A Big F U

UGH the financial devastation is sometimes overpowering. Money woes are something that my friends and I talk about all the time. Many of us are suffering on all kinds of levels, medical, loss, mental, financial, etc but money or lack of it is always on the forefront of conversations these days.

So, what you one do?

Do we sit and tear ourselves up over things we have no control over? Do we simply lie down and forget it all? No, we pick ourselves up and do the best we can. It really is all you can do but sometimes...like yesterday...it was too much to..

Refinancing our mortgage was an offer from our bank for paying on time for over 14+ years and was part of the Obama Plan or the Harp Refinance Program or some other name I don't even know right now.

Anyway, we started the process in June and after numerous emails from our "loan person" Leslie, a lien was supposedly found on my house. The paper which had information about my supposed lien was in another person's name and at another person's address.

OK...this was something I could work with. Not my name, address or lien. I wrote back to the bank by email and stated the above. She responded with Fine. Thank you.

Another month passes and Teach asks if I have heard. I tell him they are working on it but decide to call anyway. No answer. I email and get an email back. 

Did you find out about the lien from the title company?  That  would have to be paid before we could do anything.

Ahhh....I respond back while dialing her number which she never answered. Not my lien. Not my name or address. Please tell me what I should be doing?!

She doesn't respond back to my 8 emails that day. Nor does she answer my 5 phone messages over the next day. Or to my 12 emails and 4 phone messages over the next week. The following week, she responds and says, like a friggin robot. Once you fulfill the lien we can proceed. 

UHhhhhh...is she kidding me? I write back again that this not mine and I will not be fulfilling it. Please assist or give me someone who can.

Another week goes by and I request to speak to her manager telling her that this is obviously over her head and I want someone who can help me figure this out. 

This is the email I receive: 

Unfortunately because that lien hasn’t been satisfied we had to withdraw your application.  Once you get it taken care of we can reapply at the current rates at that time.

If I could have ripped her through my damn computer I would have. We are drowning in debt. This friggin nobody is messing with our lives. The loan was in her control and our financial, not salvation but possibly struggle would lessen and this chick has withdrawn my application. 

UGHHHHHH...

There was so much going on in between all of this with the bank but it isn't worth mentioning all of it. Like the phone by Teach, the constant writing letters, emails and unanswered phone calls but we were now in August and stuck! 

  

We headed down to our local branch. Spoke to the branch who were appealed at the way we were treated. We spoke to a mortgage guy on the phone who patiently listened and understood our story and wanted to help. We started the process again. The lien, thanks to the Title Company wasn't an issue. They told me that it never should have been because they had straightened it out with Leslie back in flippin June. Right around the time she was responding with emails that I had to fulfill the lien before they could proceed.   She is lucky that she wasn't at my local branch. I would have been jailed and a restraining order would have been filed by her against me. 

Anywhoo....paperwork started again. The branch was eager to help us. We laid out $495.00 for process and paperwork. I laid out another $100 for a subordination form to be filed and yesterday...another email....
A lien! This time it is mine! It is from a lawyer which is where we go back to my post title.

A lien from a lawyer, who I have been paying monthly after he purchased my collection file from the hospital that took care of me in 2010.

OK...let me say that again in a way we can all understand.

I had a 2 week hospital stay in May 2010, than was sick for over 6 months with a toxic infection running through my whole system with no insurance. 

Later in the year after incurring over $27,000 in medical bills I found myself having surgery to remove part of my intestine, close up a hole in my uterus and my bladder due to the toxic infection that put me in the hospital in the first place.

After that first visit to the hospital  I made phone calls to the world to discuss ways to pay the doctors. I than wrote letters to  the doctors and sent copies of all the other doctor bills so that they would see why I would only be able to pay $10.00 a month on a couple thousand dollar bill. 

We didn't have insurance, for my surgery either so we knew we would be seeing more bills and oh well...add them on to the ones we have already.

NOW...back to the lawyer. I called his office when I received a summons for missing a month. Life is hard and I was still sick from all of the 2010 garbage so didn't pay my $10.00 (occasionally $15.00) a month. I called them pissed. Are you kidding me? I am paying this, I never ignore it. How dare you send a summons to my home. It was a month. Maybe a reminder!!!! 

Nope, she, the secretary said that the client wants them to try and collect on the loan!  I told them I am doing the best I can and that if I could pay more I try. I explained that I have a house, kids, bills, and over $22,000 in medical bills. She said, just keep paying but if you don't you will get another summons. I thought we were fine!

NOPE! Paul Marks, has put a lien on my home to collect the $5,000 that is owned to his client. 

I called them...the secretary, uncaring and unforgiving told me in her righteous attitude that until the balance is paid the lien will remain. 

What? Are you kidding? I am paying you! She said, because I was only paying $15.00 a month the lien would stay. What the Fuck?

Even though I knew that she wouldn't care, couldn't care, doesn't care, I said, "you are messing with our lives. We are trying to refinance so that we can pay more of our medical bills." Her response, "I don't know what to tell you Maria."

Again, knowing it wouldn;t make a difference I told her. "You are protecting your client, clients who bring in millions of dollars while my family can't keep their head above water and are days from the food pantry. I have been paying. I can't believe this."

She gave me her I don't know what to tell you line again and said good-bye.

This is what is wrong with this country. We have never lived above our means. We don't buy new clothes. We don't go on vacation. We don't go out to eat. We pay our bills and take care of our children. That is what we do. We owe this guy $5,000 and this is just one of the bills. There are many bigger which I try not to think about because it would make me sick. But, how many companies were bailed out and spent that money on extravagant salaries and more. How many companies are back in debt after the bail out. How many crocked people have been given a "get out of jail free card?"  We are not asking for handouts from the bank or any of our creditors. We are asking for patience and to not send us subpoenas or put liens on our home when we are paying!

So now, I am trying to keep my shit together to deal with the overwhelming and overbearing feeling of doom and trying to move forward knowing I will be unable to get a mortgage. I am out $595.00 and there is a lien on my home.   

So, a BIG F U to any company who doesn't see people as people anymore. A BIG FU to anyone who doesn't know that the person on the other end of the phone is hanging on my the skin of their teeth and what you say does affect them. A BIG FU to the larger companies who were bailed out and didn't do good things with their new found money. A BIG FU to doctors who come in to my hospital room for 3 minutes and have the nerve to charge 500.00 each time and after knowing that the hospital gave me 100% charity care put me in collection because I am not paying enough in their book. AND A BIG FU to Paul Marks and his office for their legal mumbo jumbo bullshit paperwork and threats.  You will be lucky if you get $5.00 a week from me. Paying got me nowhere so why bother.