Saturday, October 24, 2015

Woman Sues Chase After Husband Has Heart Attack After Foreclosure

By Cornelius Nunev


Chase bank is being sued for a foreclosure, but not in the way many would anticipate. A wrongful death lawsuit has been submitted against the bank after a male had cardiac arrest after foreclosure. The lawsuit contends Chase caused the death of Harry Engel by heart attack in 2010.

Significant heart attack takes place

According to KHOU, 79 year old Harry Engel from Texas had cardiac arrest in July 2010. His family said they lived in a home for 22 years and were forced out by Chase bank in foreclosure proceedings, which they believe brought on the heart attack.

The Engel family wanted to refinance through the Making Home 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 in order to qualify for the program, and they did so.

The bank started the program but stopped their enrollment in it. Chase sent them foreclosure warnings after late fees and updates came, and eventually, a Chase attorney said eviction was approaching. The male had his heart attack about that time.

Listening to from the widow

The Engel family was not alone. In fact, there were several families given instructions to miss a payment to qualify for the program just to end up getting foreclosed on. Chase had not filed the foreclosure but was in the early stages when Engel had his heart attack. His wife, Wando Jo Engel, is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Chase, according to the Huffington Post.

The U.S. Senate Banking committee hearings in 2010 talked about this, called "servicer-led foreclosure," according to the Washington post. It was part of the enormous lawsuit the government did against the five biggest mortgage lenders in the country for "robosigning" and other practices which were not allowed. The mortgage lenders settled for $25 billion earlier this year, according to the LA Times.

There are other families in the Engel family' positions. In fact, Pamela Flores of Georgia got kicked out of her house earlier this year after a comparable situation occurred in which the bank promised a modification that did not work out and she ended up in foreclosure.

Some foreclosure suicides

In 2008, the first cases of "foreclosures suicides" were noticed, according to USA Today. Homeowners who were having problems with their loans started calling suicide hotlines regularly, and they led to suicides. The mental stress is too much for some people to take. This year, there was a murder-suicide in Ohio and March as a result of foreclosure and there have been two suicides recorded this year.



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