How to Beat the Shell Game

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Neil Garfield

The bottom line is that the foreclosures are a sham. The proceeds of the foreclosure never go into a REMIC Trust because there is neither a REMIC election nor a Trust, much less any entity that outright owns the debt, note or mortgage. In order to win, you must know that the securitization players use sham conduits and fictitious names at will, leaving an ever widening gap between the real and the unreal. It’s the gap that enables so many homeowners to win.

Without getting too metaphysical about it, I am reminded by what Ghandi said when he won India’s independence against all perceived odds. He said that in the end truth always wins out. Always. Of course he didn’t say when that happens.

Let us help you plan for trial and draft your foreclosure defense strategy, discovery requests and defense narrative: 202-838-6345. Ask for a Consult.

I provide advice and consultation to many people and lawyers so they can spot the key required elements of a scam — in and out of court. If you have a deal you want skimmed for red flags order the Consult and fill out the REGISTRATION FORM. A few hundred dollars well spent is worth a lifetime of financial ruin.

PLEASE FILL OUT AND SUBMIT OUR FREE REGISTRATION FORM WITHOUT ANY OBLIGATION. OUR PRIVACY POLICY IS THAT WE DON’T USE THE FORM EXCEPT TO SPEAK WITH YOU OR PERFORM WORK FOR YOU. THE INFORMATION ON THE FORMS ARE NOT SOLD NOR LICENSED IN ANY MANNER, SHAPE OR FORM. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Get a Consult and TERA (Title & Encumbrances Analysis and & Report) 202-838-6345 or 954-451-1230. The TERA replaces and greatly enhances the former COTA (Chain of Title Analysis, including a one page summary of Title History and Gaps).

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT A LEGAL OPINION UPON WHICH YOU CAN RELY IN ANY INDIVIDUAL CASE. HIRE A LAWYER.

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I recently received an email from someone dealing with “Shellpoint” servicing. I thought it might be beneficial for everyone to see my response, to which I have added some edits.

Shellpoint is an apt name. It is a Shell company organized to deflect inquiries and claims from the real actors. The “point” is how they stab homeowners. Modifications are pointless in most cases, designed to place the homeowner in a hopeless economic situation in which they cannot avoid foreclosure.

Mods are intentionally convoluted and virtually nothing is happening on their side except the process of asking for more documentation when you have already sent or they already have it. Some mods are “granted” but only after they have raked the homeowner over the coals and they offer ice in the inter, along with their outright theft of the debt from the actual legal or equitable owner.

The new lender, effectively, is the so-called servicer who in turn has a Purchase and Assumption Agreement with the underwriters of so-called mortgage bonds or certificates. They are not bonds and they are not actual certificates. While those underwriters do business in the  fictitious name described as a REMIC trust when dealing with homeowners, they do not use the fictitious name when they create the illusion of ownership of the debt, note or mortgage.

CWABS is Countrywide. CW was an aggregator only in the loosest sense of the word. Most believe that CW acquired the loans and then was the seller to REMIC Trusts. The entire scheme was a sham. CW did not acquire any loans and was therefore not the seller of the debt, note or mortgage. The REMIC Trust was legally nonexistent and /or had no transaction conducted in its name in which the Trustee of the so-called REMIC Trust was entrusted with your loan to manage on behalf of beneficiaries who also were nonexistent.

The investors who purchased certificates issued in the name of the fake trust are not beneficiaries. The Trustee has absolutely no power to even inquire as to the affairs of the Trust much less actively manage them. Read the PSA — all the way through.

Although there are a few exceptions the investors disclaim any right, title or interest to the debt, note or mortgage. If they were beneficiaries they would have rights to the loans and rights regarding the management of those loans.  The named Trustee would have fiduciary duty to the investors regarding those loans. In truth the underwriter of the certificates was actually the issuer acting under the name of the nonexistent trust which was neither the direct nor indirect owner of any assets, much less loans. And the Trustee is merely a rent-a-name to make it look like a serious financial institution was at the head of this scheme.

Companies like Shellpoint claim their power is derived from the nonexistent trust that does not own the debt, note or mortgage and which will not receive the proceeds of foreclosure.

If their powers and rights are said to derive from the existence of the Trust, then they have no power. They have no right to collect anything or enforce anything unless a specific owner of the debt, note and mortgage is (a) identified and (b) the owner gives specific rights and direction to an agent (servicer) to conduct business in the name of the owner or for the benefit of the owner of the debt, note and mortgage.

Proving this to a judge who is at best skeptical of such claims is essentially impossible. That is because the defense narrative would require digging deep into the books and records of the trust (there are none) and deep into the records of the previous and current servicers to determine where they sent money that they collected from homeowners supposedly pursuant to the terms of a promissory note. The current state of such narratives is that they are deemed not credible or “not proven” even though they are true. And accordingly the attempts at such discovery and investigation are thwarted by the court sustaining objections to such discovery.

Those objections are lodged by lawyers who claim that they represent the named claimant. That is also a misrepresentation in many cases because the claimant they have named does not exist and has no direct or indirect power or rights over the debt, note mor mortgage. Since the claimant does not exist, that should be the end of the matter. But once again rebuttable presumptions come to the rescue of the lawyers of nonexistent clients. And once again those presumptions are not rebuttable without getting proof from sources who simply will never comply even if ordered by a court.

But just to be clear, this is a possible basis for suing the lawyers who filed such claims either knowingly or by failing to conduct basic due diligence. Any normal lawyer would not knowingly take directions from a third party in which they were to file suit or start a nonjudicial foreclosure on behalf of a nonexistent entity that neither exists nor has any interest in the subject matter of litigation. So later when you file suit for wrongful foreclosure, abuse of process, RICO or whatever you decide are proper grounds and causes of action, consider the foreclosure litigation to be  a vehicle for laying the groundwork for actions in fraud, misrepresentation and negligence.

So the lawyers who win these cases enter the courtroom knowing that the defense narrative is true but they do not assert it as a claim they must prove.  They are adept at keeping the burden of proof away from their client homeowner. The winning lawyers basically follow the track of keeping the burden of proof on the claimant who seeks foreclosure. The lawyers know that the the claimant simply will not and cannot answer certain questions that can be used to undermine the legal presumptions on which the entire claim is based, contrary to the actual facts. The winning defense lawyers are the ones who use timely objections and good cross examination (i.e., constant follow-up). In the end the witness or the document will collapse under its own weight.

 

Filed under: burden of persuasion, burden of pleading, BURDEN OF PROOF, CORRUPTION, discovery, evidence, Fabrication of documents, foreclosure, investment banking, Investor, MODIFICATION, Mortgage, Motions, Servicer, TRIAL OBJECTIONS, TRUST BENEFICIARIES, trustee | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Powers of Attorney — New Documents Magically Appear

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Neil Garfield

For more information on foreclosure offense, expert witness consultations and foreclosure defense please call 954-495-9867 or 520-405-1688. We offer litigation support in all 50 states to attorneys. We refer new clients without a referral fee or co-counsel fee unless we are retained for litigation support. Bankruptcy lawyers take note: Don’t be too quick admit the loan exists nor that a default occurred and especially don’t admit the loan is secured. FREE INFORMATION, ARTICLES AND FORMS CAN BE FOUND ON LEFT SIDE OF THE BLOG. Consultations available by appointment in person, by Skype and by phone.

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BONY/Mellon is among those who are attempting to use a Power of Attorney (POA) that they say proves their ownership of the note and mortgage. In No way does it prove ownership. But it almost forces the reader to assume ownership. But it is not entitled to a presumption of any kind. This is a document prepared for use in litigation and in no way is part of normal business records. They should be required to prove every word and every exhibit. The ONLY thing that would prove ownership is proof of payment. If they owned it they would be claiming HDC status. Not only doesn’t it PROVE ownership, it doesn’t even recite or warrant ownership, indemnification etc. It is a crazy document in substance but facially appealing even though it doesn’t really say anything.

The entire POA is hearsay, lacks foundation, and is irrelevant without the proper foundation be laid by the proponent of the document. I do not think it can be introduced as a business records exception since such documents are not normally created in the ordinary course of business especially with such wide sweeping powers that make no sense — unless you recognize that they are dealing with worthless paper that they are trying desperately to make valuable.

They should have given you a copy of the settlement agreement referred to in the POA and they should have identified the original PSA that is referred to in the settlement agreement. Those are the foundation documents because the POA says that the terms used are defined in the PSA, Settlement agreement or both. I want all documents that are incorporated by reference in the POA.

If you have asked whether the Trust ever paid for your loan, I would like to see their answer.

If CWALT, Inc. or CWABS, Inc., or CWMBS, Inc is anywhere in your chain of title or anywhere else mentioned in any alleged origination or transfer of your loan, I assume you asked for those and I would like to see them too.

The PSA requires that the Trust pay for and receive the loan documents by way of the depositor and custodian. The Trustee never takes possession of the loan documents. But more than that it is important to distinguish between the loan documents and the debt. If there is no debt between you and the originator (which means that the originator named on the note and mortgage never advanced you any money for the loan) then note, which is only evidence of the debt and allegedly containing the terms of repayment is only evidence of the debt — which we know does not exist if they never answered your requests for proof of payment, wire transfer or canceled check.

If you have been reading my posts the last couple of weeks you will see what I am talking about.

The POA does not warrant or even recite that YOUR loan or anything resembling control or ownership of YOUR LOAN is or was ever owned by BONY/Mellon or the alleged trust. It is a classic case of misdirection. By executing a long and very important-looking document they want the judge to presume that the recitations are true and that the unrecited assumptions are also true. None of that is correct. The reference to the PSA only shows intent to acquire loans but has no reference or exhibit identifying your loan. And even if there was such a reference or exhibit it would be fabricated and false — there being obvious evidence that they did not pay for it or any other loan.

The evidence that they did not pay consists of a lot of things but once piece of logic is irrefutable — if they were a holder in due course you would be left with no defenses. If they are not a holder in due course then they had no right to collect money from you and you might sue to get your payments back with interest, attorney fees and possibly punitive damages unless they turned over all your money to the real creditors — but that would require them to identify your real creditors (the investors who thought they were buying mortgage bonds but whose money was never given to the Trust but was instead used privately by the securities broker that did the underwriting on the bond offering).

And the main logical point for an assumption is that if they were a holder in due course they would have said so and you would be fighting with an empty gun except for predatory and improper lending practices at the loan closing which cannot be brought against the Trust and must be directed at the mortgage broker and “originator.” They have not alleged they are a holder in course.

The elements of holder in dude course are purchase for value, delivery of the loan documents, in good faith without knowledge of the borrower’s defenses. If they had paid for the loan documents they would have been more than happy to show that they did and then claim holder in due course status. The fact that the documents were not delivered in the manner set forth in the PSA — tot he depositor and custodian — is important but not likely to swing the Judge your way. If they paid they are a holder in due course.

The trust could not possibly be attacked successfully as lacking good faith or knowing the borrower’s defenses, so two out of four elements of HDC they already have. Their claim of delivery might be dubious but is not likely to convince a judge to nullify the mortgage or prevent its enforcement. Delivery will be presumed if they show up with what appears to be the original note and mortgage. So that means 3 out of the four elements of HDC status are satisfied by the Trust. The only remaining question is whether they ever entered into a transaction in which they originated or acquired any loans and whether yours was one of them.

Since they have not alleged HDC status, they are admitting they never paid for it. That means the Trust is admitting there was no payment, which means they were not entitled to delivery or ownership of the note, mortgage, or debt.

So that means they NEVER OWNED THE DEBT OR THE LOAN DOCUMENTS. AS A HOLDER IN COURSE IT WOULD NOT MATTER IF THEY OWNED THE DEBT — THE LOAN DOCUMENTS ARE ENFORCEABLE BY A HOLDER IN DUE COURSE EVEN IF THERE IS NO DEBT. THE RISK OF LOSS TO ANY PERSON WHO SIGNS A NOTE AND MORTGAGE AND ALLOWS IT TO BE TAKEN OUT OF HIS OR HER POSSESSION IS ON THE PARTY WHO TOOK IT AND THE PARTY WHO SIGNED IT — IF THERE WAS NO CONSIDERATION, THE DOCUMENTS ARE ONLY SUCCESSFULLY ENFORCED WHERE AN INNOCENT PARTY PAYS REAL VALUE AND TAKES DELIVERY OF THE NOTE AND MORTGAGE IN GOOD FAITH WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF THE BORROWER’S DEFENSES.

So if they did not allege they are an HDC then they are admitting they don’t own the loan papers and admitting they don’t own the loan. Since the business of the trust was to pay for origination of loans and acquisition of loans there is only one reason they wouldn’t have paid for the loan — to wit: the trust didn’t have the money. There is only one reason the trust would not have the money — they didn’t get the proceeds of the sale of the bonds. If the trust did not get the proceeds of sale of the bonds, then the trust was completely ignored in actual conduct regardless of what the documents say. Which means that the documents are not relevant to the power or authority of the servicer, master servicer, trust, or even the investors as TRUST BENEFICIARIES.

It means that the investors’ money was used directly for fees of multiple people who were not disclosed in your loan closing, and some portion of which was used to fund your loan. THAT MEANS the investors have no claim as trust beneficiaries. Their only claim is as owner of the debt, not the loan documents which were made out in favor of people other than the investors. And that means that there is no basis to claim any power, authority or rights claimed through “Securitization” (dubbed “securitization fail” by Adam Levitin).

This in turn means that the investors are owners of the debt but lack any documentation with which to enforce the debt. That doesn’t mean they can’t enforce the debt, but it does mean they can’t use the loan documents. Once they prove or you admit that you did get the loan and that the money came from them, they are entitled to a money judgment on the debt — but there is no right to foreclose because the deed of trust, like a mortgage, is made out to another party and the investors were never included in the chain of title because the intermediaries were  making money keeping it from the investors. More importantly the “other party” had no risk, made no money advance and was otherwise simply providing an illegal service to disguise a table funded loan that is “predatory per se” as per REG Z.

And THAT is why the originator received no money from successors in most cases — they didn’t ask for any money because the loan had cost them nothing and they received a fee for their services.

Filed under: AMGAR, CORRUPTION, escrow agent, evidence, expert witness, foreclosure defenses, GTC | Honor, investment banking, Investor, MBS TRUSTEE, MODIFICATION, Mortgage, Motions, Neil Garfield Show, originator, Pleading, securities fraud, Servicer, STATUTES, taxes, Title, TRUST BENEFICIARIES, trustee | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Verifying that the ‘Substitute Trustee’ is indeed a TRUST

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Neil Garfield

BTW, I ask about verifying that the ‘Substitute Trustee’ is indeed a TRUST since I saw a post that made a point that any named ‘TRUSTEE’ must really be a TRUST.

Quality Loan Servicing was nominated by Litton Loan Service’s employee (via MERS) as the Substitute Trustee in place of ReconTrust.

I may have a case where BofA was in too many of the ‘roles’. The servicing was transferred on the very day the modified payments were to start per a signed and notarized mortgage modification agreement. The transfer was an attempt to justify the ‘mod’ not ‘happening’. RESPA does not agree with that. They ignored me. They never contacted me about any reason the mod was not occurring. I had been assured it was ‘my mod’. The BofA employees have stated that ‘all AG Mods’ were canceled. Well, they think that is the word. Actually the correct term is ‘BREACHED’.

So now I have some funny-looking documents being filed and what appears to be a bogus attempt to foreclose. Who knows who really has the note. Litton has filed documents saying that the ‘investor’ is CWABS with BoNY-MELLON as the trustee. Strangely BofA claims to be the beneficiary in more-recently filed documents in my court case. If BofA is ACTING for the investor, what the hell is Litton doing? The beneficiary LITTON should be ‘working for’ would seem to be the CWABS trustee. Certainly, I question whether BofA would have bought the mortgage back from the pooling (CWABS) once it was in litigation without advising the court at least. I do not understand how I can have BofA make the claim that they ARE the ’successor beneficiary’ when CWABS was otherwise identified as the ‘investor’.

Also, how would they deal with the original ‘Lender’ being a fictitious business name and the only beneficiary named is MERS as ‘nominal beneficiary’? Will I have more fictitious assignments to be looking for?

Filed under: bubble, CDO, CORRUPTION, currency, Eviction, foreclosure, GTC | Honor, HERS, Investor, Mortgage, securities fraud, Servicer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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