- Report: #742702
Complaint Review: Home Credit Law Center - Internet
Reported By:
Karen Watters -
Stillwater, Minnesota, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Home Credit Law Center
9854National Blvd #242 Los Angeles, California 90034 Internet, United States of America
Phone:
877-877-4222
Web:
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Home Credit Law Center Brian Linnekens Failed to negotiate a settlement with my mortgage company and refused to return my money when my home went into foreclosure Internet
I was contacted by Lee Cohen - Senior Loan Modification Consultant at Home Credit Law Center - because I had contacted my mortgage company requesting loan modification on January 31st, 2011. Lee asked me several questions regarding my financial situation and sent this email message to me:
"As we discussed, the attorney will provide the following services: reduce your interest rate to between 2% - 4%; a forbearance agreement on your arrears; a full audit of your loan documents; a principal reduction whenever possible, and full protection from accelerated foreclosure and/or a sale date on your home during the review process. In your case, the savings at 3% would be over $340,000!" ( I still have the correspondance).
I was told I would need to pay $3600 for attorney services through Brian Linnekens' office and was assured that my money would provide me with a loan modification. I was also told that I would receive regular updates on the process and I should not pay my mortgage to allow for more negotiating power.
I contacted Lee Cohen and Brian Linnekens' offices several times after the first month of my signing on with this company and was told that I would receive an update within a day or the week.
Though I paid $3600, I have never received an update. On June 5th, I received a letter from Peterson, Fram and Bergman in St. Paul, MN stating my home was in foreclosure by Bank of America.
I immediately tried to contact Lee Cohen and Brian Linnekens per instructions in the contract. Lee never returned calls or emails and Brian Linnekens refused to return payment or assist in any way. The contract that I signed with Home Credit Law Center states that I am entitled to a refund "if a successful loan modification cannot be obtained."
Current status is that Brian Linnekens refuses to refund any portion of my $3600 despite my following the procedure outlined in the contract which states I must send a "certified letter within 10 days of such an event (foreclosure)."
Despite several calls into Brian Linnekens - he refuses to return my money and has not contacted my lender, Bank of America. I believe this is fraud. I believe he has taken my money without doing any of the services stated in the contract.
I have contacted an attorney and receiving information from others who have done business with this firm to iniate a class action law suit against Home Credit Law Center, United Processing Center and Consumer Mortgage Counseling Services. All three of these companies are connected and have had dealings with my case.
"As we discussed, the attorney will provide the following services: reduce your interest rate to between 2% - 4%; a forbearance agreement on your arrears; a full audit of your loan documents; a principal reduction whenever possible, and full protection from accelerated foreclosure and/or a sale date on your home during the review process. In your case, the savings at 3% would be over $340,000!" ( I still have the correspondance).
I was told I would need to pay $3600 for attorney services through Brian Linnekens' office and was assured that my money would provide me with a loan modification. I was also told that I would receive regular updates on the process and I should not pay my mortgage to allow for more negotiating power.
I contacted Lee Cohen and Brian Linnekens' offices several times after the first month of my signing on with this company and was told that I would receive an update within a day or the week.
Though I paid $3600, I have never received an update. On June 5th, I received a letter from Peterson, Fram and Bergman in St. Paul, MN stating my home was in foreclosure by Bank of America.
I immediately tried to contact Lee Cohen and Brian Linnekens per instructions in the contract. Lee never returned calls or emails and Brian Linnekens refused to return payment or assist in any way. The contract that I signed with Home Credit Law Center states that I am entitled to a refund "if a successful loan modification cannot be obtained."
Current status is that Brian Linnekens refuses to refund any portion of my $3600 despite my following the procedure outlined in the contract which states I must send a "certified letter within 10 days of such an event (foreclosure)."
Despite several calls into Brian Linnekens - he refuses to return my money and has not contacted my lender, Bank of America. I believe this is fraud. I believe he has taken my money without doing any of the services stated in the contract.
I have contacted an attorney and receiving information from others who have done business with this firm to iniate a class action law suit against Home Credit Law Center, United Processing Center and Consumer Mortgage Counseling Services. All three of these companies are connected and have had dealings with my case.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Brian
Santa Monica,California,
United States of America
This client has retracted this report because of our service
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, July 11, 2011
This client hired us to perform certain financial evaluation and forensic analysis services in connection with her loan documents. We performed all of the work that we were hired to perform and complied with all of our contractual obligations. Despite this, she felt that she did not want to continue working with her loan modification company. We contacted this client and resolved the matter in a mutually acceptable fashion. As a result, she has now retracted this complaint.
A
jacksonville,Alabama,
U.S.A.
wont belive it till i see it
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, July 07, 2011
Something I dont understand with the " rebuttals from the owners or employees" how did you even find this report? Especially so quickly???? Do you have people searching the internet for items like this to try to mitigate the bad ripoff reports???? I wont believe the OP retracted her report until I see her post and it says she did and how you helped her refund her monies or the services you ACTUALLY rendered and WHY they were worth what she/he paid.
I don't understand how employees of Loan Mod companies (cough, rip offs) can sleep at night. How can you charge someone to make calls to a lender they could easily make themselves? Are you really trying to extort 3600.00 out of someone to make (and im REALLY over exagerating this) 5 hours of calls? That's a profit of over 700 an HOUR! The owner of the property is doing half the work since THEY are the ones that have to PROVE they are elligible with W2s, IDs ect.
To the OP, did you ever sign a 3rd party form that allowed them to talk to the bank? If not, you got ripped off because the bank will NOT speak to anyone about the property except those listed on the Mortgage.
FIRST thing though, contact your bank. They have specialists that do
loan mods and will work with you for FOR FREE. No paying a 3rd party to
call for you.
Yes, its a pain, yes sometimes they loose the paperwork, yes sometimes your mod payment may be applied to escrow but its FREE. They want to keep you in your home. Here is why.
1.It is MUCH more expensive to pay attorneys TONS of money per hour to file items ( that have to be signed by the servicer, who will in turn get fined if the paperwork is not returned quick enough)
2. Then they have to pay attorneys to go before judges
3. then have the attorney go to the auction and bid on the property
4. 9 times out of 10 the servicer wins the bid
5. Then the investor sells the home ( paying out to realtors)
6. then servicer then has to deed the home to the investor (and hope that they dont get charged a fine for not getting the documents to the investor fast enough)
Instead of shelling out 60k to do that, they are more than willing to drop points on the interest to keep you in the home. You only have to prove that A) you cannot afford your current payment per investor/ state guidelines. 2) you will continue to make those payments ( usually a "trail period" of payments) and not abandon the home and make them go through the process anyway.
The only issue may be these bozos took too much time. If you have been getting notices in the mail for the mod option and not taken it (IE: calling yourself), the bank that is servicing your loan and the investordo have the option to just tell you, " too bad, we did due diligence in sending the letters and they were ignored" and still foreclosure on your home. The only option you have is file BK or file an order with the judge letting them know the circumstance that will allow you time towork with a bank. Remeber, they cannot foreclose on a BK home until it is finalized and usually will not foreclose on a home where the homeowneres have requested default resolution ( with a good reason like
yours) until the judge has signed an order allowing the bank to foreclose. You can do these orders the same day of sale, but it is customary to do them as soon as you get a foreclosure sale date to give the bank time to work with you.
My suggestion to the OP, after getting confirmation that a third party has not contacted the bank about your loan and speaking with them about your situation, contact your state attorney( they are having field days with these guys). THEN If you want, file a claim in court and claim indigent, then you will not pay filing fees. Make sure that you let the court know you lost time that was valuable for keeping your home and make sure to SUE FOR EVERY PENNY YOU CAN GET. Not sure if you can get pain and suffering, but heck, put it in there anyway, all the judge can do is say no right?
All it takes it you sending in some paperwork to prove you are who you say you are and to show your financial situation. Dependinig on the investor of your loan you have at least TWO mod progrqams you can go through to keep your home. If you find this too hard, you can opt for a short sale and ask for a form that will not make you obligated to the difference the home sold for compared to what you owe and if that doesnt work you can ask for a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure, ALL of these options are taken care of BY YOU FOR FREE.
Brian
Santa Monica,California,
United States of America
This client has retracted this complaint because of our service
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Wed, July 06, 2011
This client hired us to perform certain financial evaluation and forensic analysis services in connection with her loan documents. We performed all of the work that we were hired to perform and complied with all of our contractual obligations. Despite this, she felt that she did not want to continue working with her loan modification company. We contacted this client and resolved the matter in a mutually acceptable fashion. As a result, she has now retracted this complaint.
