Ruby Brown of North Minneapolis won a renegotiated mortgage from Bank of America, just days before her home of 17 years was to be auctioned off in a sheriff's sale. Her settlement marks the fourth negotiated victory for Occupy Homes MN, the activist group formed to help troubled homeowners in the Twin Cities area fight to avoid foreclosure, and homelessness.

Via:

Brown fell into foreclosure after years of struggling with inflated payments in an adjustable rate mortgage — a predatory lending practice which is now illegal. She eventually received a trial modification and complied with its requirements for 12 months, but was dropped from the program anyway. The confusion surrounding her modification prompted her to ask the question: “The people at the top (of Bank of America), do they really know what’s going on?”

Brown began working with Occupy Homes MN and Neighborhoods Organizing for Change six months ago. Like others who have taken the pledge to stay in their homes, she felt her shame dissolve. “It generated a fight in me,” she said. “I didn’t realize there were so many people in the same situation, that it wasn’t just me.”

Ruby Brown has a message for others going through similar situations:

“Come out of the foreclosure closet. You know, there’s help. There are people around the country that are fighting. There’s power in numbers. There are a lot of people going through the same thing. There’s no shame in what is going on. It’s not your fault. It’s an epidemic, and we have to fight for the antidote.”

Thursday, June 07, 2012, Bloomington, MN-- Before the plates were cleared from the luncheon, Freddie Mac trainers and dozens of conference attendees were startled by a group of Occupy Homes protesters who taped off the entrance and plywooded the doors to their scheduled "Default Servicing Workshop."

A dozen protesters chanted in call-and-response: "This is a crime scene, and Freddie Mac is the criminal. They have been conspiring with PNC Bank and countless others to profit off of families getting thrown out of their homes." Yellow caution tape reading "occupy" was unrolled, emulating the pitched confrontations Minneapolis police have had at the Cruz family home on Cedar Ave in recent weeks.

"We demand that you work with PNC Bank to get the Cruz family in their home," protesters cheered. As Marriott hotel security escorted the protesters out, they chanted "Eviction stops here!"

The Cruz family fell behind on payments during tough economic times. According to Occupy activist Nick Espinosa, the bank failed to withdraw an online payment due to a glitch in its own system. Instead it demanded a multiple-month payment, and when the Cruz family was unable to oblige, the home went into foreclosure. Recently, the family and protesters have grabbed headlines by repeatedly blocking the sheriff's eviction, resulting in 23 arrests and massive MPD force to secure the modest home.

Freddie Mac, which owns the title to scores of foreclosed homes like the Cruz home, visited the Twin Cities region to host a week-long training for its servicers to help them manage through the housing recession and, according to the event's web site, "avoid preventable foreclosure."

"If Freddie Mac is committed to avoiding preventable foreclosure, they need to work with families like the Cruzes who can afford to pay their mortgage," said Cat Salonek, an organizer with Occupy Homes MN. "Freddie Mac and PNC have the power to return the Cruz family home today."

Vietnam Veteran John Vinje and his wife spent Memorial Day wondering where they would possibly go if they lose their home in a foreclosure sale scheduled for Tuesday.

After falling behind on their mortgage payments when his wife became ill and was unable to work, the Minnesota couple tried to work with the bank, but US bank refused to accept partial payments on the Vinje's home that is now worth approximately $50,000 less than what they paid for it.

The foreclosure sale was already postponed once after the Vinje's got involved with Occupy Homes MN, and marched from Hennepin County Government Center to City Hall.

Via:

Eventually US Bank agreed to modify the loan, but the new terms offered lowered the monthly payment by only $97. Vinje said still left the payments out of reach for the couple. And those negotiations did not slow the foreclosure clock.

Vinje's case was cited during the 2012 legislative session by Democratic lawmakers who introduced several foreclosure reform bills. One measure would've outlawed "dual tracking," the practice of simultaneously foreclosing on a home while engaging in negotiations to modify the loan terms.

Republican leaders and committee chairs would not allow a hearing on any of the bills, because they believed they restricted commerce. So DFL sponsors conducted a mock hearing for the benefit of the media.

(Emphasis mine.)

Republicans wouldn't even allow a hearing on the foreclosure reforms, remember that the next time you hear someone wonder why the government won't help save them from greedy bankers. More importantly, remember that come November.

I've written about some foreclosures fights in Minnesota in recent weeks, and this video is an update on the progress of those actions.

Filmmaker Peter Leeman's original subjects approached Occupy Minneapolis and asked for help with their struggle. Occupy Homes MN, a sub-section of Occupy Minneapolis that deals exclusively with protecting homeowners, took up the cause of these folk and organized a direct action.

In this video, dozens of people march to the house of U.S. Bank CEO Richard Davis to demand justice for homeowners. Its inspiring to see this call for US Bank to help their own clients pay their mortgage and keep their houses. "We bailed them out with our tax dollars when they were in trouble at the start of the housing crisis they created," said Monique White, who was featured in "Monique's Story". "Now we need them to work with us to help stabilize our communities, instead of tearing them apart."

Occupy Homes MN has helped win the fight to save US Marine Bobby Hull's family home from foreclosure. After months of public outcry, Bank of America has come up with an offer to renegotiate Hull's mortgage that will allow him and his family to keep their home.

Occupy MN:

Occupy Homes MN has declared victory in their fight to save US Marine Bobby Hull's family home from foreclosure. Following a two-month campaign of public pressure bringing media attention to Hull's case and the bank's unwillingness to negotiate, Bank of America has come forward with an offer to Hull to renegotiate his mortgage so that he and his family can keep their home.

"I stood up and told the banks I wasn't leaving until they negotiate, and I won! This means the world to me and my family, but we aren't satisfied yet. We will continue fighting until all our neighbors and Americans across the country get the same deal that I did," said Hull.

Since December 6th, when Hull initially declared his intent to stay in his home, his story has made international, national, and local news.

In an email following Hull's initial declaration to stay in his home, a representative with Bank of America stated they had no responsibility to negotiate with Bobby stating: "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the house was purchased by U.S. Bank."

"Thanks to the campaign of public pressure waged by neighbors and supporters, Bank of America reversed their previous position and came to the table to negotiate with Bobby. There's no doubt that this is an exciting victory for Bobby and his family. But if the banks can negotiate with Bobby, there's no reason they can't do the same for the millions of families in this country facing foreclosure," said Occupy Homes MN organizer Ben Egerman, adding, "and we won't stop until they do."

Three Occupy Minneapolis protesters were arrested at US Bank's national headquarters as their request for US Bank to agree to meet with Monique White and Bobby Hull, two homeowners facing foreclosure, was denied.

About 50 protesters marched through the downtown skyways delivering 6500 petitions to US Bank from community members asking them negotiate to keep White and Hull in their homes. Protesters entered a US Bank headquarters and refused to leave until US Bank set up a meeting with the homeowners.

The three arrested were dressed as "OccuPirates," to draw attention to the unprecedented plundering of our communities and our nations wealth by the big banks and corporations.

Last week, US Bank announced record profits totaling over 4.8 billion dollars in 2011, as they continue to foreclose on more Minnesota families than ever while increasing fees to their customers.