a copy of the resulting federal lawsuit and accompanying Exhibits , see Rought v Deutsche National Trust Company, Trustee, et al.),
• In a Sign of Foreclosure Flaws, Suits Claim Break-Ins by Banks (involving a California homeowner) (for a copy of the resulting federal lawsuit, see Ash v. Bank of America),
• Former Lake Villa couple sues Bank of America over ‘illegal’ lockout (involving a Chicago, Illinois-area homeowner) (for a copy of the resulting federal lawsuit, see McKee v. Bank of America).