I wonder how much of this is still occurring?  I deal with banks, including Countrywide, daily negotiating short sales.  I have had Countrywide order 3 appraisals for the subject property - all with in 5 days of each other.  I don't recall having the appraiser ever show up, but I know the cost of those appraisals has been tacked on to the balance of the loan.  Hmmmmm.............

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SEATTLE - A group of Washington homeowners this week filed a lawsuit against Countrywide, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and the nation's largest mortgage company, claiming the mortgage giant illegally rigged the appraisal process in a scheme to boost profits at the expense of homeowners and independent appraisers.

Filed under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Practices Act (RICO), the suit claims that Countrywide forces homeowners to use its wholly owned subsidiary LandSafe, for appraisals. The company then turns around and subcontracts the work to independent appraisers while charging homeowners as much as 200 percent of the actual cost of the appraisal. Download Hagens_Berman_ClassAction

The suit also contends that if independent appraisers do not accept Countrywide's fee structure or appraisal guidelines, they stand the risk of being blacklisted for further work by the industry giant.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, seeks to represent all homeowners who purchased or refinanced their home through Countrywide and LandSafe, and asks the court to award plaintiffs damages.


According to the suit, LandSafe turns the appraisal work to a third-party, demands they follow the developed fee structure and if they refuse, adds them to a field review list that identifies appraisers Countrywide will not work with.

The lawsuit claims LandSafe subcontracts much if its appraisal work to a network of independent appraisers, but offers them rates as low as $140 per appraisal. The company then marks the costs of the appraisal back as high as $410 when invoicing homeowners.

Plaintiffs claim the practice is damaging to homeowners who pay the inflated fee and appraisers, who are forced to work below market standards or risk losing work in the future.

If you purchased or refinanced your home through Countrywide and LandSafe you can
join this suit. You can also contact attorneys at (206) 623-7292.

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Yalda Alawi

Phoenix Real Estate

 
This post has been included in Arizona Information
Post is included in group: Arizona Homes
Post is included in group: Arizona Real Estate

5 Comments on Countrywide and Landsafe Class Action Lawsuit

APR
14

Bank of America is doing worse than Countrywide since aquiring this company. I know a appraiser that has been black listed for not compling with what Bank of America wants with lowering property values. Checks are mailed from Bank of America....

Carol
9:34pm • #1
APR
30
181,155 Points 1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router

I HATE COUNTRY WIDE!  If Realtors did this we would loose our License. 

I just want to set IN THE HOT TUB and fume.

11:09pm • #2
JUL
01

is there a class action aginst countrywide active in texas?

felicia ed.
5:47pm • #3
AUG
14

Country Wide aka BofA Home Loans, doesn't care about saving their customers credit or their own money. I lost my job due the economy and I couldn't make the payments so I set my house up for short sale. I have had 3 offers for more than what is owed on the primary loan and the 2nd loan has tried to get Country Wide to accept the most current offer so they can recover what they can. Country Wide has done nothing since January '09 when this has all started, no returned calls no apprasials, nothing but collection calls. The realitors said the people they assigned it to have left or it has been changed to other departments and no one knows who the person is to talk to. Today I received a notice they are starting the foreclosing process and it is going up for auction in November. Other homes in the area have gone to auction for 1/2 the price of my latest offer-- their loss, but my credit is worsened than if it would go for a short sale and my and fustration is beyond description. If I had the money I would sue them, but if I had the money I would keep the house.  The only thing I can do is never do business with BofA again-- I'm sure they care a lot about that too-- yeah right!

Chris
8:36pm • #5
SEP
01

Countrywide refinanced our home for us back in 2007, I believe. They made us use Landsafe for our appraisal company and I wanted to use my own personal appraisal company and they wouldn't allow it. Landsafe came in, charged me and left. Needless to say I was so excited to hear that my home was now worth $140,000 and that all the remodeling had paid off. I didn't know until Dec 08 that my house in the neighborhood and comparible market, that my house would never sell for more than 98,500.00. I have been on the list for the modification loan since Aug 2008. I have all my notes, who I talked to, what they have told me and the date and time. I also have a printout from countrywide, now bank of america's website telling my modification would be done by Dec 25, 2008. I have been told not to make my payments, that it would mess up their numbers. The last payment I made is still sitting there, not-applied to my account.  When I go to make a payment it tells me I cannot make one at this time because of the modification. I haven't made a payment in 12 months now and am waiting to be foreclosed on. I lost my job and was unemployed for 11 months and thought beings I was talking to my mortgage company that it would all be ok, that they are the ones who knows what they are doing. I am still being assessed late fees like you wouldn't believe and also all these extra fees when they have me locked out of my account. Is this legal? I have called them and called them. They have never once called me about this matter. But it will be my husband and I, with our kids out on the street beings they have killed our 720 credit score down to the low 500's now. We are upside down in our loan, by 50,000.00 and they will not even talk to us about it. Now they say they will have an answer for us by Sept 30, 2009. Which means, we will be out on the street beings we cannot get a reasonable loan that we can afford to put us in a house. I have emailed senators, govenors, the whitehouse even and they all told me the same thing, talk to your lender.... what happens when I am the one calling them, they don't talk to me... They don't tell us what the plan is, but no one understands that.

Jera and Rick
8:41pm • #6

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Yalda Alawi

Chandler, AZ

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WestUSA Realty Revelation

Address: 4050 S Arizona Avenue, #4, Chandler, Az, 85248

Office Phone: (480) 422-1999

Cell Phone: (480) 776-7291

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