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"Ken Lewis, Please Help!" And he DID!!! Was it TWITTER???

After waiting for seven months for an approval from Countrywide now Bank of America, we finally received approval.

Was It Because of Twitter?

What did it? Perhaps it was this email from the listing agent...

Dear Mr. Lewis-

Please forgive the informality of this correspondence, but brevity is warranted and time is of the essence. Our firm has been in contact with your short sales department since January of this year, and we still have received no resolution to our requests to negotiate this loan balance. We have complied with every request made by your company negotiators, only to find that those same individuals have slighted our efforts at every turn. The most recent insult (May I say "injury"?) was at the hands of the negotiator whose correspondence to us appears below.

Although the amount of this loan may be a mere pittance in comparison to the overall managed funds of your Billion-Dollar company, it is the World of Finance to our Client involved. Further delays to the attention of this file will continue to cause suffering and anguish to your customer, (name withheld).

We are asking that you will immediately direct this file to the attention of a management-level individual who is able to make an independent decision on the status of this loan negotiation request.
Again, we again extend our apology to you for the venue with which this message has been delivered, but we hope that you will cause this matter to be resolved with the utmost expediency.

Maybe...but immediately after this tweet:

Ken Lewis, please help!!! BOA Loan #********* has not been resolved after 7 months. (New approach since we are desperate!)

...we were told that the CEO's office would be taking over the case! And they did.

We were promised that we would have an answer in a week. And we did...

Today, we got our approval after 7 torturous months!!!!

Was the email? Was it the tweet? Was it both? What do you think?

I wonder...Does it matter that I am making progress on twitter ranking?

From twinfluence.com dawnmaloney's Rank: #1,245 (99%) and reach is 100%. I have the capability of reaching 100% of twitter if something is interesting enough...that's pretty big, considering the estimates for twitterfolk is now between 5 and 10 MILLION users.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know...

RE/MAX and Dawn Maloney = Success For YOU!

We don't merely sell real estate.

We increase peace-of-mind. We increase wealth.

We make you happier.

Dawn's cell: 330-990-4236
Email: dawn@dawnsold.com

http://www.DawnSold.com

Posted by Dawn Maloney, CDRS Elite on 07/30/2009 09:55 AM

Comments (69)

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69 Comments on "Ken Lewis, Please Help!" And he DID!!! Was it TWITTER???

JUL

Let's add this thought - is this DUPLICATABLE?

Congretulation! I got a short sale listing date 12/07/08. The 1st offer in end of January 2009 then May 4 it was approved but the buyer lost the job can not close. It is back on the market again and offer in mid-May. I just received the negotiator requesting new information. Now I know what to do.

Grace Keng, Northern Calif realtor, www.gracekeng.com

Please post back here if you use this info and it works or not, okay? How we reached Ken was using BOA email protocol...I guess everyone cannot do this and expect it to work, but we can try!! I wish I would have known this earlier...

Well whatever it was let's all be grateful that you got it done!

Bob & Carolin, AMEN!!!

Dawn, I don't tweet that much so I can't add that much to the conversation but I am happy that you finally see light at the end of the tunnel!

Dawn - That is terrific news! I have one with BOA that has been in process since November. Perhaps I need to start tweeting about it. :)

That is great. I have always worked under the theory of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and this is just another example showing that if you aren't getting the appropriate response, you go up the chain of command until you get to that person that is embarrassed by the whole thing and just wants to get it handled correctly and quickly.

Hmmmm, I can't even spell tweeter....er...uh twiter....I mean twitter. Maybe I should learn.

Hi Dawn, "is this DUPLICATABLE?" We will find out shortly, I believe, as I am sure this will be copied and tried to find out. Many are in the same situation and this looks like at least a viable method. Congratulations on your out of the box efforts for a desperate home owner! Thanks for sharing, this is very good advice and a great tool to take advantage of.

One has to use all means of communication to close the deal. Thanks for sharing this success story.

Hi all, running out the door to write a contract - be back soon to answer all - and THANKS for the feature!!! I would love to hear this info actually helps someone.

Should I post Ken's email???

Hmmmm- this actually might cause banks to act faster and quicker or perhaps end up with an onslaugth of tweets tweeting about how bad their service is. Hmmmmmm? Keep us posted.

Dawn - I thinj you may have started somthing here... More and more companies are watching SM sites for comments (good or bad) about themselves. I like your style!!

I'm glad that you finally got the approval. Usually the buyers don't hang in there so long.

Dawn vs this blog

Interesing juxtaposition on the dashboard this AM about tweeting

You tweet:

Ken Lewis, please help!!! BOA Loan #027755283 has not been resolved after 7 months. (New approach since we are desperate!)

in desperation and it got results. I tweeted a link to your post this AM, thought this was interesting but really had nothing to add here.

Did you consider venting to your mom? Or had you vented for 6 months?

And you can document the 7 months so that could not be libel.

Interesting seeing the two posts on the dashboard back to back.... Tweeting

Hi Dawn. I have a pending short sale and while it may help to Tweet about it I don't want to open myself up to litigation if I post the loan number.

We have been having better luck recently with BOA/Countrywide, but that may be damning with faint praise. Along with Chase they are the most bureaucratic. This demands some study becasue if you have this kind of breakthrough on an individual tweet, then maybe the nation of Twitter should should unite behind a movement. If it works, let the sun shine in.

I'm doing a short sale with B of A. Poor Mr. Lewis. All those new tweets!

Impressive story Dawn! Going straight to the topworks like a charm!!

I also have a short sale with B of A. I keep getting the call back in 7-10 days, it is the second offer on the property, the first people just gave up. I will save your info and proceed if I need too. Thank you so much

I love it. It's out there for everyone else to see. Great story!!! Glad you got it done. Finally.

I;m going to tweet him about my 1,000 shares of BOA and see if he can get their value back to $72.00 per share !!!!!

I have to tell you - another reason to tweet! I love the way you positioned the tweet too. I know there's another post out there right now about being careful what you tweet but you did this in a VERY PROFESSIONAL way and I love that you got a response! This is phenomenal!

Thanks for sharing - although I think that the BOA person who monitors Twitter will be super busy for awhile. I think anytime you can do something which is ethical and legal and helps your client out - go for it!

I wonder if anyone has tried this with another bank?

I would hesitate to post Ken's email b/c who wants to burn bridges? Of course, it is probably monitored by someone else??

im glad this worked. I think it may have been the tweet...b of a..doesn't want that publicity..who knows..just glad it worked for you...

I'm glad it all worked it. It was the TWEET.

Anyway that you can get there. Good job. There are less and less places for folks to hide now!

That was a really nice "feel good" story. I have a little respect for Mr. Lewis now. Just a little for him and a ton for you!!!!

Twitter did it. We have a great contact in Ken Lewis's office but we would never divulge the name or the specifics because if all the agents start to do this, then his office would not be able to handle the calls and then we would all be back to square one.
I will let everyone reading to please not blow it for everyone else. Don't cry wolf unless it really has hold of your sheep. Every short sale may seem like an emergency but they are not in reality. Also, this file you had was a file that went beyond BofA's public policy statement so then action must be taken when you elevate the file and complaint. However, they will tell you that you must allow the process to work first so agents- don't start sending all your files to Ken Lewis, please! Katerina

Very cool Dawn!! I'm sending all of my files to Ken Lewis in the monring. I'm going to say Katerina told me to!!! OK Katerina just kidding.....maybe:)

Who cares why--the bottom line is it WORKED. Someone paid attention. Too bad it took such extreme measures.

:) way to go.

Going to follow.

Ok there are lots of Ken Lewis's and Bank of America's. Can you share his Twitter handler.

If not email me, pleeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Hey Dawn -- Congrats on the featured post from another Greater Cleveland/Akron rainer! Very novel idea and it would be cool to know if this worked. So sad it took that long. The execs probably got done counting their TARP and bonus money and decided to play on Twitter.

Barb, That light was worth waiting for - they are so happy. It was such a formidable process. They are an amazing couple!

Jason, your tweets would probably create a tsunami at BOA. Let me know if anything results - then we will know it WAS twitter!!!

Patrick, I have to give credit where credit is due - the other agent had the thought of going straight to the top...I jumped on the bandwagon with twitter. They don't know much about twitter, but one thing led to another.

Bob, All I can say is I'm glad I use twitter, for a long list of reasons. It is very powerful and will continue to grow in influence for some time to come.

David, Desperate is the word! We have been exhausting every avenue. Talk about NO RULES!!! I relish the thought of giving my buyers their keys!!! They have earned them like an Olympic medal!!

Harry, If this hadn't worked, I'm sure we would have gone to plan Z, but I'm so glad we didn't have to.

Anna Banana, I have had amazing results from telling it like it is on twitter - getting contacted by company owners and presidents - and I have seen large companies like Priceline act like decent citizens of the planet when light is directed at some of their practices...I like it. The truth shall set us free, hmmm? Or should I say, Power to the People!!!

Bill, I agree. If a company is smart, they are checking what is being tweeted about them, videos posted about them and blogged about them. Thanks!

Vicki, I found these buyers' pix in the dictionary under perseverance!!!

Dawn,

Brillant! And it seems to me like companies should be reading what's written about them!

Lana, I think now that it's over I will go remove that number, and the seller is happy that BOA cannot force them into foreclosure now...I do see your point, but you must know this was a desperate attempt to preserve their best interests. We have done everything from changing title companies (waste of time - so much for short sale negotiating title companies...that's another subject!!) to finding family members who worked at Countrywide/BOA. Twitter and the loan number worked.

Maureen, Good observation. I do vent on twitter, but I try to use SOME self control. Some days are better than others. And I do vent to my mom, but she can only take so much...lol. I don't think it would help my buyers much!!! That was a good post and I know we do have to watch what we put out there - it stays FOREVER in many cases...you know, as you have said before, "dotsam".

Joe, I would love to see something work consistently with banks, but so far I don't have a failsafe procedure. More experience on my part, and what appears to be internal pressure from the administration to make more short sales work and less foreclosures happen seems to be helping. Every one is so different.

Linda, I'll have to do a search and see if there are more tweets directed his way!!!

Dan, It worked this time, didn't it!!

Jane, let me know if this actually helps - it couldn't be a fluke...the CEO doesn't just step in. Best to you and your clients!

Carol - FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael, LOL - They can just send you some unused TARP funds...

Christianne, Thank you! Of course it wouldn't help our cause to be unprofessional - we have waited too long and worked and prayed too hard. It never helps to be unprofessional but we see it all the time. I've made plenty of mistakes in frustrating situations...so glad I took the high road here, as did the other agent. It was a good combo. They have been working so diligently to supply CW/BOA with requested docs OVER and OVER and OVER, etc. And yet the bank threw the family into foreclosure...totally unacceptable and shameful. This is why we kept pushing onward.

Becky, I haven't needed to go to this length before, but I have posted scoreboard type tweets: for example, something like, "Chase Bank, it's been 8 weeks". And I post thankful tweets about banks too - that is only fair. Also, just kidding about posting Ken's email!! I will email it if someone wants it, but I don't know if he even saw it, or if that is his real email.

Vanna, I'm leaning that way!

Nicholas, TRUE!!

Joel, THANKS!!

Katerina, I agree. This was outside the norm and we were grasping at straws. Most times this is not needed.

Broker Bryant, Katerina said no, no...why not send him a Bertha video? That should get his attention!!!

Missy, I don't have it - I just posted a general tweet, hoping it would generate some interest, and it seems to have worked. I do have the email which I can send :)

Chris, Thanks - it must have done something - CEOs don't just pick up cases, do they now?

Lynda, 100% right - listening to clients is valuable and smart.

Dawn - you're genious. Your client should love you for your creativity in problem solving! Who knew Twitter could hold such power?

What a great way to get things done. It doesn't really matter what did it, except that if you knew, you might be able to duplicate it.

Kim, Genius is a really great compliment!!! They are happy and I'm so proud of them for holding on. They are getting a marvelous value for their tenacity.

Christine, Exactly my thought!! As mentioned above, CEOs don't just take an interest in every case. What worked is a very important question to answer! Thanks for the nice comment!

JUL

I love it!!!! Though I hate that you have to resort to pulling a rabit out of your hat just to get attention in a matter such as this.

Dawn, it appears that we have to shame them into action! How embarrassing for BOA to see that on Twitter....obviously they did! Not good for business....so they shut you up!

AUG

Dawn, great! Thanks for posting this, were gonna try this. I'm the Buyer's Agent on a Countrywide/BofA deal that we've been waiting 4 months for an approval (did I mention that they were the 2nd lienholder?). Aaargh, my Clients really want this house and have been waiting patiently for it. It's scheduled to go to Trustee Sale this Friday as the 1st lienholder has refused to extend the sale date yet another month. This is a last ditch effort to get this sold for the benefit of all involved! I'll let you everyone know how it turns out.

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