Author Archives: elaine

How We Work with Foreclosees

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Download a Word format of this document

6/13/12

BECOMING A FORECLOSURE FIGHTER
WITH SF ACCE AND/OR OCCUPY BERNAL

GETTING ASSISTANCE BEATING FORECLOSURE, PROPERTY AUCTION, AND
EVICTION

WINNING AN AFFORDABLE LOAN MODIFIICATION

Here’s what we tend to do to help someone in foreclosure – but is still short of property auction or post-auction eviction – who might become foreclosure fighter, if they’re loan is with Wells Fargo. If they are with another bank, SF ACCE may also have the ability to also help them engage in direct negotiations with someone with power at their lender – B of A, Chase, Aurora, for example. SF ACCE has also helped people fight evictions, and reclaim their homes after an eviction. But those fights are not discussed in this memo.

A. Help them get hooked up with a nonprofit HUD-certified counselor, who can:

1) submit their loan modification request, once the counselor has a 3 rd party
authorization, and some financial info;

2) engage in conversation with the lender to help them get a modification;

3) help them figure out if they have the income to qualify to a loan modification with their current income; need to increase his income, or need a principal reduction to modify; and

4) help them get their auction date postponed, find out if it actually is postponed, and until when.

I have attached my roster which has the contact names and info at the two nonprofit counselors we use – MEDA and SFHDC – as well as some other useful folks. MEDA recently told Grace that they are no longer accepting clients, but Ed Donaldson at SFHDC available. MEDA has bilingual staff.

B. Help them into “escalated” review under the WF CEO’s office. Up until now, that has virtually guaranteed that WF will postpone their auctions date/s until the end of that review, although we often don’t find out that one has been postponed until the day before or even the morning of. Getting them connected with Pelosi’s Office and her staffer Alex Lazar should do get them into this escalated process, as well as get him a single point of staff contact in the CEO’s office. This assistance also requires a 3rd party authorization form, for Pelosi’s Office and becoming a counseling client.

C. Help them get onto the Mayor’s Office/staffer Jeff Buckley’s list of cases which he is pursuing individually with the lenders. This assistance also requires a 3rd party authorization form for the Mayor’s Office, and becoming a counseling client.

I have attached 3rd party authorization forms for SFHDC, Pelosi and the Mayor. This form authorizes a 3rd party to engage in conversation with the lender about his modification request, and their case in general. Someone who receives 3 rd party authorization has no power to make decisions on a loan modification request. The foreclosee reserves that right entirely for themselves.

D. Help them get into an ongoing conversation with that single point of contact at Wells Fargo.

E. If and when they receive a trustee’s notice of property auction, in addition to helping them get it postponed and/or blocking it, we need to help them track when it is scheduled to occur.

A lender carries out a property auction through a trustee. The trustee is required to make only a single public notice, with the SF Recorder/Assessor’s Office, of an auction date – the first date when they can carry out an auction. They are not required to report any subsequent changes in that date. OB and SF ACCE have paid for access to a data base that purports to report rescheduled auctions, but sometimes it is faulty and/or takes a few days to report the new date. Even a verbal statement by a lender’s staff person that they have postponed the auction date is sometimes not accurate. The best way that we have found to track an auction date is through the phone number and/or website contained in the trustees notice of the initial auction date.

F. Finally, how do you see if the foreclosee will become/help a person become a foreclosure fighter?

Becoming a foreclosure fighter helps a person: 1) save their own home in foreclosure, AND 2) win reforms and ideally permanent structural changes in the current predatory, unfair and largely racist foreclosure system. We aren’t counselors. We are leaders in fighting organizations. With our current power, we can’t help everyone who is in foreclosure. We can help individual foreclosees, if they fight. We can only win the complete restructuring of the foreclosure system by organizing and building the power to win on individual cases, and reforms of the foreclosure system – like a moratorium, or the postponement of auctions or evictions, or the reoccupation of homes form which folks have been evicted. It is only by fighting with power that we can change the entire foreclosure system into one that is fair, just and non-discriminatory.

We can only win if the people in foreclosure step up and fight for themselves, and other people in the same fix that they are in. We must help them become leaders in the fight. And it is only by them become the face and voice of the fight to end the foreclosure crisis that the lenders, the public, and potential allies like the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor will ever understand who is being hurt by foreclosure, and what it is doing to our communities.

So, sadly, we must pick and choose with whom we will work. We will work with them if they fight, and become active members in and leaders of our organizations. In developing foreclosees into foreclosure fighters, we are not hurting their ability to win their individual cases. Only 13% of the foreclosees who work with an SF HUD certified nonprofit counselor “escape” foreclosure by attaining a loan modification or some other settlement. The counselors tell foreclosees that they will increases their chances of winning if they: 1) fight back, and 2) join an organization like Occupy Bernal and SF ACCE. Lenders pay at least some attention to foreclosure fighters because they want them – and their organizations – to go away! As you can see, the small changes we have won, and the process above, has helped individual foreclosees help themselves.

SF ACCE has helped foreclosure fighters win loan modifications, even for ones that lenders have evicted from their homes. OB has helped foreclosure fighters win modifications, but so far only for people who had the income to qualify anyway.

We must test the folks that we try to help. Tell them straight up that we can’t “save” them, but we will help them fight back. And that we want them to become foreclosure fighters. Tell them what we mean by that term. Give them opportunities to do so. Invite them to the next meeting of our organizations. Ask and train them to speak to their neighbors; the media; elected officials; and representatives of the lenders. Give them the opportunity to participate in the planning of actions against the lenders, and active roles in those actions.

Attachments: Buck’s roster; 3rd party authorization forms for SFHDC, Mayor and
Pelosi’s Offices.

By Buck Bagot – 415/385-0389 OR BUCKB@DEVINEGONG.COM.

For more information, go to www.occupybernal.org, www.calorganize.org, or
www.occupytheauctions.org.

Minutes of General Assembly, 14 June 2012

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Occupy Bernal General Assembly Minutes
7pm on Thursday, June 14, 2012

1. Introductions

Agenda approved with addition of the following items:

* June 25 Sacramento action
* Announcement from Action Council (David Solnit)
* Communications Workgroup

2. Where we stand: Geary and Josephine’s trial loan modifications from Bank of America with assistance from SF Mayor’s office.

Update on Homeowner Bill of Rights: some parts have passed, but dual tracking and single point of contact are still in process. Discussion on how to get more action alerts out on Homeowner Bill of Rights from larger organizations. Talk with Christie Hakim if you’re interested in working on it. Judy Siff recommended putting a message in our email signatures. Also discussed petitions and Occupy Bernal’s petition to the banks for a foreclosure moratorium.

Christie reported on the Monday, June 25, Foreclosure Moratorium action in Sacramento and encouraged people to attend and to lobby. Occupy Sacramento wants FEFs to speak. Kathy asked about what Tom Ammiano and Mark Leno are doing on the legislation and Judy K. replied that Leno is an author of one of the bills. Judy K. and Christie agreed to be liaisons to the organizers of the protest and coordinate Occupy Bernal’s participation.

Hiya offered some typewriters for personalized letters, which legislators treat with more weight than electronic ones.

Mayors’ Pause Letter: calls for pause on foreclosures until Attorney General settlement in place, but has a sentence that excludes those who can’t make payments on their mortgages, so is not very helpful.

Action on individual cases

What end of Alberto’s auction postponement means

3. Assessment of Alberto auction protest: 50 people came out to the auction. David Solnit made awesome mirrors. Alberto filed for bankruptcy so his house wasn’t sold. Kat mentioned how cool the mirrors are, the way they show peoples’ faces in the reflection. Fred found the action super-inspiring and felt the auctioneers and investors were very frustrated. Jose said we stopped some other auctions from happening. Tita felt uncomfortable with the intensity of how the protestors were talking to the people and felt the protestors were verbally violent. Incident where we mistakenly yelled at someone who was a supporter. Tita wants people to come and feel safe at our demonstrations… she saw several people distancing themselves from the action. Perhaps we should have a nonviolence training. Kathy felt horrible at Alberto’s grief when he announced that his family had to file bankruptcy. Julien mentioned that deciding about violence can involve tactical questions, for example, if we get physically violent at an action, then we would invite police repression. Bruce reported that an auctioneer was calling people telling them that there was a huge demonstration. He mentioned that even after discussing the issue of violence for over 50 years, but still haven’t come to any agreement. Alice brought up an incident where an investor pushed her and we had a discussion on how to deal with the situation. Fred suggested a discussion about the pushing scenario and how to respond and felt that we don’t have an agreement in the room about what nonviolence is. Stardust suggested a nonviolence training at 12:00 noon on Saturday after the action planning meeting at ACCE, but some people said they couldn’t come. Bruce suggested creating a card that lists the nonviolence guidelines for the protest… great idea! Kathy L. suggested to Alice and Fred determining what it would take to file a complaint. Elaine suggested an immediate response pertinent to the auction actions, as well as a longer-term Occupy Bernal discussion on violence. Hiya suggested that people meet with Stardust who want to figure out what should go on an action agreement card for the auction action. Fred suggested meeting before an action for an orientation. Those interested will discuss with Stardust immediately after the meeting. Stardust volunteered to draft a card for the auction action and send it to the group for comments. Kat volunteered to prepare a proposal on a nonviolence discussion for the next GA and invited others to participate with her. Elaine feels the discussion is necessary prior to the training. Consensed on the proposal for the auction action card and preparing a nonviolence discussion for the group.

4. Foreclosure and eviction fighter deadlines report

Stardust reviewed the cases and when our foreclosure and eviction fighters are up for auction. Maria talked a bit about her situation.

5. Suggested action calender from ACCE meetings, next coalition meeting

David Solnit reported back from Action Council. David let the Action Council and the Direct Action Workgroup know that things are coming to a head with the housing actions. They want to help Occupy Bernal. They would prefer to have 2-6 weeks notice and prioritize actions.

Christie thinks planning our actions with more notice would be good so that other groups can join in and be effective.

Stardust reported on the action planning meetings co-held with ACCE. He described the actions on the calendar handout.

Kat said she felt the Homeless Shelter action should have a day of its own. Stardust said he feels we really need to escalate our response. Julien said he felt there were too many actions on the list and they should be spread out over more time. Bruce talked about how to indicate which actions should be prioritized, especially for people who can only take limited time off from work. Fred likes how there are actions after the auction actions, especially in the case where auctions get canceled or postponed. Fred suggested sending an email saying “this is the week” and asking people to pick at least one day they can come this week to help their neighbors. David mentioned that to outreach to folks with a short message works better than a complex message. David said to put off the Stumpf action and to advertise the auction actions. Christie would like to focus on getting people to the auctions, along with the email alerts that go along with that.

In summary, the group seemed to think it would be a good idea to delay the Stumpf action and to downplay announcing the actions after the auction actions (and perhaps to restrict it to actions that are simple, such as the Points of Light action).

6. Outreach

Diane will call for an outreach workgroup meeting and coordinate some tabling activities. The education and outreach workgroup meetings typically take place at 10:00am on Sundays at Progressive Grounds.

Julien talked about how we do outreach to foreclosure and eviction fighters. Doorknocking happens at 10:30am each Sunday at Progressive Grounds. Julien brought up the idea of hosting house parties with foreclosure and eviction fighters.

7. Communications

Diane would like to prepare some literature for Occupy Bernal. Diane would like Occupy Bernal to include a broader message with our literature. Christie will work with Diane on the materials, since she has already prepared some. Jose suggested wording of “Do you know someone who is facing foreclosure…?” rather than “Are you facing foreclosure…?”

8. Announcements

* Kathy L. announced that Supervisor Wiener proposing a nasty measure to enable condo conversions and remove rent control protections.

* Elaine announced an event with Boots Riley scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, June 16, at the Redstone Building.

* Diane announced availability of Occupy Bernal buttons available for $3-5.

* David announced events related to solidarity with the student movement in Quebec including:

– Movie screening at 8:30pm on Thursday, June 28, 555 California St.
– Solidarity march at 11:30am on Friday, June 29, 580 California St.

* Fred announced that Occupy SF Housing is planning a campaign around Ellis Act conversions.

Mayors’ Pause Letter

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June 6, 2012

Mr. James Dimon
JPMorgan Chase & Company
President and Chief Executive Officer
270 Park Ave
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Dimon:

We are writing to you and the CEOs of the nation’s four other mortgage loan servicers that
settled in the joint federal-state mortgage settlement to ask that your company pause foreclosure proceedings against eligible borrowers until the settlement is finalized and the monitoring mechanisms are fully in place.

As the terms of this landmark agreement evolve from language into action, our residents deserve interim protections until the monitoring administrators are fully in place. After years of uncertainty, California’s homeowners need the opportunity to participate under the terms of the federal-state settlement agreement that is just months away from being available. A temporary pause in foreclosures against only eligible borrowers would provide this relief.

Over the next six to nine months, the settlement administrator, attorneys general, your company and the other mortgage servicers – Bank of America Corporation, Wells Fargo & Company, Citigroup Inc., and Ally Financial Inc. – will work to identify homeowners eligible for the immediate cash payments, principal reductions, short sales, and refinancing. Those borrowers who are eligible will receive letters informing them of next steps.

While this process unfolds, we are asking your company to pause foreclosure proceedings against borrowers who could receive a letter in the future informing them of their eligibility for relief as outlined in Exhibit D of the five lenders’ consent judgments. The settlement is targeted toward homeowners who could remain in their homes if a principal reduction or refinancing option were available to make their loan more affordable. Some of those homeowners you agreed to evaluate are currently delinquent on their mortgages, while others are underwater but current on their mortgages. We believe the settlement’s specific eligibility requirements adequately constrain the pause such that borrowers must continue to make payments, or risk losing protection from this temporary halt in foreclosures.

Unfortunately, the California cities we represent are at the center of our nation’s foreclosure crisis. The residents of our state, who California State Attorney General Kamala Harris represented at the bargaining table, deserve the opportunity to participate in the terms of the agreement for which her office advocated and to which your company agreed. This includes:

• Providing a minimum of $12 billion in principal reductions on loans or offering short sales to approximately 250,000 California homeowners who are underwater on their loans and behind – or almost behind – in their payments.

• Refinancing the loans of 28,000 homeowners who are current on their payments but underwater on their loans using an estimated $849 million of the refinance program.

• Receiving assistance from the $1.1 billion estimated to be distributed to homeowners for unemployed payment forbearance and transition assistance, as well as to communities to repair the blight and devastation left by approximately 16,000 recent foreclosures. Vacant homes would not be included in the pause, as we can all agree that it is in the best interest of the neighborhood those homes are located in, their city and our economy in general for those homes to return to market as quickly as possible.

• Monitoring by UC Irvine law professor Katherine Porter, a noted specialist in foreclosures and bankruptcy, with an agreement that allows Attorney General Harris to enforce the penalty provisions in California state court.

As your servicing staff know well, distressed borrowers are very difficult to reach. The pause will allow our cities the time to partner with your servicing staff, the Attorney General’s office, and local HUD-certified counseling agencies to plan a comprehensive communication and outreach strategy to identify eligible borrowers and inform them of their rights under the settlement. As a result, we believe borrowers will be more informed of their rights, more organized with their financial documentation, more willing to stick through the process of having their loan evaluated for modification, and ultimately, more likely to receive relief under the settlement.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Mayor Edwin Lee, San Francisco

Mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose

Mayor Kevin Johnson, Sacramento

Mayor Jean Quan, Oakland

Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Fresno

Minutes from Occupy Bernal GA 5/24/12

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Occupy Bernal GA  5/24/12

Notetaker: Kirsten came in during introductions so no list of people attending.  Molly is chairing the meeting.  Bolded are action items committed to.

Introductions

Discussion of Education Materials
We need fact sheets for every case, compelling and specific stories are the best way for us to get our message out.

Diane volunteered to write up the stories of some of the foreclosures and our successes.

Recommendation to forward ACCE stories to Legislators to Supervisors,  Ed Mayor – once they get it becomes public record. Everyone can do this

Post videos to Facebook (We should have a bunch of video stories) Suggest going to the universities to get volunteers to make movie.

Get Noe Valley Voice and El Tecolote and Bay View Times – fabulous ideas for the media committee.   Molly, Christy, Diane volunteered to be on the media committee.   Good models are on-line for Thomas’ case

Video is being done by Peter Menchini and Beth Stephen’s student, Julia.  There are  great speeches on-line already.  Molly has the 10 minute version and says a 5 minute version will be better.

Fiesta Report:
Over 280 people over the period of the day. Lots of good people coming. Annie  and Beth spoke, Ernesto and Ross  spoke. There were about 30 new sign ups.  We sold all 60 buttons. People are interested.! This was a great event- first thing where we all went out to get new people. One thing we need to do is the phone tree.- to call al new sign ups engaged. We could set up different categories — people who only want to hear about emergency actions, people who want to be on various committees, or people who want to come to the meetings.  If we call people we can figure out how people want to be involved.

The Fiesta was a big commitment – maybe there is something less ambitious we can do. House party might be easier?

Next Education meeting is June 4th what about using it to recruit for house parties  – foreclosure fighter  potlucks in different homes.… do a leaflet. Foreclosure fighters invite their friends to meet someone who is in foreclosure.  It would be nice to have some of the tapes so we can tell the story in more places.

Auctions
Other than Ernesto, we have haven’t helped any get a refinance. All we’ve been able to do is to get a postponement.  Erik has one on May 31, Alberto has one on June 1.

Jeff Buckley in the Mayor’s office – suggests writing up the situations and demand that the postponement be indefinite. The mayor’s letter now has 10 other mayors asking for a pause in foreclosures. While we are in negotiations put off the auctions.   If they don’t do it then we go into action.

Commander came by and complained that we are blowing whistles in people’s ears so it can be considered assault if there is a complaint filed.  One of the lieutenants last Tuesday kept and eye on them and we weren’t able to disrupt.   They are finding ways to get around us now. We may need to change strategies.

Physically stopping the auctions and/or political solution to stop the auctions = two choices not necessarily exclusive.   We need numbers to stop the auctions – connect to our actual stories. We have only a week for Erik’s auction. Need to get moving now.

We’ve succeeded in stopping 50- 60 by the e-mails. None of our people have actually gone to auction. We have power before the auction to prevent.  We have to keep doing the two things.

ACCE wants to talk about actions every day for two weeks.  We should bring proposals from this group.  We need to get the case histories of unfair evictions back in the media.  Even if we don’t stop the auction we can educate the seller and the passer-bys.   When should we do this? The issue isn’t just when can we get the people. If we are fighting with people we actually have a chance.

We can’t wait on Eric and Alberto’s auction dates. Proposal is that we do an e-mail blast for both of them.  Propose that we go down on June 1 for Albertos. Auction is at 2:00 – get there at 1:45.  Proposal that this is part of a week- long recruitment  — enlarge the e-mail list.  There are many more people who care.   Get histories done and recruit and then show up en masse.  Educate people about dual tracking, — Diane and the media  committee (Christy, Grace, Molly, Jose) will do histories and we’ll use this as an education and outreach.   Use auctions as a way to do education and outreach…  Table on Saturday  4 -6 and Monday 11- 1 (one hour shifts),  starting at noon at Good Life.  Media committee meeting on Monday evening at 7 pm. Next Thursday with WOW and Occupella.

Judy K and Stardust met with DA, Chief of Staff . They only want to hear about possibilities of fraud and/or discrimination – robo signing etc.  There can be no follow-up to the assessors report.   The City Attorneys are really committed to working with us – get more information from Ting report. – public records records.  There are limitations on what they can do. Apparently Kamala Harris’ legislation isn’t going anywhere. Dual tracking is pre-empted.  There is a new consumer finance protection bureau – they can do regulations that eliminate dual tracking. They are very interested in the auction stuff.  There is also a committee now – Occupy the lawyers group – try to get them to take some of this one.  The City Attorney is really committed… they have three people working on it.

Nothing we can do right now because of global settlement with the 5 big banks. … Ting report can’t really be used unless there is an issue of fraud or discrimination.  Cases outside of the big banks, there might be able to do something.  Foreclosure mills can be attacked because they are not part of the global settlement.  There is a lot of cooperation.

Announcements
Chronicle will publish an Op-Ed from Occupy Bernal and ACCE – Maria, Stardust, Grace, Kat  with a couple of changes. Signed by Dexter and Maria..

Egyptian youth founder,  Tuesday at 7 pm.. An e-mail will go out about it.

Door knockers going forward—need some more people.
Julian and  Juli  will make a proposal  for house parties.
We should have a table at the Fiesta on the Hill and the Hill -wide garage sale.  Get a bunch of people, sit and talk to people.   Great idea…

Communication between WOW and Bernal – want a closer relationship between B of A actions and Bernal!   They would be more involved… Would like to do outreach to the WOW women. Propose that we highlight cases at of B of A.  Come on Thursdays from 12 to 1:00.  Bring leaflets.  Action Alert and  make a call about Mary Jo’s case.

Brainstorm – What can we do to block the auctions; what can we do to Wells Fargo. More permanent postponement of auctions and go after the Wells Board members. If the shouting isn’t stopping the auctions what could?  Strategy meeting with ACCE and figure out how to gain traction on these issues.  Dexter re-occupied and he was re-evicted.
Brainstorm and strategy session with ACCE.  10 am 1717  17th Street is the meeting time.

Next meeting is in two weeks-  June 5th

Block Party Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

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Good Neighbor Awards

Block Party Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Download the Good Neighbor Block Party Invite Poster!

Entertainment, live music, barbecue, beverages, tabling, kids activities, movies, education, fun, networking, and best of all–GREAT NEIGHBORS! Everyone is invited.

Plus an award ceremony to honor local foreclosure fighters + activists. Celebrate the successful actions that have helped keep neighbors in their homes. We’ll acknowledge the miraculous work being done to stop foreclosures. Mingle with people who care about people.

Presented by your neighbors

Andover St. (Cortland & Ellert)
Between the Bernal Heights Library & the Good Life Grocery

Hosted by Occupy Bernal

We’re also seeking volunteers to help on the day of the event. Join us for a production meeting Friday night, May 18, 6-8 at Progressive Grounds. Or just come!

Call Annie B. 415-821-7617
Or email annie.borgenicht@gmail.com

Please join our facebook event page

Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home!

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Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home!

Call/Email TODAY!

Ernesto Viscarra received a trial loan modification from Wells Fargo in March. So why is his home still scheduled for auction?

Ernesto has been living in his home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco for 33 years. In 2008, he fell into default on his mortgage with Wells Fargo. Despite the fact that he had the ability to work out a loan modification he could afford, the bank refused to negotiate with him–until Ernesto began working with Occupy Bernal, staging demonstrations, making phone calls and sending emails targeting bank representatives.

In March, Ernesto won a trial loan modification and has been making payments ever since. Yet Wells Fargo hasn’t lifted a May 21 auction date on his home. It was in response to highly-publicized situations just like these that Atty. General Kamala Harris called for a homeowners’ bill of rights. Among other things, it would ban “dual tracking”, a practice where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and may lose their homes as a result. Let’s call and email Wells Fargo TODAY and make sure Ernesto is NOT a victim of dual tracking.

Please take action with three steps to save Ernesto’s home:

1) Send the following email right now to Wells Fargo’s CEO, Board Members, and other staff–

To: john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com, alfredo.pedroza@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, boardcommunications@wellsfargo.com, jason.ohara@wellsfargo.com, eric.tang@wellsfargo.com

Cc: action@occupybernal.org

Subject: Postpone Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (Loan # 46110532)

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (Loan # 46110532).

Mr. Viscarra has lived in his home for 33 years. After four years of being ignored, he finally was able to negotiate with your institution, and was granted a trial loan modification. He has been making his payments on time, but he still has an auction date of Monday, May 21 on his home.

I am aware of situations in which Wells Fargo staff have engaged in dual tracking, where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and have lost their home as a result.

Please make assurances that you will make good on the terms of Mr. Viscarra’s loan modification and take immediate action to cancel the auction of his home.

Sincerely,

your name here

2) Starting at 8:00am on May 16, call the following Wells Fargo representatives with the message below.

Contact:

  • Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf at 866-878-5865
  • Wells Fargo Director of California Local Government Relations Alfredo Pedroza at 415-396-0829
  • Wells Fargo Communications Staff Ruben Pulido at 415-852-1279
  • Wells Fargo Branch Manager Eric Tang at 415-977-9357
  • Wells Fargo Branch Manager Jason O’Hara at 415-554-8820

Tell them (or leave a message):

 “Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (lLoan # 46110532). Mr. Viscarra has lived in his home for 33 years. After four years of being ignored, he finally was able to negotiate with your institution, and was granted a trial loan modification. He has been making his payments on time, but he still has a May 21 auction date on his home. I am aware of situations in which Wells Fargo staff have engaged in dual tracking, where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and have lost their home as a result. Please make assurances that you will make good on the terms of Mr. Viscarra’s loan modification and take immediate action to cancel the auction of his home.”

3.) If the sale of the home is not cancelled, join us on the steps of City Hall (Van Ness side) on Monday, May 21, at 9:45 a.m. to stop the auction.

A family-friendly street party and the Good Neighbor Awards

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Video of the Occupy Bernal Fiesta by selene video

Occupy Bernal Media Advisory
For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie B., 415-483-9138, press@occupybernal.org

What: A family-friendly street party and the Good Neighbor Awards.

Where: Andover Street between Cortland and Ellert

When: May 19, 2012 from 1-4 p.m.

Occupy Bernal is proud to have helped prevent the evictions of some of our neighbors! To show appreciation for the hard work and perseverance of Bernal locals, we’re throwing a “foreclosure fighter” fiesta.

In addition to hobnobbing with our neighbors; still in their homes no thanks to the banks:

– the infamous Wild Old Women who regularly shut down the local Bank of America branch to national acclaim are expected

– hear organizer Stardust play oboe in the Occupy Bernal Band

– see Occupy Bernal instigator Beth Stephens and artist/activist Annie Sprinkle hand out the awards to neighbors whose homes are in foreclosure and who are fighting to stop predatory bank practices.

– eat barbecue cooked by foreclosure fighter Tom German

– enjoy a potluck, live music, kids activities, education, silkscreening with Families Occupy San Francisco [ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Families-Occupy-San-Francisco/236531299734365 ], and lots more

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/349658901761052

To sign up for the Occupy Bernal press list and/or obtain photos and video of the event, see http://www.occupybernal.org/press

A Call for Collaborators

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PDF version of this Call for Collaborators—please distribute

The Good Neighbor Award Ceremony & Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

Andover St. between Cortland & Ellert (Next to library)

Saturday, May 19th, 1:00-4:00 pm

YOU are invited to co-create this event with us.

WE’RE HAVING A BLOCK PARTY POTLUCK to honor our wonderful foreclosure fighter neighbors + activists. We’ll celebrate the successful actions that have helped keep neighbors in their homes and acknowledge the amazing work we’ve done to help stop foreclosures.

Meet folks who care about people.

SEEKING entertainers, acoustic musicians, a deejay, production manager,
production assistants, planners, food/beverage help, set up/clean up angels, sponsors, people to poster, social network help, a press liaison, seeking involvement of related organizations (i.e.: MEDA, ACCE, SF Housing), tabling assistance, graphic designer, decoration, kid’s activities (sidewalk chalk, bubbles, crafts, face painter), gate monitors, journalists to spread the good news, documentarians, food/drinks for pot luck, and more.

Let us know what YOU want to do.

Join us for production meetings on Sundays at Progressive Grounds on Cortland & Bennington, 10-11:30 a.m. May 6 & 13. Friday night, May 18, 6-8 p.m.

Want to collaborate? We need YOU!

Call Annie S. & Beth today: 415-847-1323 or Annie B. 415-821-7617
Or email anniesprinkle@me.com
More info: occupybernal.org

SF Community Board of Trustees Condemns Wells Fargo

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SF Community Board of Trustees condemns Wells Fargo’s predatory lending practices, seeks new Banking Services provider for its money

April 26, 2012

Last night, the SF Community Board of Trustees, condemning its
current provider Wells Fargo Bank, voted to seek a new Banking Services provider for its money, citing that:

  • San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting has announced a first-of-its-kind audit of county land records of homes facing foreclosure.
  • Among the most jarring findings was that 84% of the files audited included legal violations

It also credited community-based organizations like SF ACCE and
Occupy Bernal for fighting to preserve the diversity of their  neighborhoods by defending the predominantly minority homeowners at risk of losing their himes to Wells foreclosure.

Trustee Chris Jackson stated that “Predatory lenders like Wells Fargo must be taught to correct their destructive policies.”

Buck Bagot of Occupy Bernal/SF ACCE thanked the Board for “putting its power – and the public’s money – behind my neighbors who Wells has and is hornswoggling out of their homes.”

AFT Local 2121 President Alisa Messer, whose unions represents Community College faculty, also cited Wells’ penurious student loan policies which charge college students up to 18% interest.

Both Bagot and Messer and members of their organizations participated in effort on April 24, 2012 to convince Wells Fargo shareholders to correct the Bank’s negative policies, but were denied admission to its shareholders meeting despite holding Wells Fargo shares.

The Board joined the SF Board of Supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee in
speaking out against predatory lending policies.

Phil Ting: Stand Up for the Homeowner Bill of Rights

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Sign the petition today.

It’s common sense that big banks and other lenders should need to prove they are owed the debt on the home – before they foreclose on a family. It might be common sense, but unfortunately, it is not California law. Please sign the petition today to support the Homeowner Bill of Rights.

The Facts on Foreclosure

Earlier in the year, I released data from California’s first in-depth look at problems with foreclosure documents. The audit released by my office showed pervasive problems with foreclosure documents. Our audit, which gained national attention, found that nearly 60% of documents were backdated in some fashion and fully 84% of documents contained at least one legal flaw.

That shocking fact is that in California families today face foreclosure despite the flaws in mortgage records so severe that the title is in question.

We all know the costs of the foreclosure epidemic – trillions of dollars in family assets whipped away after a decade of lending speculation. Nearly every reputable economist agrees: the continuing high rates of foreclosures are delaying full economic recovery, meaning they contribute to high unemployment and lower state tax revenues – which in turn trigger cuts to vital program like education.

There are so many things our state needs to do to get back on track. But restoring common sense and justice to our housing markets and foreclosure process is one of the first things we should do – because helping to avoid unnecessary and even unlawful foreclosures is a powerful economic stimulus.

Protecting California Homeowners from Foreclosures

The package of legislation, now commonly-referred to as the Homeowner Bill of Rights, would create long-overdue protections like requiring creditors to provide documentation to a borrower that establishes the creditor’s right to foreclose, prohibiting creditors from recording a notice of default when a timely-filed application for a loan modification or other loss mitigation measure is pending, and requiring creditors to provide a single point of contact to borrowers in the foreclosure process.

Common sense, right?

Let’s help Attorney General Harris, Senate Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg, our own State Senator Mark Leno, State Senators Fran Pavley and Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblyman Mike Eng, Assemblyman Mike Davis, Assemblywoman Wilmer Carter, and other leaders in Sacramento pass this important package of reform to help avoid unnecessary and unlawful California foreclosures.