Tate & Kirlin Associates represented Washington Mutual as it was about to be forced out of business for the kinds of dealings that got them into the sub-prime loan debacle that finally killed the company (which was taken over by Chase after Obama rightly called in their chits). In my case, Washington Mutual neglected to build in an Escrow / Impound account in my Re-Fi ... after assuring me that the monthly mortgage figure (both 1st and 2nd through WAMU) INCLUDED the Escrow / Impound account. After about six months, my homeowner policy agent called to say they were about to cancel the policy--for NON-PAYMENT. I said "But I have an Escrow Account!" and he said, "Well, it's not making the payments! Better check." Turns out that WAMU neglected to create one then had to go back--at my expense, of course, and create one. Rather than tack the cost onto my 1st, they created a kind of "sub-loan" and promised that I could pay it back over "at least two years." Turns out they designed it so I'd have to pay it over only 12 months ... thus raising my mortgage payments by almost $600 BEFORE THE FIRST ARM ADJUSTMENT EVER HIT! They also finagled the appraisal to make sure that Re-Fi was high enough ... comping my 4-bedroom house against 5 bedroom houses that originally cost $30K more than mine did. Anyway, when the first adjustment finally came due, I attempted to give the house back on a "Deed-in-Lieu." It was a nightmare to arrange because the two sides of WAMU didn't "speak" to each other. Everything was separate on contacting the 1st and 2nd people, and they had different rules, accepted only faxes, gave phantom phone and fax numbers on different websites, wouldn't return calls --- if I was lucky enough to get through at all. Both the Home Equity and the Mortgage side said the same thing: "Basically we can't talk with you until you are in arrears ... until AFTER your loan payments are over 30 days past-due." I said, "You mean you won't talk to me until I kill my own credit ... even though anyone can tell that from the increased payment due to your negligence added to the adjustment, I won't be able to keep up?" "Yeah, that's about the size of it!" they told me.
Anyway, after several months (and keeping current with the mortgage) I finally moved out on the last day through which I had paid my mortgage--and after MONTHS of trying to get WAMU to give me a straight answer to ANY question. After moving (and ceasing to pay the mortgage) I suddenly started getting calls from WAMU ... from INDIA! Lots of electronic calls, and lots of calls from people who had absolutely NO answers. I kept telling them to record my calls and send the recordings to someone who actually knew how to do a Deed-in-Lieu. Finally, I got the word from both sides of WAMU and got instructions about what I had to do in order for them to consider doing a "deed-in-lieu" instead of a foreclosure. I had to get a real estate agent, list the house on the MLS for at least 90 days, try to do a short-sale, clean the place suitable for showing (backyard and all).
I did all of that. Had a great Real Estate guy who bent over backwards knowing that it was unlikely that he'd get much if anything out of it. Turns out, he got nothing--because after receiving two offers--that WAMU refused--they suddenly changed the locks and sent in their own agent. I had followed all of their instructions--all for nothing.
It was going to be foreclosed after about 8 months of trying to work it out with WAMU ... four months while still in the house and still paying the mortgage, and four months after I moved out and stopped paying ... while trying to sell it according to their instructions.
I didn't know for sure what WAMU had done with the debt until tax time and I received a W-9 showing that they claimed to the Federal Government the ENTIRE remaining debt as a loss. So they wrote it off for their own tax purposes.
THEN ... they got taken over by Chase. My credit was in ruins, obviously, and I thing that was the end of it. WAMU didn't even exist any more! But then I started getting calls and letters from "TATE & KIRLIN ASSOCIATES" of Philadelphia. Apparently, with its dying breath, WAMU contacted "TATE and KIRLIN" to help them collect late mortgage and/or consumer loan (2nd) payments. So T&K then started dunning me ... as if WAMU was still carrying the debt--even though the W-( proved that they had actually discharged the debt. The were doing it in the name of WAMU--even after WAMU was already formally taken over by Chase.
I told them that was fraud ... since the debt was already written off and CLAIMED by WAMU as a loss on their corporate taxes. they said, "We'll have to get back to you on that" ... but never did. In the meantime, they continue to dun me with calls and letters, "offering" to settle for 50%, etc. It feels like they must get a high enough percentage of people to walk willingly into their web, that they will keep shaking us down until someone steps in and stops them.
QUESTION: Who is TATE & KIRLIN working to benefit? Not WAMU. Not Chase, either, since the debt was discharged before the takeover. Their original "customer" (WAMU) no longer even exists. It LOOKS like TATE AND KIRLIN found itself with thousands of documents relating to outstanding debt from people in trouble over WAMU mortgages, and they have no one they have to give it back to. The debts are dead--as is the credit rating of all those people, like me--but this outfit in Pennsylvania if busy trying to squeeze blood out of us beat-up turnips. Seems unfair. Writing this and posting it wherever I can is about all I can to in my own defense. Feel free to spread it to anyone and any site where it might do some good. |
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