Equal Justice News Release | News Release | Predatory Lending News Release | Letter to Congress
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” - Proverb 22:1
Thanks & Praises be unto The Lord for the wisdom, knowledge and understanding on legal matter because I received countless feedbacks from folks facing foreclosure and bankruptcy around the United States as follows:
Comments: "I have been inundated with TILA questions. So I went out hunting to see if anyone had already written about it in terms that a lay person might be able to understand. What I found is shown below. I believe it to be generally correct and the citations are good citations of law. See this site for the entire write-up. It should give most lay people an idea on how to handle this and it will be valuable to your lawyer if he/she is not totally familiar with the TILA context at the following link:" http://www.rcxloan.com/Civil_Action_BK_Motion_14.htm. Statement made by Attorney at Law, Neil F. Garfield, M.B.A., J.D.
Download in PDF - Banking Default Letter/Motion for Violation of Truth-In-Lending Act (TILA)
Pierre R. Augustin, MPA, MBA, 3941 Persimmon Drive, #102, Fairfax, VA 22031 USA, Tel: 617-202-8069, Hdmhos@aol.com
I have neither rancor nor bitterness despite the unwarranted deprivation of my ‘property rights‘, but with one purpose in mind, to:
[let the innerant truth carries the scales of justice, let equality depends upon the force of moral right, let the respect for law and order be the underlying principle for the fair and equal administration of justice and at last, but not least, Let the infallibility of Justice triumph!]. I am in an uphill battle in asserting my rights in a field of nebulous legalities that I believe your exposure or report could help bring about a fair resolution. I want to thank you much in advance for lending a helping hand.
In retrospect, Martin Luther King in his infamous speech could not have said it better:
“But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. For at the real heart of battle for equality is a deep seated belief in the democratic process. Equality depends not on the force of arms or tear gas but depends upon the force of moral right; not on recourse to violence but on respect for law and order.”
In digesting the philosophical meaning of the quote above, I stand today with a sense of deep humility and great assurance -- humility in the wake of those great American jurists who have stood up for righteousness; assurance in the reflection that the written words, “Equal Justice Under Law”, at the facade of the United States Supreme Court signifies equal protection, fair and balance ruling in the ‘eyes of the average citizen’.
As in the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose” [in the search for equal justice under the law]. Here is my complaint to federal agencies and all parties involves in this insatiable quest of justice as follows:
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Alwin L. Farr A. L. Farr & Associates 2442 NW Market Street Box 238, Seattle, WA 98107
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0723
Status: Delivered
Your item was delivered at 9:24 AM on May 17, 2008 in SEATTLE, WA 98107.
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Paul J. Ciolino
820 W. Jackson Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60607
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0716
Status: Delivered
Your item was delivered at 12:35 pm on May 20, 2008 in CHICAGO, IL 60607.
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Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest Washington, DC 20530
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0440
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 4:44 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20530.
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Head of Legal Department Federal Trade Commission Division of Financial Practices 600 Pennsylvania N.W., Washington, DC 20580 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0433
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 8:26 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20580.
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White Collar Crime
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0426
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 4:57 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20535.
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FBI Field Office, Mortgage Fraud White Collar Crime Supervisor One Center Plaza, Suite 600 Boston, MA 02108
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0419
Status: Acceptance Your item was accepted at 9:24 AM on April 28, 2008 in FAIRFAX, VA 22031.
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Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Legal Department 250 E Street, SW Washington, DC 20219 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0402
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 7:47 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20219.
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Security Fraud
SEC Headquarters 450 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20549 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0396
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 7:03 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20022.
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Head of Legal Department, Standard and Poor’s, Company Headquarters 55 Water Street New York, New York 10041
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0389
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 9:29 AM on May 2, 2008 in NEW YORK, NY 10274.
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Head of Legal Department
American Securitization
1399 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0365
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 2:35 PM on May 5, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20005.
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U.S. Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0358
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 4:44 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20530.
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Office of the Consumer Credit Commissioner - OCCC
2601 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas 78705 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0341
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 10:24 AM on May 1, 2008 in AUSTIN, TX 78705.
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President's Corporate Fraud Task Force
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0334
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 4:50 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20500.
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Head of Legal Department Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street NW Washington, DC 20552
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0372
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 12:11 PM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20552
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Head of Legal Dept., Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, 1700 G Street, NW, 4th Floor Washington, DC 20552
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0327
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 12:11 PM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20552.
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Financial Institution Fraud (FIF)
U.S. Secret Service, Office of Government and Public Affairs, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410, Washington, DC 20223
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0310
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 8:05 AM on May 1, 2008 in WASHINGTON, DC 20223
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Head of Legal Department
Real Time Solutions, Inc.
1750 Regal Row, Suite 120
Dallas, TX 75235
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0761
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 10:47 AM on May 1, 2008 in DALLAS, TX 75235.
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Head of Legal Department
Federal Reserve Consumer Help
PO Box 1200
Minneapolis, MN 55480
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0297
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 8:04 AM on May 1, 2008 in MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55480.
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Head of Legal Department
Chase Home Finance 10790 Rancho Bemado Rd SanDiego, CA 92127
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0273
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 10:14 AM on May 1,
2008 in SAN DIEGO, CA 92128.
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Deutsche Bank Securities, Head of Legal Dept.
U.S. Headquarters
60 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0259
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 1:42 PM on May 2, 2008 in NEW YORK, NY 10268.
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Chief Postal Inspector, Alexander Lazaroff
United States Postal Service
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS SERVICE CENTER, ATTN: MAIL FRAUD 222 S. RIVERSIDE PLAZA STE 1250 CHICAGO IL 60606-6100
Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 0747
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 7:53 AM on May 14, 2008 in CHICAGO, IL 60606.
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Federal Prosecutors of the Subprime Task Force, Robert Nardoza, Spokesman
U.S. Attorney's Office
Benton J. Campbell, USA 147 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 Certified #: 7008 0150 0003 1812 1973
Status: Delivered Your item was delivered at 12:40 PM on May 13, 2008 in BROOKLYN, NY 11201.
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[I]t is time to reaffirm the basic principles and rules that make capitalism work truthful books and honest people, and well-enforced laws against fraud and corruption. President George W. Bush, July 9, 2002
Re: Complaint of Mortgage and Real Estate Fraud that involved forgery, federal mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud & Deprivation of Property Rights
To whom it concerns:
In America, no one is considered to be above the law. The United States Constitution is considered the supreme law of the land both because of its content and because its authority is derived from the people.
In writing this letter, I am not looking for sympathy. I am not looking to be rewarded. I am not seeking the punishment of the parties involved. However, as a last resort, I am bringing this matter to your attention, because, as an American taxpayer, I am a victim from the crimes of mortgage/real estate fraud and predatory lending that involved forgery, federal mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud & deprivation of property rights (see Exhibit 6) from financial institutions.
I. Paramount Reasons - Mortgage/Real Estate Fraud & Predatory Lending
I am filing this complaint because I am a victim of predatory lending by civil conspiracy of all the parties and entities mentioned in this letter. I am also filing this complaint under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and U.S. Code wire-fraud statute (Title 18 U.S.C. 1343) against those individuals and companies who have directly participated in the civil conspiracy of Mortgage and Real Estate fraud and made materially misleading statements and who acted with knowledge or deliberate reckless disregard of the true facts. New Century Mortgage Company (New Century), focusing on the sub-prime market, lent to individuals who did not satisfy the credit, documentation or other underwriting standards.
A $289,000 stated income loans which was originally used primarily with self-employed borrowers was given to my wife, a W-2 wage earners of only $2,786.99 in 2003 and her name was not listed on the deed or the mortgage note of the property since I had bought it in 1999 (see Exhibit 5 & 6 -- IRS tax history). Thus, New Century underwriters failed to verify the false stated income by the mortgage company acting as a finder for New Century and by calling her employer as required under prudent underwriting guidelines. At all relevant times, the New Century Officers were individually and collectively responsible and companies named in this complaint were responsible for making materially false and misleading statements, acted with scienter or acted with deliberate reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of those statements as to constitute willful deceit and fraud that led to the harm, damage and deprivation of my property rights. The New Century Officers’ were controlling persons of the company due to their senior executive positions therewith; their direct involvement in its day-to-day operations including its financial reporting and accounting functions; and their signatures on and participation in the preparation and dissemination of New Century’s public filings. Thus, the New Century Officers had the power to influence and control and did influence and control, directly or indirectly, the decision making of New Century, including the content of its financial statements and public statements.
These New Century Officers’ and companies’ intent to deceive or deliberate reckless disregard for the truth are demonstrated by substantial statistical and substantial circumstantial evidence supporting a strong inference of scienter. Furthermore, it was only on May 24, 2007, after New Century’s bankruptcy, was it admitted that the company, through its independent investigation, had found “errors” in the company’s previously filed annual financial statements as well as newspaper articles are now describing how financial greed was at the core of loan volumes with loosed underwriting guidelines. Please take notice that [New Century Mortgage (New Century) is not named in this complaint due to its filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code].
II. Federal Law Violations
Sec. 15 Ability to repay: Lender must believe borrower can repay (presumed affordable if debt-to-income ratio below 50%). Sec. 20 Verification of ability to repay loan: Lender must document ability to repay. The public has an interest in the orderly administration of justice (a $289,000 stated income loans which was originally used primarily with self-employed borrowers was given to my wife, a W-2 wage earners of only $2,786.99 and her name was not listed on the deed or the mortgage note of the property since I had bought it in 1999 ( see Exhibit 5 & 6 -- IRS tax history)). Public policy favors the proper adjudication of claims. (See U.S. v. Premises and Real Prop. At 4492 S. Livonia Rd., F. 2d 1258, 1263 (2d Cir. 1989), see also U.S. v. All Assets of Statewide Auto Parts, Inc., 971 F. 2d 896, 902 (2d Cir. 1992) (a claimant’s interest in his home merits special constitutional protection).
Many of the acts and transactions that constitute violations of law in this letter of complaint, including the dissemination to the public of untrue statements of material facts, directly or indirectly, used the means and instrumentalities of interstate commerce, including, but not limited to, the United States mails, interstate telephone communications and the facilities of national securities exchanges (Section 11 & 15) since as outlined in this complaints, many of the individuals and companies acted with scienter, acting intentionally or with a deliberate reckless disregard of the true facts, in making or participating in the making of these misstatements and omissions that led ultimately to the deprivation of my property rights and the civil conspiracy of mortgage/real estate fraud, predatory lending including forgery, federal mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud in the issued of mortgage back securities as described below:
III. Officers of New Century
Many of those New Century officers’ now face a grand jury and criminal investigation by the United States Attorney for the Central District of California as well as an elevated, formal investigation by the SEC and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
New Century kept pushing ever-increasing sub-prime mortgage loan volume through its system by loosening the Company’s underwriting practices and introducing a growing percentage of high risk mortgage products, including adjustable-rate, interest-only loans and “stated income” loans, where even W-2 wage earners did not have to bother verifying their stated income (a $289,000 stated income loans which was originally used primarily with self-employed borrowers was given to my wife, a W-2 wage earners of only $2,786.99 and her name was not listed on the deed or the mortgage note of the property since I had bought it in 1999 ( see Exhibit 5 & 6 -- IRS tax history)).
The New Century officers named in this complaint repeatedly signed sworn certifications attesting to the fair presentation of New Century’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP and the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls which were materially misstated when made as they failed to reveal New Century’s (now admitted ) violations of GAAP as well as (now admitted) material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls.
New Century’s senior executive officers also repeatedly stated that the credit quality of the Company’s mortgages was “strong,” “very high” and “higher” or “better” than it had been in the Company’s past as the result of purportedly “strict,” “improved” and “strong” underwriting controls and guidelines and risk management discipline, when the true facts were to the contrary.
New Century’s underwriting was not strengthened, but actually loosened beginning in 2003 and further loosened year-after-year from 2004-06, in order to continue to drive record-breaking loan volume through the Company’s origination system in the face of adverse industry trends and severe competition, with quantity at the expense of quality.
New Century officer Defendants Robert K. Cole, Brad A. Morrice, Edward F. Gotschall and Patti M. Dodge -- who controlled New Century’s financial reporting and were the public spokespersons of the Company -- each took personal advantage of the artificially inflated price for New Century securities by selling, in the aggregate, over $50 million of their personally-held New Century common stock during the Class Period and by receiving incentive bonuses and other substantial compensation and income based on New Century’s (mis)reported financial performance. Thus, by manipulating the financial data, the New Century Officers took advantage and enriched themselves at the expenses of unsophisticated home buyers like myself and my wife.
Collectively, the New Century Officers materially misstated information conveyed in the Company’s press releases, SEC filings and other public statements were the collective actions of these individuals. These individuals were each involved in drafting, producing, reviewing and/or disseminating the statements and set the stage and company policy that encourage and tolerated New Century and its agents to disregard of their underwriting and credit practices.
As officers and directors of a publicly-held company whose shares are registered with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act, traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and governed by the Federal securities laws, these individual Defendants each had a duty to disseminate promptly, accurate information with respect to the Company’s business, operations, financial statements and internal controls, and to correct any previously-issued statements that had become materially misstated or untrue.
These individuals, because of their positions of control and authority as senior executive officers and directors of New Century, were able to and did control the content of the press releases, SEC filings and other public statements issued by New Century.
1. Robert K. Cole (“Cole”), one of the Company’s co-founders, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of New Century from December 1995 until December 31, 2006; as Chief Executive Officer of New Century from December 1995 until June 30, 2006.
2. Brad A. Morrice (“Morrice”), one of the Company’s co-founders, served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of New Century from December 1996 until his termination, on June 8,2007; as President and a director of the Company from 1995 until June 8, 2007;
3. Edward F. Gotschall (“Gotschall”), one of the Company’s co-founders, served as Vice Chairman, Finance, of the Board of Directors of New Century from July 2004 until June 2006; as Chief Financial Officer of the Company from August 1998 until July 2004. Gotschall served as a member of the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors from its inception on January 9, 2006.
4. Patti M. Dodge (“Dodge”) served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of New Century from July 20, 2004 until November 14, 2006; and as Executive Vice President, Investor Relations from November 15, 2006. Prior to these positions, Dodge served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company (February 2002 until July 2004);
6. Fredric J. Forster (“Forster”) served as a director of the Company from July 1997 through the end of the Class Period. During the Class Period, Forster served as the Company’s Lead Independent Director, and was appointed to serve as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2007. Forster served as a member of the Audit Committee of the New Century Board from 2000 through 2005. Forster also served as a member of the Compensation Committee from 1998 through 2007, serving as its Chairman from 2001 through 2005.
7. Michael M. Sachs (“Sachs”) served as a director of the Company from November 1995 through the end of the Class Period and was one of the Company’s founding shareholders. Sachs served as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee from 1998 through 2007, serving as its Chairman from2000 through 2006. Sachs also served as a member of the Compensation Committee (1998 to 2007)
8. Harold A. Black (“Black”) served as a director of the Company from June 2004 through the end of the Class Period.
9. Donald E. Lange (“Lange”) served as a director of the Company from November 2002 through the end of the Class Period. Lange served as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors from November 2002 to June 22, 2007.
10. Terrence P. Sandvik (“Sandvik”) served as a director of the Company from November 1995 until May 17, 2005.
11. Richard A. Zona (“Zona”) served as a director of the
Company from June 2000 through the end of the Class Period. Zona served as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors from 2000 to 2007 and as a member of the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors from its inception on January 9, 2006 to 2007.
12. Marilyn A. Alexander (“Alexander”) served as a director of the Company from May 18, 2005 until April 10, 2007. Alexander served as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors from May 18, 2005 until April 10, 2007.
13. William J. Popejoy (“Popejoy”) served as a director of the Company from 2002 until June 5, 2006. Popejoy served on the Board’s Compensation Committee from 2002 through 2005.
14. David Einhorn (“Einhorn”) served as a director of the Company from March 31, 2006 until March 7, 2007.
IV. GAAP
GAAP are those principles recognized by the accounting profession as the conventions, rules and procedures necessary to define accepted accounting practices at a particular time. The SEC has the statutory authority for the promulgation of GAAP for public companies and has delegated that authority to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”). SEC Regulation S-X (17 C.F.R. § 210.4-01(a)(1)) provides that financial statements filed with the SEC which are not presented in accordance with GAAP will be presumed to be misleading, despite footnotes or other disclosures.
As admitted by the Company in its February 7, 2007 press release and May 24, 2007 Form 8-K, New Century, in violation of GAAP, SFAS 140, failed to account for both its growing backlog of outstanding repurchase claims, as well as the expected discount upon disposition of the repurchased loans, in setting its violations of GAAP that had a material effect on the Company’s financial statements. In addition to admitting the need to restate its financial statements to correct material “errors” in reporting its Allowance for Repurchase Losses reserve, on and after February 7, 2007, New Century further admitted to material “errors” in its previously filed 2005 and 2006 financial statements in connection with the Company’s valuation of residual interests in securitizations structured as sales. In fact, as now admitted, during the Class Period, New Century’s reported Residual Interests were materially overstated as the Company failed to account for decreasing loan quality and underwriting practices and increasing delinquencies, defaults and default loss severity throughout 2005 and 2006.
As reported by analyst Zach Gast of The Center for Financial Research and Analysis (the “CFRA”), he questioned the credit quality of New Century’s more recent loans (but did not have access to internal underwriting guidelines and practices to confirm his beliefs): “Credit quality on more recently originated loans appears to have weakened substantially for NEW. Newer originations appear to be deteriorating more quickly than prior years, suggesting that underwriting may need to be tightened or that secondary market prices will suffer.”
V. New Century’s Underwriting
While the New Century Officers stated repeatedly that the credit quality of the Company’s mortgages was “strong,” “excellent,” “very high” and “higher” or “better” than it had been in the Company’s past as the result of purportedly “strict,” “improved” and “strong” underwriting controls and guidelines and risk management discipline, the reality is that the percentage of New Century’s Mortgage Loans Held for Investment which were 60+ days delinquent grew from the first quarter of 2005 through the third quarter of 2006.
On or about March 16, 2006, the New Century Officers Cole, Morrice, Gotschall and Dodge filed the Company’s Form 10-K for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2005. The 2005 Form 10-K contained consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of earnings purporting to reflect the Company’s financial performance and assets and liabilities for the three months and year ended December 31, 2005 in accordance with GAAP. The 2005 Form 10-K also stated the following regarding New Century’s underwriting standards:
“Our loan origination standards and procedures are designed to produce high quality loans. These standards and procedures encompass underwriter qualifications and authority levels, appraisal review requirements, fraud prevention, funds disbursement controls, training of our employees and ongoing review of our employees’ work. We help to ensure that our origination standards are met by employing accomplished and season managers, underwriters and processors and through the extensive use of technology. We also have a comprehensive training program for the continuing development of both our existing staff and new hires. In addition, we employ proprietary underwriting systems in our loan origination process that improve the consistency of underwriting standards, assess collateral adequacy and help to prevent fraud, while at the same time increasing productivity.”
The 2005 Form 10-K was signed by, among others, the New Century Officers: Cole, Morrice, Gotschall and Dodge. The New Century Officers’ repeated public statements that the Company had improved its loan performance by implementing “stricter” or “improved” underwriting standards were materially untrue and misleading when made. As set forth herein, the Company’s lower delinquency rates for 2003 and 2004 vintage loans were not the result of stricter underwriting standards, but rising home prices which, through loan servicing or otherwise, permitted borrowers who fell behind on mortgage payments to refinance their homes and “cash out” equity to temporarily catch up with their debt payments. As interest rates increased and home prices stopped rising (and decreased in some regions), New Century’s borrowers quickly fell behind on mortgage payments.
Contrary to Defendants’ repeated statements, underwriting standards were not increased, but actually loosened. Rather than increase the Company’s underwriting standards in the face of rising interest rates and a softening of the real estate market, New Century actually made repeated exceptions to and loosened its underwriting and offered higher risk products to continue to reach record mortgage volume in the face of severe industry competition. Moreover, New Century’s account executives and employees were highly motivated to close as many loans as possible given that sales and/or loan volume were key components of the variable part of their compensation. These facts are confirmed not only by the Company’s increased default rates set forth below.
In analyzing the data above, the speed with which the 2005 and 2006 vintage loans defaulted establishes that New Century’s underwriting was to blame; in other words, the Company routinely and increasingly lent money to people who were unable to repay the debt shortly after the loans were closed. As recently observed by United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson on September 12, 2007, the problems with sub-prime mortgages have arisen not because of weakness in the economy generally, but because of bad lending practices: “If a market turbulence is precipitated by economic weakness or by the credit quality of the corporate sector, its one thing, but we have, again, strong economies, we have a healthy corporate sector, we have a healthy financial sector, major financial institutions, so the problems we’re experiencing right now are coming from bad lending practices. And during extended periods of benign markets, excesses creep in. We’ve had some bad lending practices.”
As these data make clear, New Century, as compared to its peer lending companies, was far more likely to make a first lien loan to any given applicant. During 2005, New Century was 50% more likely to make such a loan, and in 2006, the Company was 62% more likely to make such a loan. The reported origination Data (compiled and reviewed data concerning New Century’s residential mortgage loansfor one-to-four-family homes that New Century reported pursuant to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, 12 U.S.C. §§ 2801-2810, (“HMDA”)) are summarized as follows:
New Century also rejected first lien applicants much less often thandid its peers. Graph 4 below reflects how often New Century and its peers rejected first lien applicants. Specifically, in 2005 New Century’s first lien applicant rejection rate was 55% lower than that of its peer companies. The following year, the Company’s first lien applicant rejection rate was 33% lower:
The same basic trends hold true for the Company’s second lien lending practices. Although in 2005 New Century originated second lien loans at a rate only marginally higher than that of its peers, in 2006 the Company originated such loans at a rate 22% higher than that of its peers – evincing a substantial loosening of its underwriting for this type of loan. Graph 5 below reflects those
data:
Likewise, New Century denied second lien applicants much less often than did its peer subprime lending companies. As Graph 6 below reflects, in both 2005 and 2006, New Century rejected such applicants 31% less often:
Not surprisingly as a result of these practices, on December 6, 2007, The New York Times reported that New Century’s mortgage loans resulted in some of the highest default rates in the industry: “Loans made by New Century, which filed for bankruptcy protection in March, have some of the highest default rates in the industry – almost twice those of competitors like Wells Fargo and Ameriquest, according to data from Moody’s Investor Services.”
On May 7, 2007, the front page of The Washington Post reported: “Pressure at Mortgage Firm Led to Mass Approval of Bad Loans.” The Washington Post reported: “[Y]ou didn’t want to turn away a loan because all hell would break loose,” [former New Century employee Maggie Hardiman] recountedin interviews. When she did, her bosses often overruled her and found another appraiser to sign off on it.Hardiman’s account is one of several from former employees of New Century that shed fresh light on an unfolding disaster in the mortgage industry, one that could cost as many as 2 million American families their homes and threatens to spill over into the broader economy.
New Century has become the premier example of a group of companies that grew rapidly during the housing boom, selling working-class Americans with questionable credit huge numbers of “subprime” loans with “teaser” rates that typically rose after the first two years. This business transformed the once-tiny New Century into a lending powerhouse that was held up as a model of the mortgage
industry’s success. But now, with home values failing and adjustable loan rates rising, record numbers of homeowners are failing to make their payments.
And a detailed inquiry into the situation at New Century and other subprime lenders suggests that in the feeding frenzy for housing loans, basic quality controls were ignored in the mortgage business, while
the big Wall Street investment banks that backed these firms looked the other way. New Century, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, has admitted that it underreported the number of bad loans it made in its financial reports for the first three quarter of 2006. Hardiman and other former employees of New Century interviewed said there was intense pressure from bosses to approve loans, even those with obviously inflated housing appraisals or exaggerated homeowner incomes.
Hardiman said she was fired for refusing to approve weak loans. Others said they left because they were pressured to pump loans through the system. A few were interviewed while they were worked at New Century but then lost their jobs after the firm filed for bankruptcy.
Although there were variations in their descriptions of the atmosphere in their offices, most said they were pushed to approve questionable loans. Several of the employees interviewed said they faced “unofficial quotas” of loans that had to be approved each day. A veteran appraiser who worked in Pearl River, N.Y., said he joined New Century because he heard the pay was good. That turned out to be true, but he quickly discovered that the place was a pressure cooker. He said he often was encouraged “to make loans work.”
Hardiman, the former New Century appraiser, said she was not surprised by the Company’s downfall. Few at the Company seemed to be thinking long-term when she was there. The message she heard
constantly from headquarters, which was broadcast at work conferences and in e-mails, was to approve more loans. “We were constantly told, ‘If you look the other way and let an additional three to four loans in a day that would mean millions more in revenue for New Century over the course of the week,” Hardiman said. She added that it seemed “no one, from the top levels down to the lower levels of the office, didn’t want those loans to go through.”
Similarly, on April 19, 2007, The Orange County Register reported: [S]ome New Century employees said the Company was under pressure to relax standards to compete in an industry where customers
could easily shop for a better deal. Amanda Milano, a former senior loan processor who worked at New Century for four years, said it was once a very solid company and that she felt like it was part of her family, but that she witnessed a deterioration in its guidelines last year.
Some former employees said New Century started making more exceptions to its guidelines in 2006, as the housing industry slowed down. Karen Waheed, an underwriter with the Home 123 retail unit
of New Century, said some loan applicants called themselves landscapers or “tree surgeons” and reported dubious incomes of $10,000 to $15,000 a month.
Waheed, who was laid off April 2 after three years with the Company, said exceptions were also made that allowed elderly borrowers on fixed incomes to get adjustable-rate loans that would eventually
become unaffordable. “It got to a point where I literally got sick to my stomach,” she said. “Every day I got home and would think to myself, I helped set someone up for failure.” At the same time, the New Century Officers’ repeated public statements about purportedly “improved” and “stricter” underwriting were materially misstated when made.
VI. KPMG LLP (“KPMG”)
KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) served as the Company’s outside auditor from 1995 until its resignation on April 27, 2007. KPMG issued unqualified opinions on the Company’s financial statements and management’s assessment of internal controls for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Public investors, creditors and others rely on independent, registered public accounting firms to audit financial statements and assess internal controls when deciding whether to invest in or do business with a public company. The PCAOB, established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, is responsible for the development of auditing and related professional practice standards that are required to be followed by registered public accounting firms. On April 16, 2003, the PCAOB adopted as its interim standards Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (“GAAS”) as described by the American Institute ofCertified Public Accountants Auditing Standards Board’s Statement of Auditing Standards No. 95,Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, and related interpretations in existence on that date.
Accordingly, an auditor’s reference to “the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States)” includes a reference to GAAS in existence as of April 16, 2003. For simplicity, all reference to GAAS hereinafter includes the standards of the PCAOB. During the Class Period, KPMG issued an unqualified opinion on the Company’s financial statements for the year-ended December 31, 2005, as well as an unqualified opinion regarding New Century management’s assessment of internal controls as of December 31, 2005. KPMG also completed reviews of New Century’s interim unaudited financial statements for the quarters ended March 31, 2006, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2006.
KPMG consented to the incorporation of its unqualified opinion on the Company’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2005, and its opinion regarding New Century management’s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005. In both of its opinions, KPMG stated that it performed its audits and evaluations in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Each of these statements was materially misstated when made as KPMG’s audits failed to comply with the standards of the PCAOB.
There are ten GAAS provisions, which are divided into three types of standards: (1) general standards, which provide guidelines for auditor staffing and maintaining independence from the client; (2) standards of fieldwork, which provide guidelines for audit planning, collecting evidential verification for audit
findings, and the proper evaluation of internal controls; and (3) standards of reporting, which are primarily concerned with ensuring that a company’s financial statements are presented in accordance with GAAP.
GAAS General Standard No. 3 states that: “Due professional care is to be exercised in the performance of the audit and the preparation of the report.” GAAS Standards of Field Work No. 1 states that: “The work is to be adequately planned and assistants, if any, are to be properly supervised.” GAAS Standards of
Field Work No. 2 states: “A sufficient understanding of the internal control structure is to be obtained to plan the audit and to determine the nature, timing and extent of tests to be performed.” GAAS Standards of Field Work No. 3 states: “Sufficient competent evidential matter is to be obtained through inspection ,
observation, inquiries, and confirmations to afford a reasonable basis for an opinion regarding the financial statements under audit.” GAAS Standards of Reporting No. 1 states: “The report shall state whether the financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).”
At all relevant times, KPMG violated all of these GAAS provisions. In order to effectively audit New Century’s compliance with GAAP and the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, KPMG was required to, but did not, follow these GAAS standards in evaluating New Century’s underwriting
standards and practices, reserving methodology and accounting for Residual Interests in securitizations structured as sales. KPMG failed to comply with the standards of the PCAOB in auditing New Century’s Allowance for Repurchase Losses reserve and related internal controls.
Information regarding New Century’s decreasing underwriting practices and loan quality and increasing delinquencies, defaults and default loss severity throughout 2005 and at the time of KPMG’s audit was available to KPMG and, according to public statements by Dodge, KPMG purportedly spent significant time reviewing the Company’s data in its 2005 audit. Thus, it was incumbent upon KPMG to exercise due professional care in performing its audit; to adequately plan its audit; to obtain a sufficient understanding of New Century’s internal controls; and to obtain sufficient competent evidential matter in auditing New Century’s finances. KPMG failed to conduct its audit in compliance with all of these GAAS provisions. Had KPMG performed its audit consistent with GAAS, it would have uncovered New Century’s growing repurchase claims backlog & related poor internal controls.
In auditing New Century’s internal controls, KPMG also failed to comply with GAAS, to exercise due professional care in performing its audit; to adequately plan its audit; to obtain a sufficient understanding of New Century’s internal controls; and to obtain sufficient competent evidential matter regarding New Century’s adherence to internal controls, given KPMG’s failure to uncover New Century’s repeated lack of compliance and numerous exceptions to New Century’s underwriting guidelines. KPMG was required by GAAS, but failed to test on a sufficient basis whether New Century’s mortgage loans were in compliance with its underwriting standards as part of its audit planning, assessment and testing of internal controls.
VII. Standard and Poors
Standard and Poors issued credit ratings for New Century. It is designated as a Nationally Recognized Statiscal Rating Organization by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
VIII. Trustee, Agent & Servicers
According to the SEC, Nelson Mc Kee/FA- filing is the agent in the SEC for Deutsche banks. Servicers: Chase Home Finance & Real Time Solutions, Inc..
Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., (Deutsche) as nominal trustee for the holders of various mortgages and mortgage-backed Securities including the one that Chase Home Finance was servicing which is now transferred to Real Time Solutions, Inc., conducted in an illegal foreclosure actions in the state of Massachusetts, since it was clear that the mortgage/real estate fraud, predatory lending that involved forgery, federal mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud & the Deprivation of my Property Rights, under false pretenses, without the legal standing to bring such suits, and without complying with Massachusetts and Federal law governing its activities as a trust company which seems to be a pattern of corrupt and illegal activity from many feedback that I have heard from people with similar situations.
Deutsche has received distributions from the sale of my property, without possessing legally enforceable, because the mortgage was fraudulent and is a predatory $289,000 stated income loans which was originally used primarily with self-employed borrowers was given to my wife, a W-2 wage earners of only $2,786.99 and her name was not listed on the deed or the mortgage note of the property since I had bought it in 1999 ( see Exhibit 5 & 6 -- IRS tax history)). Also, this is a violation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim pursuant to 28 U .S.C. § 1331. Further investigation is needed to determine if Deutsche is authorized to engage in “trust business” in the state of Massachusetts and had pledge qualified securities to the Massachusetts Treasurer prior to engaging in trust business in that state during the foreclosure proceedings. These activities as trustee include acquiring, holding and transferring mortgages on property in this state, as well as receiving assignments of promissory notes, enforcing the notes, by suit and otherwise, foreclosing on the mortgages, purchasing foreclosed properties at auction, owning the properties and selling them. Also, Deutsche is acting as trustee of mortgage-backed securities under various pooling and servicing agreements.
Deutsche is classified as “debt collector” as defined in (Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U .S.C. § 1692e), because they regularly use instrumentalities of interstate commerce, and the mails, in attempting to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another, namely, the actual lenders, mortgagors and certificate-holders under the above-referenced pooling and servicing agreements.
Because of the undeniable and irrefutable facts and evidences of mortgage/real estate fraud, predatory lending that involved forgery, federal mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud, there is a patent defect in the chain of assignment of the note and mortgage. Thus, the foreclosure action was illegal and immoral. Federal law prohibits the use of “any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt…” including the “false representation of …. the character, amount, or legal status of any debt…” and the “threat to take any action that cannot legally be taken…” 15 U .S.C. 169 2e.
In foreclosing on my homes, Deutsche and its servicer: a. made false, deceptive and misleading representations since the mortgage note was fraudulent in the first place, b. falsely represented the status of the debt, in particular, that it was due and owing to Deutsche at the time. These violations of the FDCPA entitle plaintiffs to recover the actual damages they have sustained as a result of the improper foreclosures.
A note and mortgage induced by either common law or statutory fraud is voidable. See Farm Credit Bank of St. Louis v. Isringhausen, 210 Ill. App. 3d 724, 727, 569 N.E.2d 235, 237 (4th Dist. 1991) (both fraud in the inducement and in the execution are valid defenses to action on a note); If a note and mortgage are voidable because of fraud, they do not become valid in the hands of the assignee. Plaintiff-Debtor is alleging the defense of mortgage fraud. “The rule is that an assignee of a contract takes it subject to the defenses which existed against the assignor at the time of the assignment” Allis-Chalmers Credit Corp. v. McCormick, 30 Ill. App.3d 423, 424, 331 N.E.2d 832, 833 (1st Dist 1975). Thus, the foreclosure was not warranted on that basis.
The servicer or the trustee of a mortgage knows that it is not assignable at common law but only in equity and that he takes it subject to all equities existing in favor of the mortgagor. It is therefore the duty of the assignee to inquire of the mortgagor if there is any reason why it should not be paid.”); Halla v. Chicago Title & Trust Co., 412 Ill. 39, 104 N.E.2d 790 (1952); Inland Real Estate Corp. v. Oak Park Trust & Savings Bank, 127 Ill. App.3d 535, 542 469 N.E.2d 204, 209 (1st Dist. 1983) (“It is a well established general rule that the assignee of a trust deed in the nature of a mortgage takes it subject to the same defenses that existed between the original parties to the instrument”);Schoenbrod v. Rosenthal, 36 Ill. App.2d 112, 183 N.E.2d 188 (1st Dist. 1962); Ainsworth Corp. v. Cenco Inc., 107 Ill. App.3d 435, 437 N.E.2d 817 (1st Dist.1982); Matter of Neprozatis’ Estate, 62 Ill. App.3d 563, 569, 378 N.E.2d 1345, 1349 (1st Dist. 1978)(“fraud will vitiate a contract, making it voidable at the option of the defrauded party)[citation omitted]; Cain v. Cross, 293 Ill. App.3d 255, 687 N.E.2d 1141 (5th Dist.1997).
1. Breach of Fiduciary Duties by Deutsche
The breach proximately caused injuries to my wife and I since we were misled as to the true terms of the loan since the secure loan was a higher-than-par rate and the broker pocket a yield-spread premium (a commission on the higher rate) from the lender since it was acting as finder for New Century. (Martin v. Heinold Commodities, Inc., 163 Ill. 2d 33, 53, 205 Ill. Dec. 443, 643 N.E.2d 734 (1994)). At the time of the closing, we did not know the true meaning of “yield-spread premium” on the loan documents.
A. “Hostility or Indifference to our Rights - In Dingus, supra, at 289, it is stated: In an action to set aside a foreclosure sale under a deed of trust, evidence showing that the trustee was hostile and wholly indifferent to any right of the mortgagor warrants setting aside the sale. Lunsford v. Davis, 254 S.W. 878 (Mo. 1923).”
B. Failure to meet these requisites may render the trustee's sale void. In Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wn.2d 383, 693 P.2d 683 (1985), the court concluded that a trustee's sale was void under circumstances where the borrower had filed an action contesting the obligation and that action was pending at the time of the trustee's sale. The action was filed after service of the notice of default but before service of the notice of foreclosure and trustee's sale.
C. Chase Home Finance transfer the note after I exercised my legal right to rescind the mortgage and the note. Thus, Deutsche National Trust Company as the trustee was not properly appointed and do not have the authority to act and foreclose on Debtor‘s property. When an eager, Deutsche National Trust Company, "jumps the gun", the actions are equally void.
IX. The Underwriter
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“Deutsche Bank”) is an investment bank and acted as one of the underwriters with respect to the public offering of New Century securities in June 2005. Deutsche Bank’s U.S. headquarters are located at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005.
On May 23, 2007, my house located at 26-28-30 Cedar Street, Lowell, MA 01852 was sold illegally and fraudulently and my property rights deprived in the process. Here are the relevant evidences of predatory lending and facts to support my complaint of mortgage and real estate fraud (see Exhibits 1, 2, 3 & 4):
X. Relevant Evidences
In Exhibit 1, New Century Mortgage denied the mortgage application on January 22, 2004.
In Exhibit 2, New Century Mortgage denied the mortgage application on March 9, 2004.
In Exhibit 3, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company (Commonwealth) committed fraud and false statement when it report on March 29, 2004 that the title was clear for closing with the intent to cover up for the civil conspiracy with the other parties acting as finder for New Century. Commonwealth acting on behalf of New Century in providing false information by failing to report that there was an existing 2nd mortgage on the property which resulted in the over financing of my residential home. Is this a pattern of conduct of Commonwealth?
In Exhibit 4, through mortgage fraud & false information amongst the New Century Mortgage Corporation and its representatives, I was issued a mortgage that I should not have gotten at all as illustrated in Exhibits 1 and 2 since my wife was only holding a temporary, seasonal and on call part-time employment as a substitute teacher that resulted in the stripping of my equity, reverse redlining and my debt liability surpassed my asset (a $289,000 stated income loans which was originally used primarily with self-employed borrowers was given to my wife, a W-2 wage earners of only $2,786.99 and her name was not listed on the deed or the mortgage note of the property since I had bought it in 1999 ( see Exhibit 5 & 6 -- IRS tax history)). Thus, New Century Mortgage underwriter failed to verify the employment status of my wife. Also, Beacon Appraisal, 396 W. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127(conducted the appraisal on the property) by failing to report that there was an existing 2nd mortgage on the property which resulted in the over financing of my residential home.
XI. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) was established on March 10, 1979, pursuant to title X of the Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978 (FIRA), Public Law 95-630. According to the FFIEC data, our debt to income ratio at the time of the refinancing transaction was ‘low’. Also, according to our IRS income tax filing as well (see Exhibit 5).
Summary Census Demographic Information
|
Tract Income Level
|
Low
|
Tract Population
|
2977
|
|
Underserved or Distressed Tract
|
No
|
Tract Minority %
|
47.70
|
|
2005 HUD Estimated MSA/MD/non-MSA/MD Median Family Income
|
$89,350
|
Minority Population
|
1420
|
|
2005 Est. Tract Median Family Income
|
$40,788
|
Owner-Occupied Units
|
372
|
|
2000 Tract Median Family Income
|
$33,839
|
1- to 4-Family Units
|
921
|
|
Tract Median Family Income %
|
45.65
|
|
|
Census Income Information
|
Tract Income Level
|
Low **
|
Tract Median Family Income %
|
45.65
|
|
2005 MSA/MD/statewide non-MSA/MD Median Family Income
|
| |