Earlier last year, Bank of America made headlines for one of its more notable foreclosure cases, wherein an employee of the firm “erroneously believed” Angela Iannelli’s house was vacant and dispatched a contractor to change the locks and “secure” the property. The fact that the home was neither vacant nor in default is not where BAC wins applause, however– any bank worth its salt has accidentally foreclosed on a few houses it wasn’t supposed to. What set this story apart was that in addition to being locked out of her house, Iannelli’s beloved parrot, with whom she had cohabitated for 11 years, was seized, a separation that caused her “so much emotional distress that she needed a prescription medication for anxiety.” Bank of America initially denied having taken the pet-friend, told Iannelli they were “tired” of hearing from her, and hung up on several times. Finally, someone copped to having the bird, and they made her drive 80 miles to retrieve it.
A worthy entry for the foreclosure excellence awards distributed by an independent panel each year to be sure. But was this simply a one-off deal? It’s something to be proud of, yes, but some wondered if Bank of America could make magic happen twice. Turns out the answer yes a resounding hell yes.
When Mimi Ash arrived at her mountain chalet here for a weekend ski trip, she discovered that someone had broken into the home and changed the locks. When she finally got into the house, it was empty. All of her possessions were gone: furniture, her son’s ski medals, winter clothes and family photos. Also missing was a wooden box, its top inscribed with the words “Together Forever,” that contained the ashes of her late husband, Robert. The culprit, Ms. Ash soon learned, was not a burglar but her bank. According to a federal lawsuit filed in October by Ms. Ash, Bank of America had wrongfully foreclosed on her house and thrown out her belongings, without alerting Ms. Ash beforehand.
This was also a good one:
In Texas, for example, Bank of America had the locks changed and the electricity shut off last year at Alan Schroit’s second home in Galveston, according to court papers. Mr. Schroit, who had paid off the house, had stored 75 pounds of salmon and halibut in his refrigerator and freezer, caught during a recent Alaskan fishing vacation. “Lacking power, the freezer’s contents melted, spoiled and reeking melt water spread through the property and leaked through the flooring into joists and lower areas,” the lawsuit says. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount.
Even more impressive is when you compare these cases to those of BAC’s deadbeats peers in the field, who are just using these foreclosures as chance for free booze and can’t be bothered to even think about throwing a pet or urn in the van.
In Florida, contractors working for Chase Bank used a screwdriver to enter Debra Fischer’s house in Punta Gorda and helped themselves to a laptop, an iPod, a cordless drill, six bottles of wine and a frosty beer, left half-empty on the counter, according to assertions in a lawsuit filed in August. Ms. Fisher was facing foreclosure, but Chase had not yet obtained a court order, her lawyer says.
Slackers.
Banks Accused Of Illegally Breaking Into Homes [NYT via Morning Money]
Wait till Stevie Stamford is indicted, frozen, and foreclosed on. It’ll look like Good Fellas.
your comments consistently suck. bravo.
See? We were right.
-Marx and Lenin
Trying to think of a Mr./Mrs. Ash, box of ashes, together forever joke.
- Guy who is too hungover but saying there’s a witty, but tasteful, connection in here somewhere
A good pantie drawer really makes my day.
-Florida Contractor
“There is a stigma that we go in, kick the door in and throw grandma out head first and board up the windows,” Mr. Jaffa said. “We are doing a lot of good out there.”
we only steal your parrots, dead husband, ipod, wine and beer. grandma you can keep.
I can’t believe her name is Ash. awesome.
methinks mr. jaffa doth protest too much..
But we DID give the woman the bird.
see at beamers tonight? i’ll get you the toothless chica you like so much
Don’t forget the classic “twist off the top; take a sip; twist top back on” trick for beer in their ‘fridge.
-Texas plumbing contractor
Milburn Drysdale, Bank of America’s Chief Property Disposal Agent: “Ms. Hathaway, take a letter: “Dear Mrs. Smith: If you do not keep current on your mortgage payments, Bank of America with sieze your property, acquire new locks for it and dispose of any possessions you might have within the confines of the property in order to apply said funds to the amount due Bank of America. Further, I will personally enjoy knowing that you have been thrown out onto the street as a result of your contentious behavior toward this bank.”
Ms. Hathaway, Administrative Assistant to Mr. Drysdale: “But Chief…..Mrs. Smith is an 88 year old woman in a wheelchair!!!!…”
Milburn Drysdale, Bank of America’s Chief Property Disposal Agent: “Oh…I didn’t know that. Change that last sentence to read, “…..I will personally enjoy knowing that you have been wheeled out onto the street….”
75 pounds of fish, who cares. 75pounds of weed is a different story
What on earth could WikiLeaks possibly reveal about these guys that is more embarrassing that the information already in the public domain?
What on earth could WikiLeaks possibly reveal about these guys that is more embarrassing that the information already in the public domain?
I care.
I care.
Wait! what about me?!?!
-Engels
Maybe this was it and they’re prematurely leaking.
I have been wondering the same thing. Maybe child rape?
I hope she opts for cremation, too. “Mimi Ash” would look great on an urn.
God your comments actually do suck. I hope you come back as one of Michael Vicks dogs
What ever happened to law enforcement in this Democracy? Since when did this administration pretend to live by the letter of the law……..no sppeal. What kind of shit is this??????? Expound Milburn.
don’t call the kettle black
don’t call the kettle black
Motives?
When I was in High School, I had a great football coach. He was truly someone I looked up to. Now one day in a game, I jumped the count on defense and was caught off-sides. I thought to myself “oh shit, I’m gonna be running laps.” I was correct. But I wasn’t punished for being off-sides. You see, my coach told me that he wasn’t upset that I was off-sides, he was upset because I didn’t hit the guy across from me as hard as I could, he wanted me to be 100% committed to my decisions, right or wrong. I’ll never forget his inspiring words:”If you’re going to make a decision, have the balls to stick to it you worthless little shit. Now go run until you puke.” I think BoA and I went to the same High School.
When I was in High School, I had a great football coach. He was truly someone I looked up to. Now one day in a game, I jumped the count on defense and was caught off-sides. I thought to myself “oh shit, I’m gonna be running laps.” I was correct. But I wasn’t punished for being off-sides. You see, my coach told me that he wasn’t upset that I was off-sides, he was upset because I didn’t hit the guy across from me as hard as I could, he wanted me to be 100% committed to my decisions, right or wrong. I’ll never forget his inspiring words:”If you’re going to make a decision, have the balls to stick to it you worthless little shit. Now go run until you puke.” I think BoA and I went to the same High School.
Great advice!
-T. Kivisto
Margin Call, KS
Great advice!
-T. Kivisto
Margin Call, KS
Great advice!
-T. Kivisto
Margin Call, KS
Must have been a very unfunny high school.
Somewhere some BoA first year analyst just received what he thought was a box of kitty litter with such a title attached to the box that he knew him and his cat were meant to be.
Our client, BofA is a bank of the people and looks out for the common man. In this tough economy, it is simply inexcusable to own a mountain chalet as a second home or use a vacation home as a base for luxurious fishing expeditions. Who better than our client to tap into the the vitriol of America and execute the will of the American worker by sticking it personally to millionaires and billionaires like Ms. Ash and Mr. Schroit who have exploited us all for too long.
Our client, BofA is a bank of the people and looks out for the common man. In this tough economy, it is simply inexcusable to own a mountain chalet as a second home or use a vacation home as a base for luxurious fishing expeditions. Who better than our client to tap into the the vitriol of America and execute the will of the American worker by sticking it personally to millionaires and billionaires like Ms. Ash and Mr. Schroit who have exploited us all for too long.
Our client, BofA is a bank of the people and looks out for the common man. In this tough economy, it is simply inexcusable to own a mountain chalet as a second home or use a vacation home as a base for luxurious fishing expeditions. Who better than our client to tap into the the vitriol of America and execute the will of the American worker by sticking it personally to millionaires and billionaires like Ms. Ash and Mr. Schroit who have exploited us all for too long.
Maybe she should have been paying her mortgage instead of buying ipods, laptops, and booze
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Well try going to Farmers insurance and finding out that this is the same woman that claimed her family jewelry was stolen and tried making a claim, however Farmers dropped her a hard blow once they found out that she had pawned the jewels and then call a local jeweler in town to buy them back,
Yes this is the same woman that is now in jail this very moment look up her name at Sacramento county jail, inmate look up under Mimi Ash and find that she was booked this past May 25th 2011 and to be release June 16th 2011. Serving time for Felony for check forgery, take a look at the public file on this one! She claims owner of the company ccleaned the bank account out and she wrote a check unknowingly, however the investigator on case discovers wow, she was the owner of the company and when confronted said she was too embarrased to tell the truth! Sac county case number is 10F03043 look it up, and oh yes there is much much more…..forgery of document, defrauding investors with fiance/boyfriend, creating bogus corporations to buy properties and scam investors…see placer county and you will find a lot. Not is all that it appears
tTYLWh Really enjoyed this blog article.Much thanks again. Much obliged.