Consumer Law

Incorrect Address Leads To Wrong Home Being Foreclosed

By M. Stan Herring

TampaBay.com has posted an article about an outrageous home foreclosure case. In 2005, Massachusetts couple Charlie and Maria Cardoso spent their life savings to pay for their future retirement house in Florida in cash only to have Bank of America seize the house, remove their belongings and change the locks five years later. Mr. Cardoso was forced to drive to Florida to get their home back.

The infuriating part of the story is that Bank of America had the wrong address. The home that was supposed to be foreclosed was about 10 doors down across the street. The Cardosos and a realtor employed by Bank of America were unable to convince the bank that they had to wrong address.

The Cardosos are seeking unspecified damages from Bank of America. The company showed negligence, trespassed and caused the couple emotional distress and financial hardship, especially because a tenant renting the home at the time got worried and left, according to the complaint. It's still unclear if the couple's credit rating has been affected, deMello said.

The couple became aware of the problem when their renter called them in a panic saying that men were there to clear out the house and change the locks. The Cardosos are also upset because this issue has also damaged their reputation amongst the community in their Florida neighborhood.

Cases like this are absolutely ridiculous, especially when the home has clearly been paid for and even the bank's own employee was insisting that their information was wrong.

If you would like more information on foreclosures, please check out our articles Wrongful Foreclosures In Alabama and The Three Stages Of Foreclosure In Alabama.

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Full post as published by Alabama Consumer Blog on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).