JPMorgan Chase is being sued for a foreclosure, but not in the way many would expect. A wrongful death suit has been submitted against the bank after a male had a heart attack after foreclosure. The lawsuit contends Chase brought on the death of Harry Engel by heart attack in 2010.
Family blames bank for heart attack
Seventy-nine year old Harry Engel's family told the news that they had lived in the same house for 22 years. Then, JPMorgan Chase forced them out in foreclosure proceedings. Shortly thereafter, in July 2010, he experienced a heart attack, according to KHOU. His family blames the bank for his condition.
The Engel family wanted to refinance through the Making House Affordable Program with the Department of Treasury because they lived on a fixed income and wanted a lower rate. The local Chase branch told them that they had to miss a payment to be able to qualify for the program, and they did so.
The bank then apparently started the program, but canceled their enrollment. Late fees and updates started arriving, followed by a notice that foreclosure was pending. He had his heart attack after foreclosure warnings arrived, along with a Chase attorney advising that eviction was pending.
A suit from the widow
Wando Jo Engel is his wife who is suing Chase for wrongful death, according to the Huffington Post. Chase was in the early phases of filing for foreclosure though it had not actually filed the paperwork yet. The Engel family was not the only family that was told to miss a payment in order to get in the refinancing program just for the bank to change its mind and not keep going.
Earlier this year, five of the biggest mortgage lenders in the country settled with the government for $25 billion due to "robosigning" and other inappropriate practices, according to the Los Angeles Times. Part of it was "servicer-led foreclosure," which was what this is called and was talked about in 2010 in a U.S. Senate Banking Committee, according to the Washington Post.
The Huffington Post explained that a servicer-led foreclosure went wrong this year at Bank of America too. Pamela Flores in Georgia was told the same thing from B of A just to have the modification not work out and foreclosure to follow, according to the Huffington Post. The Engel family is not alone.
Just a couple deaths
Besides the financial toll that foreclosures impose, numerous individuals have crumbled from the mental anguish, leading to a number of "foreclosures suicides." Some of the first instances were noticed in 2008, according to USA Today. During that year, suicide hotlines started noting an increased number of calls from distressed homeowners who were having problems with their loans. At least two have been recorded this year, according to the Huffington Post, one in May in California and a murder-suicide in Ohio in March.
Family blames bank for heart attack
Seventy-nine year old Harry Engel's family told the news that they had lived in the same house for 22 years. Then, JPMorgan Chase forced them out in foreclosure proceedings. Shortly thereafter, in July 2010, he experienced a heart attack, according to KHOU. His family blames the bank for his condition.
The Engel family wanted to refinance through the Making House Affordable Program with the Department of Treasury because they lived on a fixed income and wanted a lower rate. The local Chase branch told them that they had to miss a payment to be able to qualify for the program, and they did so.
The bank then apparently started the program, but canceled their enrollment. Late fees and updates started arriving, followed by a notice that foreclosure was pending. He had his heart attack after foreclosure warnings arrived, along with a Chase attorney advising that eviction was pending.
A suit from the widow
Wando Jo Engel is his wife who is suing Chase for wrongful death, according to the Huffington Post. Chase was in the early phases of filing for foreclosure though it had not actually filed the paperwork yet. The Engel family was not the only family that was told to miss a payment in order to get in the refinancing program just for the bank to change its mind and not keep going.
Earlier this year, five of the biggest mortgage lenders in the country settled with the government for $25 billion due to "robosigning" and other inappropriate practices, according to the Los Angeles Times. Part of it was "servicer-led foreclosure," which was what this is called and was talked about in 2010 in a U.S. Senate Banking Committee, according to the Washington Post.
The Huffington Post explained that a servicer-led foreclosure went wrong this year at Bank of America too. Pamela Flores in Georgia was told the same thing from B of A just to have the modification not work out and foreclosure to follow, according to the Huffington Post. The Engel family is not alone.
Just a couple deaths
Besides the financial toll that foreclosures impose, numerous individuals have crumbled from the mental anguish, leading to a number of "foreclosures suicides." Some of the first instances were noticed in 2008, according to USA Today. During that year, suicide hotlines started noting an increased number of calls from distressed homeowners who were having problems with their loans. At least two have been recorded this year, according to the Huffington Post, one in May in California and a murder-suicide in Ohio in March.
