The facts are that NACA, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America have done a lot to help struggling homeowners in this devastating foreclosure crisis. However, it appears that this group led by their fearless leader, Bruce Marks is forgetting one key component in operating a foreclosure prevention business, treating your past clients well as you treat your new clients.
If you don’t Mr. Marks, people loose their homes on your watch.
Now, it looks like this is the new nightmare trend for homeowners who are not getting help from their mortgage servicers. Trying to do the right thing, struggling homeowners are now entangled in a never ending web of non-profit disservice. The NACA media machine that is 100% more focused on today’s numbers is failing to assist past homeowner clients who seem to be up loan modification creek without a paddle.
My question to NACA and Bruce Marks is , “Is this about numbers and bringing in the money or saving homes?”
That’s a simple question dude and you better pay attention. The complaints I have received about NACA and these conventions where I have personally seen thousands and thousands of homeowners NOT get help at these events proves the latter. I know this for a fact and have held my blogging tongue far too long.
You see Bruce Marks is or was a friend of mine. (probably the latter after this blog post) It seems like when I started asking Mr. Marks and Darren Duarte his marketing man about helping these past clients and making legitimate complaints as caused him to consider me a foe. That is simply not true. I am here on this earth to do what is right and to tell the truth before honoring false friendships.
What do I mean by this?
Well, NACA has embarked on what I call a foreclosure rock tour promoting their brand of home saving techniques as the Holy Grail of loan modifications. Bruce Marks, the self anointed Moses of mortgage restructuring for homeowners has been quoted several times in media publications claiming that his organization has an 80% success rate.
Well, I have news for Main Street and NACA may not like it. I have actually been invited to two of these Save the Dream conventions by Bruce Marks personally. In early 2008 to Washington DC and later in Hartford Connecticut to stay in hotels, protest and march in Washington DC.
I can say with 110% accuracy that this is 110% false, a lie and I have many homeowners witnesses to prove this fact.
Yes, this is a marketing lie and there in no way in loan modification hell that they are attaining these numbers. I saw thousands of homeowners leave these events discouraged and not helped daily. Now, the NACA complaints I receive daily in my forum have increased 10 fold. Some homeowner have been with the organization for 1-2 years with very little help and terrible service.
I’m confused NACA and Bruce. Is a homeowner who needs help from the past different from a homeowner that goes to these conventions? Why are you discarding these thousands and thousands of homeowners in your database that can’t get help or answers.
Many of their mortgage servicers will not work with these people because they have been told that since they work with NACA, they have to work with NACA. To put it quite simply, these homeowners seen F’d by NACA and left all alone to die a slow, painful foreclosure death while you do rock tours and media interviews.
My question to the Federal Trade Commission is, “Don’t non-profits have to abide by the same laws that regular corporations or business operate under?”
NACA has a huge database of over 300-500,000 homeowner clients from the past that have not been helped are simply getting neglected. All the while NACA and Bruce Marks hold conventions with these employees who should be helping these past clients.
This is not how these Federal funds for foreclosure prevention are supposed to be used Mr. Marks and you know this. Consider this your official warning that you will be watched and reported on for failing to do what is right many times in running NACA. Maybe an investigation by legal authorities will curb this abuse of tax payer dollars and make NACA help past clients?
Don’t become the next Acorn Mr. Marks.
Change your ways now or I will make sure they are brought to public light and these homeowner stories told. Below are some of the true homeowner stories told in my LoanSafe.org/forum and on this blog in regards to their experiences with NACA.
Don’t believe me? These homeowner commenter’s left their real names and maybe NACA should look in that 500,000 homeowner database and locate them. That’s if you can.
Karen Long July 17, 2009 at 8:58 am
I read the article that you wrote in reference to NACA helping people with their mortgages. I attended the “Save the Dream” tour in Columbia, SC this past March. I was one of the thousands that sat in the coliseum for 16 hours & all I have received is lip service. There are 15 people in my church that NACA is supposedly working with, and none of us has received any assistance. NACA doesn’t respond to faxes, emails or phone messages. 4 months later and I have not received any help and NACA will not return my phone calls. I have only received 1 telephone call from NACA in 4 months.
In the article it stated that people can “walk out the same day with a new mortgage”. This is simple not true, irregardless of what Bruce Marks of NACA is saying.I am most concerned because NACA is taking the “Save the Dream” tour to eight more states starting this week. They haven’t completed the backlog from Columbia, SC. Why would they take on more clients? A representative from NACA told me that each NACA negotiator has 5000 clients. This has become a hopeless and frustrating experience.
It appears that while NACA has helped a few people, they are giving false hope to many others.
Do you think this is worth investigating? Please email me if you need additional information.
Thanking you for your consideration
Michael Ormandy August 5, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Ok, how about his story being worth “investigating”. Let’s talk about NACA. I went to their offices 2 1/2 months ago WITH ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION and gave them every single thing they required, first day. We were told it takes 6-8 weeks to get the new loan closed and not to cal NACA, only to email.
They would call us, we were told. After 1 1/2 months and not a PEEP from them or the lender we called many times and finally got someone on the phone who said call back in two weeks. We called back at the two month mark, and were told by a message they no longer had people to answer the phones, to leave a message. Weeks later, no call back. No responses to emails. Two missed mortgage payments, a threatening lender, and nobody to communicate with. The bank acts like they know nothing about it, though NACA said the one time we talked to them that they submitted everything to the bank.
Bottom line: DO NOT USE NACA.
They have horrible / non-existent communications, so you don’t know what is going on, and I have yet to talk to one human being in person who was actually helped by them. All I see is a well orchestrated PR campaign via the internet, and a bunch of “success stories” on internet web pages. Spend the money, hire an attorney, which is who I will be meeting with tomorrow.
Deborah October 11, 2009 at 11:58 pm
NACA is taking on too much and the result is people are getting bad assistance/no assistance. After we went through the entire application with them in April we never heard from them again. In fact, I think the Minneapolis office must have closed. No one else around the country will return our calls. We finally had to re-submit everything again with Wells Fargo. They put us off until we finally had our state attorney general contact them and then they just simply refused to help us. Thanks for nothing NACA! Why do they continue to carry out these campaigns and get more people asking for their assistance if they can’t deal with what they have going on right now.
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Thursday, October 15, 2009
NACA abuses their employee’s
I’ve sent this story to media folks and yet it doesn’t get attention……. Another side of NACA that the nation needs to know, Bruce Marks is in it for the money – he needs to pay his employee’s. “Read This”
Sure NACA can help restructure your home loan and they maybe able to stop a foreclosure or auction. However did you know that their employee’s are abused. They are forced to work 17 hours a day – forced to leave their families for weeks and even a month at a time. Just recently they were taken to the west coast, 3000 miles away from ther families for an estimated 30 days. Get this, they were promised $800/week but after working at the first stop in Los Angeles they were told that they’d be paid $10/hr, some didn’t get paid at all, “due to payroll issues” they said. Now get this, the employee’s were threatened, in writting, that if they got sick or had a family emergency they would be sent home by bus (a 3 day trip). Naca employee’s were threatened by the slave master Bruce Marks. They were told, after working from 8am – 1am that they had to report to work by 7:30am the next morning or be fired and sent back to the east coast by bus.
He equated the long working hours to a Beyonce tour. Exclaiming that Beyonce worked long hours while on tour. Heck if they made Beyonce money it would be worth it. Hey Bruce Beyonce doesn’t work 17 hours a day four days in row even while on tour and $10/hr is unfair and can easily be considered modern slavery………… especially when most of your employee’s are African Americans or hispanic.
If you’ve had it – let us know…………..
Posted by NY-Girl-In-NC at 6:31 AM
God I hope this isnt true. We applied this week in Minneapolis after Countrywide has been giving us the run around for a year. We just want a smart sensible loan that
NACA always says they get. Now we are really scared of losing our home. These dang banks and these money mongers.
Be careful of advocacy groups such as NACA & ACCORN. I have a strong background in loan servicing up to 9 years with the nations top leading loan servicing portfolio holder & just reecently I had answered an advertisement by NACA where as they were hiring for experienced Loss Mitigation Specialists Manager. I tried to make the transition to an advocacy group & was heavily recruited by a friend. Trust me people, NACA or any advocacy group that does not have a history of servicing practices in the are of default servicing is only doing more harm than good. NACA’ s cashed it’s check in on that side of the business due to the fact that the originiations side of the game has been saturated. They have lost volume on their originations portfolio so now they are trying to penetrate the world of default servicing. Bruce Marks scrutinizes the banks for having charging prime customers in the past for PMI(Private Mortgage Insurance). He says that PMI should not be charged to the customer while they are paying their monthly payments. PMI allocation of a borrowers payment goes into a default bucket for your loan servicer/ lender in the event the loan goes into default leading into foreclosure thus the loan is guaranteed thru an insurer of the servicer/ investor choice. This PMI will cover fees incurred while in FC & cover some of the deficiency in the event the loan goes to FC sale & that is only if has suffered some deficiency. So Marks on the origination side when it was high volume was chaging a membership fee for up to about the 1st 6 years of the loan which is almost the equivalency to that of when a Prime Borrower could drop their PMI on their home with their lender(other intagibles factor into that).
Now the question arose if the banks give him billions to take a potential subprime borrower to a Prime borrower buy going through the program where was the leverage in the underwriting guidelines that guarantee his loans in the Prime market? The membership fee. In the servicing world this fee varies from $16-100 or more depending on the house size, market, loan type etc. however his fee is always one standard rate $40-$50. Can you say contradiction. This does not include the four events a year which are usually marches the members have to attend. Is it all coming together now. No matter the rhetoric he preaches if the numbers show up at these marches he has given you the vision he wants to see him as.
Now being that his non-profit business is not making a profit you have to pull back the curtain now a bit. He is no longer making money from his originations portfolio now that originations are down now he is trying to enter the world of servicing which is a totally different animal & take it from me. These guys have no idea of what they are doing. Now whatever deal that have set up with Countrywide & the servicing agreement supposedly they have signed with them they need to just work with those borrowers & really I did not see too much help with those borrowers/ members & come to think of it NACA considers 80/20 loans predatory as well & before leaving I saw several loans coming through the HOMESAVE program that members said were loans originated out of NACA offices that were 80/20 loans. Hmmmmm. But NACA tries to fry chicken with their mouth’s. They make promises & I wish they would stop cause I saw a lot of houses go to FC sale due to broken promises of 3 & 4% fixed interest rates. Postponement of FC Sales & they have no resources to do these things. One of my last counselings to a woman was a to a woman who had a Citi-Mortgage Loan. Now the ladies problems started way in Jan.- late March. Needless to say the lady fell behind & approached her servicer. Now at the same time she was advised to contact NACA. During the conversation I looked thru her file with a team member & she asked me was that the loan mortgage statement(item needed in order to meet the “NACA” criteria) I told her “no”. That is a loan modification agreement. I asked the woman did she no that she had an approved loan modification agreement with Citi agreeing to fix her IR at 7.125% repacking about $11000 worth of payments & other additional fees on the principal balance. She said she did not know what the paper work was. I advised her that during the course of the delinquency you had to have talked to your servicer/ lender & they advised her to forward her information after doing an assessment over the phone. Her response was yes she did. I then asked as to where is the signature page & she responded by stating she did not know. I asked why she did not send the loan modification back signed & she advised that she was instucted by the NACA representative in their offices not to send it back & that they could get her a better deal & that the budget that she gave NACA was a actual better budget. When I looked at it two things stood out though. The lady was giving $400 per month for Tithing & spending money $583.I quesitioned those two things & asked if she could cut back a little because NACA was trying to attain a 3% interest rate & decrease her payment almost $1000. I advised her that this was a bit steep & original agreement when she got the loan was fixed @ 7.125% & orinally the way mods were set up they were for hardships in which she truthfully had. Needless to say NACA’s proposal submission was originally in August 08′ however it has yet to be received by the lender & her home goes to sell on January 6. Now she is receieving these emails from NACA:
We are awaiting a response from your lender. We have called them and sent them either a fax or email. IF THERE IS NO SALE DATE SCHEDULED PLEASE HIT ‘REPLY ALL’ AND TYPE ‘NO SALE DATE’ THEN FOLLOW UP WITH THE LOCAL OFFICE IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY. If there is a sale date we will do everything in our power to get the auction postponed, but you need to have a Plan B “IN PLACE” in case the lender does not cooperate. PLEASE ACT ON YOUR PLAN B IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A POSITIVE RESPONSE IN A TIMELY MANNER. You cannot make NACA your only plan for saving your home. Call your lender and let them know that you want to save your house. It is very important that you save as money as you can to put towards working out a plan with the lender. Also if you have not done so already please look up your local office on our website to a schedule a counseling session immediately so your file can be submitted for review and a determination made about the best way for us to assist you. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR UPDATES USUALLY STARTING ONE WEEK BEFORE THE SALE DATE. LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU AGAIN TO SAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU CAN. PLEASE BE AWARE YOU ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE KEEPING TRACK OF SALE DATE AND FOR SAVING YOUR HOME, SO PLEASE THOROUGHLY EXPLORE ALL OF YOUR LEGAL OPTIONS. Speak to your lender and ask them what options you have for saving your home. Seek legal advice, free or otherwise. Ask a few bankruptcy lawyers about every legal option for saving your home. Call ALL your elected officials including Town Selectmen, City Counselors, State Representatives, State Senators, Mayor and Governor, as well as the your state’s Banking Commission and Attorney Generals Office. Ask them for suggestions about what you should do and who you can call. If the problem is limited income, you may want to get a roommate to add the income needed. KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU NEED TO CARRY OUT YOUR ‘PLAN B’ AND ACT ON YOUR ‘PLAN B’ IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A POSITIVE RESPONSE IN A TIMELY MANNER.
Keep in mind that Countrywide is an extension of BofA now however it sounds like BofA had not included these loans in their primary loan population & was still having them serviced as a 2nd tier servicer. This means they had limited loan retention products & were still operating under some strengent retention workrules. This was a proving ground for NACA & lets be cognizant that this is a business. If BofA sees that this subsidiary(Countrywide) is not performing in an increasingly positive manner the possibility of migrating these loans & many others like yours into their primary portfolios is & will be inevitable. They will not allow Marks nor anyone place them in a precarious situation Did you get the loan via NACA. Like I have previously mentioned NACA is not experienced on the servicing they are more familiar with the originations side. Ooops…from what I can recall BofA saw that NACA had no measurement of success rates & snatch that up as soon as the acquisition was completed. Now Marks is in Fort Mill, SC like the Jim Jones of loan servicing preaching his rhetoric black mailing none other than Wells Fargo….Who in Wells was dumb enough to allow you to penetrate the fabric of loan servicing….Wells had there own problems & now they have allow the wheels to fall of by allowing him through the doors….can you say money wasted. Being that servicers have internal & external compliance policies to adhere to I feel that NON PROFITS such as NACA need to adhere to the same type of scrutiny….
I too had good to the save the drean in LA Sept 09 It has been 30 days and I can not get NACA to answer my emails or phone calls I email almost daily . I don’t know who to call for help . They have you Volunteer for a day no breaks give you 10 dollars for lunch but at the convention center it cost alot more to have lunch . and tell you to come back in the morning and they will give you VIP treatment . Called the persons name on the card no answer again and again . I went in to use the rest room and just never went back out side to wait at the end of the line with 5000 people , The only VIP treatment they give you for 10 hours of work is nothing. I just went with the 1st group of people and sat down . Iwas still there for 6 hours and after I sat with Chase they said “yep they had everything looked good and Case would get back to me in 5-10 days we are on day 30 no emails no phone calls . Naca will not answer my emails or calls .When I left this “save the dream “I was in tears it was the same sory I had heard from Chase for the last 8 months ” you will hear back from us ” I thought that I would leave with a little hope ,but no just tears I cryed the whole way home and felt like a big SUCKER doing their work for free . I had told people about this but I can’t support this group . They wan’t you to help spread the word but how can someone spread the word if NACA is not helping I think I reall F.. up thing this group was going to help me .
I went to the “Break Your Dream (and Waste Your Time)” event in Los Angeles this year. I spent 26 hours there and even spent the night in my car to get in front of Chase. I got the same song and dance. “After 10 days we will get in touch with you”. What a bunch of BS. Chase lies to me everytime I call, and NACA is impossible to get a hold of them. I have never been so sucked in to such a farce in my life. I am in serious financial trouble and will not be able to make ends meet with the recent changes in my life.
INSTEAD OF GIVING HELP TO DOES WHO ARE LOSIGN THERE HOME YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BUSINESS THAT ACUATUALLY ARE TRYING TO HELP US EVEN THOUGHT THEY CAN HELP EVERYBODY BECASUE TO MANY PEOPLE TO HELP, THE ARE TRYING, WHA ARE YOU DONG , COMPLANING , LIKE WE ALL DO .
Oh my God, I literally had the worst experience of my life with NACA today during a phone interview. My wife and I scheduled an appointment and the phone rep went through our financials etc. Instead of offering assistance, she criticized (not critiqued in a constructive way mind you, or offer suggestions, but criticized our budget and went on to viscously attack our entire way of life. For example, she questioned why we had a cell phone and a land phone. We explained that we have young kids in our home and that the land line is more reliable in cases of emergency, etc and that the cell phone keeps us in touch with our children (We have only ONE cell phone for our entire family). She next moved on to what we pay for Cable, food, gas, etc. and every answer brought a sarcastic response. She questioned why we were spending money on our son’s education. She questioned why we have two cars and we explained that in California the transportation system is not like back East where one can give up their cars (she seemed not to have a clue). She asked what kinds of cars we drove and I mentioned the Luxury SUV and after that it was all downhill. She seemed offended that we drove a Luxury car and was behind on our mortgage (a very old car that we owned long before we bought our home and is almost paid off). At the end of the hour long process she said that NACA could not help us because based on their analysis we could afford our mortgage. Simply put, NACA determines what they think you should spend or what your budget should be according to their standards and if you fall outside of those standards they won’t help you. The numbers we gave her for our daycare costs were based on the fact that we expected to get some family help beginning soon so that this cost would be greatly reduced. After she said she could not help us, we asked if the day care cost would make a difference – what we are actually paying now and she said “now you are lying”. It was like a slap in the face, this lady was calling me a liar when we have been entirely 100 percent truthful. Then we asked if NACA could at least intervene with our lender to see if the Lender had anything they could offer (to catch up on our past due payments and to bring the loan current). She said NACA will not be able to assist us further and that we should call our lender ourselves and ask them (Although we previously explained that our lender has not been very responsive). We have a bonefide verifiable financial hardship and have suffered a serious drop in our income, yet NACA will not help us. I personally do not know of a single person NACA has helped but the impression one gets is that if you are still priviledged enough to have a job (and we thank God every day that we have have some type of employment even if in a diminished capacity) they WILL not help you. After reading this forum, I am actually happy that they did not take our case. Maybe our bank will work something out with us or maybe they won’t and we will be forclosured upon – that is a reality we have accepted but at least we won’t have NACA to deal with anymore and we are thankful for that.
What a complete waste of time and energy! My wife & I drove 65 miles to attend the buyers workshop in Compton on 11-7, only to discover the sign saying it was moved to Inglewood when we arrived. After driving to the new location, we were told the workshop was only for loan modifications, and the next buyer workshop is in 2010. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a surprise. Many, many attempts to speak to someone at Inglewood office failed because no one answers their phones and leaving a message is not possible because mailboxes are full or it’s disabled. They have a great rate if you can get, but clearly we aren’t. Will stay with our pre-approved FHA loan and home something in our budget comes along soon.
Why are they so bad?
Thank you guys for publishing your thoughts on NACA. Especially the one on what the employees had to go through on the west coast tour….and to think I was upset I didn’t get to go??!! As far as the bloggers who speak of the non responsiveness of NACA after you’ve had your file submitted to the lenders I would say yes it is a process of wait (30-45dys) unfortunately. But from what I can tell if you have a real hardship, are willin to tighten your budget to the max and still can’t afford your mortgage, or just plain have a ridiculous predatory rate you will have a much better success rate getting your loan mod. thru NACA than not. Maybe once the company hires more people they can get back to some of these homeowners with unanswered questions. I believe numbers and service should go hand in hand. And you shouldn’t have to compensate one for the other, but oh well who asked me for my opinion anyway???
Funnie I had the same experience as Joel. I was attempted to get a loan modification and basically was hung up on today. There person didn’t feel like I had financial hardship. Humm, interesting.. anyhow Naca is a joke. My cousin also attempted to use them and then ended up working out a deal with her lender directly. I wasted plenty of my time and energy just to waste time giving people my personal information and to get insulted and hung up on. I think saving your home from these crooks is a waste. I think if my lender doesn’t cooperate they can take this house and shove it. I’m going to rent and find another place in 5 years.. sad part is my lender is bank of america who got our hard earned taxpayer dollars just to turn around and take your home under a scam. Where’s my bailout????
Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can get a NACA mortgage when it is impossible to contact with them?
I can’t get a hold of any one at Naca. I can’t get any of my information input into their website for the Home Save Program without errors. No one returns calls. I set up a phone appointment and no one called. This whole home affordable program seems to be a complete feel good sham! I started out with Flagstar, got the run around with them for 8 months on my loan modification and then they sold the loan to Nationstar and I doubt they are going to help either. The government is taxing us into a depression, more people are losing jobs and hyper inflation is on the way. Another crappy government program ran by liberals who think socialism is right but history proves that capitalism works and socialism doesn’t. NACA is as corrupt as ACORN and the Urban league. The urban league doesnt want to help you if you are white. Racism is alive but its the white people who are discriminated.
I attended the NACA conference in Phoenix on October 3rd & 4th,2009. As a reminder “IF IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IS PROBABLY ISN’T”. me and my husband spent 12 hours from 12 noon till midnight on the 3rd and got all the way to the NACA counselor. We were told to comde back in the morning of the 4th which we did for approximately 4 hours. I met with my lender Bank of America face to face with a rep from the Loss Mitigation department on my first. I was quoted new terms to restructure mt mortgage. The she walked me over to the HELOC table where we met with two their Reps. They also were going to reatructure my 2nd. Over all I would be saving about $450.00 per month betwen the two mortgages. I asked for documentation in writing that day with regards to the reatructures . I was told we can’t provide any paperwork today, but you will receive all of the loan documents in 2-3 weeks. 3 weeks approached and I did not receive anything. I called Bank of America and I was told I would have to talk to Naca. I called Naca on November 4th and was on hold for 170 minutes. I was able to speak with a team lead who appeared to be very proactive in assisting me. I received only one email that stated a NACA negotiator was going to contact Bank of America. I have been emailing her and another party for several days with no response. I called again on November 9th and held for 51 muntes and was told someone would call me back that day – today is the 12th and I am still waiting for emails and telephone calls. I am now in the loan modification direct with Bank of America that I originated in April 2009. There terms do not even come close to what I was offered at the conference by Bank of America. In fact they have no record of me and no notes in their system about my face to face meeting with the Loss Mitigation department Rep and the HELOC girls. I was also told by Bank of America that the new terms that were offered to me are impossible as they do not meet the guidelines of the MHA (making home affordable)program. So, who do I point the “finger” at ……? I think that this conference is an overgrown publicity stunt, especcially after they asked to do a testimonial on stage in front of about five thousand people. I think I was used along with others to keep he moral and hype up. I would call “emotional abuse”?????? I truly believe thT “WHt goes around – com
NACA MEMBERS HERE THIS!!! I have been a NACA member for 5 years. I have always paid my mortgage and member fees ($50 monthly) on time which is included in my mortgage through BOA. The fee is supposed to pays the mortgage of members who lose their jobs or who cannot afford to pay their mortgage. Well, I was laid off of my job 2 months ago. I went to my local NACA office for assistance. Here I am 2 months later with no assistance and I am facing foreclosure. I submitted everything NACA ask for. NACA will not return my calls, respond to my e-mails and when I go by the office they will not see me. The employees are so unprofessional. They actual sit there and talk to the people like they are kids. NACA is really not the organization I thought they were!
Does anyone know if there is any other organizations that provide low-interest loans for first-time buyers besides NACA & FHA?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
My experience with Naca is as horid as the rest of you. I began working with Naca for a modifiction in September 2009. While I have not been sucked in as long as the rest of you, I have definitely spent as many hours on the phone (absolutely ridiculous wait times, the thought of it raises my blood pressure). I’ve talked to a range of people, some nice, but many were rude, completely ill informed, and I can’t imagine how they were found qualified to be employed by Naca. AFter calling back and forth, being given wrong information, and finally taking the lead with my lender, I received an email from Naca that initialy said that the lender has everything they need and I should receive a response within two weeks, and then (within the same email) being told that it looks like the lender has denied my modification request because my income has increased from the time I first applied for the loan in 2001 (are you kidding me, they expected me to be making the same salary I made in 2001). I was told to move forward with PLAN B. What damn plan B? I couldn’t believe someone was dumb enough to put in writing that I ned to move forward with Plan B (doesn’t Naca’s web site say that if you aren’t approved for a modification they will help you until you achieve an affordable solution). I can’t believe that the media, who has given Naca a lot of of positive press, isn’t all oer the fact that there is clearly another side to this organization. We need to call everbody in the media until someone responds.
THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. Although the warning signs, in hindsight, begin a few days earlier with trying to “register” for the NACA’s (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) Home Save Program Tour when they were here the first time this past October, and never receiving a return confirmation after leaving all the details requested (name, address, phone no.’s, etc.). However, after being told about NACA by my sister in California, who’d heard about the success of others there and liking what I read on the website, I was excited about this opportunity to modify/lower my mortgage payments. The true start of my odyssey began Monday, October 5th when I went to the NACA’s Home Save Program Tour that was held at the Phoenix Convention Center (PCC) from Friday, October 2nd to Monday, October 5th. If you recall there was a bomb scare that caused the “partial” evacuation of the PCC for more than two hours; I was included in that group that appeared to be at least a thousand people. Upon re-entry into the building, those of us that had “registered,” were shown to a room, while others in various stages of the tour were guided elsewhere.
There are four steps involved in the NACA Home Save Program Tour. First step is Registration: relatively easy form (this was the easiest step in the process for me since when I arrived at the PCC around 11:30 a.m. there were only a couple individuals at the registration desk and the form is painless; second step is Orientation: NACA employee tells you all about NACA, Bruce Marks’ (CEO) vision, defines predatory lending, what NACA does, how NACA does it, and why NACA does what they do; third step is Consultation with a NACA employee: goes over your budget, verifies required paperwork submission, tells you what they will be recommending to your lender, and why the lender usually accepts their offer; fourth/final step: meeting with the Lender: says ye’ or ne’ to the offer and/or states what can/will be done. While literally thousands are waiting to go through one or more of the aforementioned steps, testimonials are encouraged, by NACA personnel, and given by those that have achieved a resolution and affirmation having just “met with their lender” throughout the process as an encouragement for those waiting hour upon hour to complete the tour/save their homes.
My personal timeline (very close approximates):
At the PCC Monday, October 5th from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (5 hrs.; Registered (step 1) and went through Orientation (step 2); where after being allowed to return inside the PCC, we were all strongly encouraged and given a voucher to bypass lines, etc., to go to Las Vegas if “our lender” was traveling with the tour; mine was: Wells Fargo).
Me, and a friend I ran into at the PCC also going through “the tour”, drove to Las Vegas (approximately 5 hr. drive) on Friday, October 9th.
At the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Friday, October 9th from 1:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. (12 hrs; we both met with a Counselor (step 3) after waiting for more than 11 hrs.). The “bypass voucher” received in Phoenix at the PCC, was nothing more than “wait sooner than later voucher,” since it was announced that more than 4,000 individuals showed up at the LVCC with the so-called “bypass vouchers.”
Returned to the LVCC Saturday, October 10th from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (7 hrs; met with Lender (step 4) after waiting almost 6 hrs. Shawn self-reported that he is a Wells Fargo veteran of more than 13 yrs., currently working in the Maryland “home office” Loss and Prevention Department.).
Total hours spent waiting/meeting: 24 hours (does not include travel time).
Upon meeting with my Wells Fargo’s representative, Shawn, he made it very clear that he was the final word; there was no ambiguity and/or mention that any further steps were required and/or necessary to be taken once an agreement was set at our meeting. More importantly, his “speech” was to make it very clear to me that whatever he did was totally up to him, representing Wells Fargo, and not influenced by NACA or their recommendation. I had absolutely no problem with that, and actually it was comforting, since that is the reason for the long lines being experienced at the PCC today (and probably most of this week), and that is NACA’s sell! Individuals are able to meet with their lender and establish a restructured and/or loan modification/solution to their loan right then and there; that is the push of the whole tour!
Additionally, throughout the waiting of each step there are continuous announcements, testimonies, and promotion of NACA, its services (almost prison-camp style/Jim Jones-style since the rhetoric never ceases the entire time you are going through the process), asking that everyone be patient, the process, the point of the hours of waiting, and that the tour itself is designed to get final word directly from your lender; all if you are just patient.
In fairness to the tour, it was mentioned that if people had their loans serviced by a lender who had “investors,” those lenders’ representatives would have to get final approval/permission from those “investors” before moving forward with an agreement/settlement of their respective loan. I witnessed individuals being told this, and being sent back to their seats to wait for final approval/permission to settle the restructuring of their loan. Sometimes the phone calls seemed instantaneous, others seemed to wait several hours; either way, people left with a resolution. The “investor” scenario was not applicable to me. In fact, I waited an additional 30-45 minutes because I was told I that my loan was a “Fannie Mae” loan; and supposedly, easier for final approval of recommended restructure.
At the end of my session with my Wells Fargo representative, Shawn, I was told by Shawn that my loan had been approved for a restructured “fixed rate of 3% for the balance of my loan.” That my “payments would begin on December 1st, and that payment would be $878/month;” exactly, $202/ month less than my payment at the time. The monthly payments that had been missed “would be put back into the loan.” Shawn even did the elaborate move of turning his screen around so that I could see him delete my late payment fees of $77.40 (I believe; if not exact amount very close to it). Shawn further stated that I “should receive my paperwork within seven to ten days,” and that I would “no longer contact Wells Fargo regarding my mortgage, and that I would need to contact NACA for all communications going forward, especially should my financial circumstances change.” No paperwork was given, you are instructed to leave and wait for your final paperwork; that’s it.
During the wait time of “the paperwork,” Wells Fargo’s “collections” still has your phone number on automatic redial. When two full weeks had passed without any paperwork for my newly restructured loan I started attempting to contact anyone that would speak to me regarding my loan at NACA. First thing that is obvious is an individual will never get an individual on the phone calling the toll-free numbers. Once that realization dawned on me, I went through the paperwork I had and found out the main office was located in Jamaica Plains, MA, and was able to go through directory assistance to reach the number to their main offices.
Finally, we are at the crux of why I am contacting you. Not only as of today’s date, November 23, 2009 have I not received any paperwork regarding my loan. I have only been able to get through twice to an individual at NACA’s offices after leaving numerous messages, as instructed, with no return call, email, or any type of return communication. NACA’s phone system is not designed for a rotary phone; and it is only one of several ways individuals are instantly disconnected. After calling another office in Lawrence, MA, I was told to just hold on; do not leave a message, do not choose an option, just hold for an operator.
October 28, 2009, at 10:50 a.m. was the first time I eventually spoke to an individual who identified himself as a “counselor” named Jose’, after holding for nearly an hour. Jose stated that “although he showed my paperwork was submitted on October 10th, 2009, the bank states, via the computer, that they received by paperwork on October 27th, 2009 (interesting coincidence the day before I called). Jose’ suggested that I “call back in two weeks from today’s date if I have not received anything from the bank, and that would be past their 30 days which is until November 10th.” That was it; nothing else was needed from me. I just needed to wait and “that everyone is behind.”
When I had not received any paperwork by the end of the weekend of November 7th, I decided to contact NACA again beginning Monday, November 9th. Realizing that I would probably be on hold for at least an hour, I set aside the entire afternoon just to make contact. On November 9th at 1:40 p.m. the recording stated my “NACA member ID number; we have identified your counselor and transferring,” then ends the call! This happened three times until I changed to option “0” where I stayed on hold for the hour and a half; then disconnected.
Started calling again the morning of Tuesday, November 10th; this time I went through the various “options” on the recording to try and reach an individual, even selecting the option of “house at auction,” (or something similar), hoping it would get an individual who handles people whose houses are at the point of being auctioned to no avail. Once again my call was either promptly disconnected with the selection of some options, or disconnected after waiting for over an hour with others, or just finally on hold for several hours before eventually giving up. I even quipped with Jose’ that that is how NACA avoids speaking to anyone they just keep them on hold so long, most people are unable to stay on hold long enough to speak with someone.
Upon my return to work on Thursday, November 12th, there was a message left on my office phone from Jessica of Wells Fargo on Monday, November 9th, stating that my paperwork had been received, and I would be hearing from Wells Fargo within the next five business days.
On Friday, November 13th, I received a letter from Wells Fargo, dated November 5th stating they were in receipt of my “request for assistance with your mortgage payment challenges.” Then bold headings for the next three paragraphs: “We’re reviewing your request.” “We’ll keep you posted.” And “Next steps.” UNBELIEVABLE! I was stunned!!! Remember, I spent 24 hours going through NACA’s tour, and waiting to speak with a lender, waited for paperwork to arrive as promised, spent numerous hours on hold and waiting to speak with someone at NACA to receive a letter dated November 5th, that “We’re reviewing your request!”
Of course upon receipt of this communication, intermittent calls were made on November 13th and 17th; however, unable to endure the wait time and be productive at work. Finally, on Wednesday, November 18th, after disconnected after an hour wait, calling back, and waiting on hold for an hour and 45 minutes for a “customer service representative,” I spoke with Candace. Once again, communications are laden with the non-accommodating attitude, no advocacy, no helpfulness, just saying whatever necessary to hopefully get me off the phone; however, I was persistent enough to find out the following:
When asked for Jose’s supervisor’s name and supervisor, Candace lied and stated she had put it in the email she sent me; of course, that was not the case.
1) There in fact was no counselor assigned as stated by the recording that identifies and tells you your NACA membership ID upon calling. Verifying that they have your phone number.
2) That the documents I had submitted in Las Vegas, given the originals back after copies were made for “my lender/servicer” were supposedly missing. More on that below.
3) I was supposedly told by Jose’ of the missing documents; and he had made note of it in the computer. This was such a horrendous lie I was rendered speechless.
4) Although NACA has all of your contact information they do not notify you of any missing documents and/or any other pertinent information regarding your loan, lender’s requests, missing documentation, etc. Nothing.
5) The onus is on the member “to just call” (per Candace), and deal with NACA’s appalling, appalling phone system. The same system that asks you to leave information for a call back, as does their website; however, even their own employee stated they do not call you back! To quote Candace, “There are no call outs.” I have never received a return call.
6) No one is allowed to speak with a supervisor and/or counselor.
7) Upon my request, when I received the email from Candace regarding “the servicer’s” missing documents, it states “rcvd mortgage statement, homeowners insurance, tax statement, 4506-t, hardship affidavit, proof of income.” I emailed back that I was confused since this states, “rcvd,” which universally means “received” and requested the communication regarding what was missing, Candace sent another email consisting only of NACA’s Fax Cover Sheet as a response.
From the first person I was able to get through to in the NACA office in Lawrence, MA to the individual I spoke with on November 18th, ALL sound overwhelmed to the point of rudeness, e.g. saying whatever is necessary to get rid of the call as soon as possible and/or placate the person on the phone until they are able to get rid of the call. There is no “advocacy” felt and/or helpfulness extended in the communications even though that is what NACA touts throughout its tours, and as they encourage you to tell your family and friend.
Worse, even as I’m writing you this communication, there has to be others experiencing this same fate, if you will; as well as this week at our own PCC, where hundreds, if not thousands, are going through what I went through in October will have little to no support from NACA when it is all said and done.
I may be a fluke in their system; however, somehow I highly doubt it by the treatment I’ve received just with the phone system!
NACA DROPPED THE BALL AND IS NO ONE’S ADVOCATE ANYMORE!
I am with you, SISTER! I have been working with NACA since August! Every month, I am told, I am missing paperwork. They have so much paperwork on me, that they needed to start another file. The icing on the cake was last Monday. I had an appointment. I was at my desk at 10 am and had my cell phone in hand. No one called. When I waited on hold for 90 minutes and talked with a counselor, I was told that the floor supervisor would call me back. She never did. I was told that they called my home and cell phone. They said they called my home. It was a lie. When I called them out, they told me they called my cell too. I said you couldn’t have, I have had it in my hand for 2 hours waiting for THE call. All of a sudden my cell phone rang twice and then disconnected after 14 seconds. Someone trying to prove they called my cell? I want Bruce marks e-mail address. Anyone have any contact info for him?
I am going thorugh the home purchase program at this time and every time I take a step forward something pushese me back, The counselor does not seem to know what is supposed to be done and no one returnes calls. I have sent email after email with no response ot the counselor will call and give a song and dance. This is the last thing I sen them: I have been working through NACA to purchase a home but at every turn I am blocked. When I was finally approved I thought that was the hard part but first I was brought in to a purchase workshop a week before the approval came through and was verbally told I was approved for $100000.00. When the paperwork came through the next week it was only for $43373.00. I was beyond disappointed but tried to work within those constraints. When the realtor I was given came up with an investor he wanted me to buy from I was approved for $65000.00. When I changed realtors the amount went back to the $43373.00. With my new realtor I found a house and made an offer of $40000.00 and then was told you can only offer the listing price. The bank did agree to this and accepted that amount. I had an inspection and now I’m told the utilities have to be on. Most of the foreclosures have no utilities on. If this is something that has to be done why is it not spelled out in the purchase workshop or on your website. Every time I ask a question I’m told to finds out from my mortgage counselor but if I could get the answer from him I wouldn’t have to ask anyone else. He does not seem to know what the steps are and each time I make one I am being pushed back another one. Now I have to pay for another inspection that if I had known to have utilities on we could have made an arrangement for. I did this as it was in the workshop that the inspection has to be within 3 days of the offer being accepted.
Also why not make completing the bank loan application part of that workshop and then when an offer is accepted only the missing information would have to be added instead of having to wait to make an appointment to go back to do that. During the almost 2 hours I waited for the workshop to begin I could have done that instead of just sitting around waiting for a PowerPoint to be read in ten minutes.
It seems like no one is working with me but doing the opposite hoping I’ll give up and go away.
This was supposed to be for people with moderate means and ways to get a part of the American dream of home ownership. I am disappointed and disgusted by the way this process is not proceeding. I was given an amount to have for this but nothing I was given has been correct. Everything is way more expensive than what I was lead to believe.
I am willing to sign what ever waivers necessary to release NACA from unseen repairs if this can get the ball rolling again. If there are future repairs I will handle them
Guess I wont be working with NACA any time soon!!
NACA has helped us, we were patient with them. We were behind 8 months, now we are on a fixed 3.2 interest. AND ONE GOOD THING IT DID NOT COST US A CENT.
I don’t know why BofA , Wells Fargo and the other banks cannot do this. NACA has helped a lot of people so don’t believe the lies that you hear. Try it and you will be suprised. Just be patient…that’s the key through the NACA process….just trust in them..to negotiate with your banks.
I first had went to NACA back in 2007 interested in purchasing a home through NACA. At that time I did not go through with the whole process being that the cost to buy a home was sky rocketed. I have since returned to NACA this summer to again go through with the home buyers process. I have completely submitted ALL of my paperwork to be pre approved for a mortgage. After I had done so the counselor that I have been working with said that I had an out dated document that needs to be resigned. i went to the office and resigned the document..I emailed the couselor in regards to my status and he said I needed to go back in again to sign an out dated document. I did email him back that that was the purpose of my going to the office the prior week, and he said he did not know what document(s) I need to have resigned. If you are a counselor you NEED to know your job and what forms need to be signed or updated. I made an appointment, which i might add that no NACA does not answer their phones and you can barely get a call back from them. I went into the office and the counselor was not in, so I rescheduled for the next week and he was not in again! I asked if someone else could help me and the receptionist told the manager, which was no help at all, go over my file. The manager was very disrespectful, he had the audacity to ask me if I hit the lottery in regards to the amount I was looking for in a mortgage. How dare he down all the hard work I have been going through just for a PRE APPROVAL for a mortgage. And it so happens that the counselor did come into the office that day. He took more updated forms from me and had me resign and outdated document. Later on that week I emailed him again in regards to my status and he said that I need to update more documents. WTF this company is definatley a shame, they are unprofessional, uncoordinated and the office is in complete chaos. I did go back to the office after the last email, and the receptionist did say that the whole office isn’t going to be in for the next three weeks for the save the dream seminars. NOBODY told me anything about it and here I am still unapproved after two months of going back and forth with this office who has all of my most personal documention and information. The experience with NACA has been entirely false and dissapointing. I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO TO THEM. They do no service in the home purchasing process to anyone.
I can understand everyones hardship and trails during this economic catastrafy. I also no that when something is offered free of service, everyone wants it. If you havebeen to one of NACA’s tours or even seen it on the news, then you know how many people need/want help. It would be wonderful if all 300 NACA Home Save Counselors/member service employees ( the employees that assit in helping at-risk homeowners) could help over 900,000 members (you) in one day, answering all your calls and emails without overwelhming wait times. Unfortunatly it’s impossible. That’s like have to pay $900,000 in bills everymonth with only $300. I do sympathize with the members that have been called liers, as well as those that have been mislead by there lenders/ anonymous investor. NACA is giving you advice and negotiating with the banks on your behalf for FREE! There not charging you some ridiculous amount of money to intial do the same job. Yes you have to call your bank and stay on them to make sure they have all your documents. Include your loan number on every paper sent, call at least once a week. NACA is not the one who gave you your high interest rate, or screw you over with fees that don’t make any since because that’s the banks legal way of charging you for a modification. Further more NACA is going to go over your budget with you to make sure the numbers that they sumbit to your bank is as accurate as possible. You still have to be able to afford a mortgage. If you gross $5000 a month and your expenses is $8000, something has got to change. Maybe shop at walmart instead of macy’s, eat chicken for dinner instead of steak, buy suave sampoo instead of pantene, don’t spend $1000 on black Friday for Christmas, the list can go on and on, but you get the point. I am not saying that none of you haven’t made those changes already, but understand if you haven’t, then you need to. Your bank isn’t going to lose money for you just because you want a lower mortgage so you can spend money on things you can go without.
I purchased my home in 2000 through Naca. I still reside in that home with a interest rate of 7.125. Through a friend I learned that the Save the Dream Tour was coming to Charlotte, N. C. Dec. 3 – Dec.7. On Thursday evening I learned that another friend had gone and got her interest rate reduced from 5.5% to 2%. Oh my God, I was really excited! I stayed up until 4 a.m. Friday morning getting all my paperwork together. I set my alarm for 5:45, got up, and was at The Merchandise Mart at 6:45. I stood in line ( 30 something degree weather) freezing! I went through all the steps. I was directed to the counselor. The counselor said my ID # looked strange, so she called for help. The help that came exclaimed, “oh, you already bought your house through Naca, you get VIP treatment”. So he escorted me across the room. At this time I was feeling like a VIP! He asked me to sit and I would be the next person in line to see my new counselor. My turn comes, I sit, the counselor is rudely talking to one of her friends. I start filling out my financial report, she stops talking to say there’s no need for me to fill out the report and continues talking. After about 10 min. of talking she turns to me ask my name, enters it in the computer and says, “there’s nothing we can do for you. You’re already a NACA member. We didn’t think any of you would come. I ask, “why would I not come when I have 7.125 interest rate and I hear you’re offering as low as 2%. She told me maybe I could get in the HAMP program. I left there mad as —-! I stayed up until 4, got up at 5:45, stood in line and froze my butt off. All for nothing. When I got home I called 4 news stations and told them it needs to be reported that if you purchased your home through NACA you a disqualified from the restructuring so others won’t waste their time. The least NACA could do is to make this public announcement when they come to any city.
I wish someone would please explain the reason to me, because I can make no sense of it no matter how hard I try. You know the saying “take care of your own first”. NACA is throwing their own to the wolves once the papers are signed.
All NACA is concerned about is adding new names to their roster.
In 2004 my salary was cut in half. I thought I could get some help because of the $50.00 set aside for homeowners in trouble. I received no help.
Mr. Bedard, it needs to be made public prior to coming to any city that past NACA client are disqualified from restructuring. Also, Mr.Bedard, NACA needs to explain the reason behind this craziness. I’m sure the banks wouldn’t have a problem if NACA approved it (or do the banks only want new customers also). I spoke with a couple of NACA representatives on my way out and they had no clue as to why. Mr. Bedard would you please try and find out for me and others. It should be illegal. Please contact me Vanessa Jackson – vanessa14@att.net. with any information. Thanks,
Oh, by the way, I was there until right at 12 – 5 hours wasted time.
Yes, I have had the same experience with NACA. I went to save the dream tour on 8/8/2009 in Atlanta. I have yet to hear any updates in regard to my loan. I have to hold long hours to speak to someone at NACA and generally get customer service with bad attitude and no updates. They do not return phone callls, emails, faxes etc. Basically, if your servicer is not at the event to help, you can forget getting help later. I do agree that they totally forget about past clients. You would think they would focus on past clients and getting those folks taking care of before they have another tour! They talked a good game with no results.
It is obvious that the banks are not helping homeowners:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business/economy/06gret.html
The only way to solve this matter is to forget about “saving your home”, forget about NACA, and force the banks to take (their share) of responsibility. It is time for every homeowner who is underwater to stand up and strategically force foreclosure. You think I am crazy? Well think again. Only when we protest in numbers, we force the matter and make our society change its attiutude.
Throw your aspirations about saving your credit out the window. You do the math; your home is worth 30-50% less than what you paid for it before the subprime meltdown. I am in an upside-down interest only loan. I paid 350k for a condo in 2005 where today other units went FC and are selling for $165k. Why should I be afraid of screwing my credit? I can pocket the money for up to a year before I need to leave. After that I can rent an apartment for a third of the cost. In 5-6 years time I will be able to pay cash for a house. Don’t worry, our housing market is completely destroyed and will take 7-10 years to come back. By that time, the FC will be off my credit report so I can make a choice on whether I want to give the bank some business by taking out a new loan, or go the cash route.
I went to NACA at the LA Convention Center 3 months ago. My story is the same as yours. I waited for hours, was lied to, and still no action from NACA or the bank.
Personally, I have NO credit card debt. I own an old PAID OFF car. I eat at home and brown bag lunch to work. I shop at TJ Max and Ross. I do not have cable. My wife is going to have a baby soon.
I have come to realize that NACA and Marks do not give a s#$% about me. My bank calls me to tell me that I have a moral obligation to pay my loan. Oh, really? If they were moral, they would not drag their feet on the “Making Home Affordable” program. The banks are profit driven machines and do not care about morals.
The report below was written by a professor at the University of Arizona. It really opened my eyes and I think you will enjoy reading it. If the link goes bad you can google “Underwater and Not Walking Away”.
I wish all of you the best of luck…..
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/real_estate/SSRN-id1494467.pdf
I posted a comment on this blog Sat. morning. I’d like to know if it was received being I didn’t see it posted. Please send me a response to let me know it was received.
Thanks,
I drove my parent to the Save the Dream in Charlotte, NC Dec 2009. Wells Fargo put my elderly parents in not one but two a sub-prime loan with a bait and switch. We arrive the day before event and was outside with the others waiting in line. We met Bruce Marks early that morning. The next day we went through the home counselor stage but my parent were already in the system because we had been waiting for a response from Wells Fargo since September 2009. As we went through negotiation process Well Fargo refused to move. Their workout plan (Wells Fargo) was for my parents to go from a ten (10) year loan to a thirty (30) year loan without changing the interest rate of 9.75%and keep them at the 12% equity line they attached to the loan when they promised them 6% single loan but change the terms literally at the closing table. I was so frustrated I was literally in tears. As we started to leave we needed to complete the “no resolution form”. I look up and saw Bruce Marks. I walk over to him and handed him the no resolution form and asked him “What am I suppose to do with this…Well Fargo will not work with my parents”. I explained to him the original bait and switch, the current 10 year term (of which they had already paid a year) and the sub-prime rate on both loans. His first question was why were they changing the term of the loan and why weren’t they (Well Fargo) consolidating both loans. He immediately walked over to Well Fargo table and addressed the Well Fargo person we were dealing with and asked him why he was not following the agreed upon NACA guidelines . Unfortunately for the Well Fargo person he did not give Mr. Marks the appropriate response and stated what Wells Fargo did not have to do. Mr. Marks told him he was throwing out not just him but ALL the Well Fargo reps immediately and they could not leave throught the back door but through the front were all the news cameras were. He then got on his cell phone and called the VP of Well Fargo Financial. The Well Fargo rep was so shocked he began to studder. He turned to me and said we can work this out. I chuckled. Not only did my parents get the terms we wanted but we were able to sign the agreement the same day at a local Wells Fargo branch. (a reduction of $1000 per month) GO BRUCE AND ALL THE NACA CREW…..!!!!
Seems like the only way to get anything done through NACA is to have Bruce Marks take care of it himself. Good luck with that, I can’t even any person on the phone. The frustrating part is that when I call my servicer I am not even allowed to receive any information on my restructure, I have to get it through NACA. I’m the one paying the damn mortgage and I am not allowed to get info!! Still waiting…. I’m sorry now that I recommened NACA to other people who are now stuck in the same boat as us.
I have read the disappointments about these so called clients of NACA. But , i know 1 st hand of 2 employees who work for NACA, whom are not educated enough to educate people to give advice on personal finance. One employee i know has filed bankruptcy twice. That’s some of the character of this company. I would like to meet the HR guy with this company, so i can find out if he is on crack….i went to one of these seminars and they are full of crap.
6 months and nothing. NOTHING! We have called and called NACA… Nothing. If you’re lucky enough to have the time to wait for someone to answer (usually 1 1/2 hours!!) the reps are clueless and the most they can offer is to send a reminder email to our bank. We eventually called our bank and find out that months ago they rejected our first offer and sent it back to NACA to work out another dollar amount. We called NACA and they have no record of it! During this time we tried going with HOPE (the government one, not the scam one) and they were moving very fast after submitting our paperwork and then our bank closed it down due to us having an open NACA file. We’ll we are closing our file with NACA and moving on to someone who has the ability to help. Like others have posted here, NACA talks a good game and like most con men, have pat responses to pull at your emotions and keep you strung along. I’m wondering now if they just want your name on the pledge form the make you sign before they with try to help you to inflate political influence and forget all the rest. Who knows. The final point is I don’t have a year to sit and wait for them to maybe find a solution. I’m done with them.
All I keep reading from every body is what Naca don’t are can’t do. Naca did not put you in the problem that your into at this time. Somebody is trying to help and all you do is sit on your ass and cry. If it was that easy dealing with the banks we would not need other groups to help us but it’s not so suck it up. If anybody knows away to get it done. Tell every body and stop crying. Be proactive and not reactive. Help with the governent make a change. That’s all I got to say because every thing it’s me me me why nobody help. Let’s be strong people and try to do something for our self.
Does anybody know any billionairs that want to make alot of money saving all of us. Im about to be thrown in the street with my wife and kids because GMAC/GINNIE MAE wont drop my morgage by $100.00 a month.
American Bob
I wish I did Bob, but they seem to own all these mortgages. GMAC is under US Gov control right now. Contact your local and state Gov officials and raise hell!!!
I Understand – #32 – Are you just a troll? No one here blamed naca for getting them into their situations. They blame naca for promising to help get them out of the situation and then stringing them along for months/years.
The most surprising thing I have found about this thread is that people have actually bought homes through naca. After spending time going through the homebuyer process, I thought the concept of a “low interest NACA homeowner” was a myth.
Also, Bruce Marks’s image should be on the front of the NACA website alongside the predatory lenders. Making promises you can’t keep to people who are at their emotional breaking point should be a jailable offense.
I have a question kieth. So it’s Naca that have people on hold. Once again if the lenders was that easy. I’m going to say real slow ,if the lenders was that easy thousand of people would have paid companys to help with there mortgages. Beside crying ,if you have a better answer please let me know. All that I keep reading is Naca this and Naca that. What about the banks are what about the governent. All they are thinking about is to stop the president. I would like to say thank you kieth do you work for the bank. Are you lender. Every good luck and keep on trying , somebody hot to.
I know from experience that NACA does not help. I worked for NACA. I seen employees’s not get paid. But have to work very long hours. They love to hire people that are poor and struggling them selves. What better people to put your cause out there. I have clients that have been trying to get there loans modified for way over a year. People that should qualify to purchase but give up and get a loan directly from the bank easier after 6 months and even after a year with NACA Purchase. Even clients that drove to events went on news excited that they got 2% perm mod just to have 6 months go by and still nothing and no one at NACA will talk to them. They now saved their home due to having to see an attorney to do so. There pruchase program is a joke as well. Mr. Marks may have been for the people before but not any more it is all about the all mighty $$$$$$$. He makes millions on the events and it only cost 1.5 million to put on. Funny even then tries not tp pay his hard working staff. he seen how much he can make so he is all about numbers. That is why so many events going on who cares about if anyone gets helped. If you have a pay issue they threaten to fire you and then you have to take a bus home and never get what you deserve. I do not blame the employees I blame Him. He is a predator himself. We are not in slavery days so why hire 90% minority and treat them like slaves. I seen several friends lose everything working for NACA not because they did anything wrong but because they could not be paid what they were owed. I would not depend on there lies and false hope. I caught on and finally left the business. I cared but the company did not. Their turn over is high because people come on board all excited then when they see what it is they leave. The people that work for NACA need to be given a break they are just trying to do the impossible. They do not know the truth yet. Mr. Marks does not tell anyone his pay. He makes over $150,000 a year and guess what his wife works there as well making big bucks while all his employee struggles. Someone needs to investigate the company. I tried to have people stand up to him before I left but people are scared. That is sad. Everyone needs to give up on NACA and research on line and do it yourself you would have better results and more chances to save your home. rememebr it is your home not NACA’s they really do not care if they save it or not. Ask other still current employees if they have been there awhile meaning 6 months or longer if they care they will tell you the truth. I can and will answer any question not as a discruntel employee but someone that cares and left because I care and no one would listen and stand up to NACA.
EXNACA- Employee and in retail now but better off in long run.
I attended a save the dream even in Phoenix,AZ back in October 2009. We were there 14 hours the first day and were told at 11pm that the workers would not be able to get to us. We were told to come back the next day and that we would start where we left off in line. We had to wait in a line around the building for 2 hours to get in to talk to someone then we had to wait again to get back to where we were. Once we finally got with our mortgage servicer we went through all the paperwork and we were told that we were approved for a modification but because we had sallie mae as our investor that the modification could not be done on the spot. We were told it would be sent to the investor for final approval and that it would take 2 weeks. After two weeks I called the bank and they said they had no record of anything that had occured over the 20 some hours spent at the convention. I continued trying to push my bank and naca (sitting on hold to get a rep for over 2 hours every week). Naca would say they have not heard from my servicer and my servicer said they have not heard from naca. Not only that but because I was working with naca they refuse to give me ANY information on the status of my modification. I eventually researched and got a number for fannie mae my investor. They had not even been notified that my loan was in trouble. It is now 5 months later. I have not gotten anywhere just sent through hoops of paperwork and holding and reps that have no clue whats going on. NACA has not helped me at all and possibly have made it worse. I am now seeking legal advice and may hire an attorney as my advocate. However I caution others because I know several people who were taken by legal groups and attorneys who claim to get modifications. There just is no help out there for homeowners in trouble. No one cares about the hundreds of thousands of people losing their homes.
To I Understand:
No one here is crying. We are being PROACTIVE in warning others that NACA is NOT the answer they are looking for and that they are limited in what they can achieve, which is contradictory to what they feed thousands of hopeful people. Is bashing and degrading good people that are suffering from a down economy your idea of being PROACTIVE??? Maybe you should do humanity a favor and try being CONSTRUCTIVE rather than “PROACTIVE”.
hello NICHOL who is your real investor? at first you said it was sally mae but after that you stated it is fannie mae, what is your naca ID? so we can see what happen with your file.
I too attended the Naca Convention in Los Angeles in 2009. I went into a forbearance agreement with Bank of America of course, Naca stated that would be best for me. I was told by BofA that I was prequalified for the MHA program. I have continuously contacted NACA with no solution. I am on permanenty disability, responsible consumer, no credit card debt with a good fico score. Naca is not professional, I too was told to refax documentation in that Naca already had. Something needs to be done to organizations that promote themselves and not do what they stand for. I pray for all homeowners.
Patricia; the reason why you were ask to resubmit some of the documents again it is because every 3 months all financials need to be update and if the only give a forbearance was because you needed more money to get into an affordable payment….if you provide me with your NACA ID i will be more than glad to overview your status
My only hope is NACA if any one know what are other option to modify my Citi mortgage let me know. best credit score my id is 857385
My bank sent a proposal to NACA which I would like to accept but I cant get a hold of NACA. I plan on sueing them!!!!!
Jessica; please send me your NACA ID i will be more than happy to look into it for you
I dont want to put my NACA ID on the computer but I will e-mail it to you if you give me the e-mail address
wcleves@naca.com
Hello all, I’m interested in NACA’s participation pledge, which requires political activism. How is that enforced? Does anyone have experiences with this? Please email me: NACA.story@gmail.com
My mum and I have been trying to save our home since Dec 2009. My sister and my little nephew, who has lost his dad live with us because they have no where else to go. We turned to NACA because our mortgage company is just pure evil and don’t care but NACA seems to have turned their backs on us. Requesting for documents to be resubmitted and every month some new ones to be send in. We are now losing our home because we can’t pay the high mortgage and the worst part is I’ve never seen my mum cry so much in my life even after we lost our first home to a fire. Do they get some sort of a thrill giving people false hope
The only way to get a modification is to STOP MAKING YOUR PAYMENTS.
I stopped making payments and after 2 months was offered a trial modification to drop my payments by $800 per month.
If you feel badly about missing payments, forclosing, etc (for moral obligations) then ask yourself if you are a socialist or a capitalist. The banks are capitalists, and you should be too! Be brave and play hardball. The banks are in over their heads with foreclosures and everytime they foreclose, they are driving down the cost of home values which in turn they inherit from more foreclosures (a domino effect). They are under political pressure to modify loans this year since they rejected so many last year.
Read the attached and educate yourself.
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/real_estate/SSRN-id1494467.pdf
AMA B; what is your NACA ID let me see what i can do for you, who is your lender.
I met with a NACA counselor May 2009, may information was not submitted until 06/16/2009. I made a follow-up call with NACA in 2 weeks and the representative told me to call back in 2 more weeks because they have to allow 30 days for the servicer to respond. This went on for many months and I was finally told then information was not submitted to Countrywide now Bank of America. They did not request any documents again from me until October 2009, December 17, and 29. They finally sent a proposal on January 14, 2010. I tried calling NACA for about a week and could not get anyone on the line to discuss the proposal. When I did I got a representative on the line he was very rude and unprofessional. He had the nerve the tell me that they would not agree to the proposal that NACA had sent over. He kept saying are you kidding me, they will never approve that. I tried telling him they did approve the proposal, that it was not what NACA had submitted and that’s why I was calling. I could not keep my cool any longer with the person and ask what was his problem and why he was so rude. He said that I was rude. I told him I was not rude, I just wanted to know why he was so rude to me. I said I know it’s almost 11:00 and you want to go home, but I need some help. The representative hung up. I called back and was hung up on 4 times. I finally got another gentleman on the line and I ask if the calls were recorded because the last person I talk to was very rude. He said they record all calls. I explained what had just happen and he said he know who that is and he just talk like that. I told him that’s not a way to talk to anyone who is calling for help. After explaining why I was calling he said he would have his manager to call me and note my account as to what happen. He put me hold and came back and told me he put my file on his managers desk and I should receive a call from him the next day. Well, that day never came because I never received a call from him. I had scheduled appointment and a NACA counselor was to call me on 02/05/10, to discuss the proposal. I did receive a call from the counselor and I agreed to the proposal and was told to check accept and enter my notes and request they send my loan documents to sign. I was told it would take 2 weeks to receive. I waited and the documents never came. I submitted my request on NACA system that I accepted the proposal about 4 times and nothing. On 02/26, I check my NACA file again and noticed that the servicer(Bank of America) closed my file stating that I did not accept or reject the offer. I called NACA, sent several faxes to both NACA and Bank of America showing I did accept the offer and BofA is still requesting that I send paystubs, 2 year tax return, utility bill, bank statements again. I told the Bofa rep that I accepted the proposal why do I have to send it again. She told me since it was cancelled I have to start over. I submitted the documents on 2/8, and again copies of the member status page(NACA), showing that I accepted the proposal. I talk to a NACA counselor again on 03/13, and explained the situation and was told they would have someone call me in about a week. I don’t think I have a week since I’m receiving a notice of intent to acclerate from Bofa. It’s really hard to believe the stories you hear on the news because I hear so many horror stories. I accepted the proposal and sent in copies of the proposal showing I accepted the proposal but they want me to start this process over again. I don’t understand.
Can anyone tell me what I can do? I want to save my home.
Crystal,
I do not work for NACA or anyone but myself, so you are going to get it straight from me. You are in the midst of the biggest crisis EVER in American history. It is bad and these counselors are over worked and they do not make a whole hell of a lot of money for the work and stress they deal with. Yes, they can be jerks, but they are just people working until a 11 at night trying to keep ther cool. It appears that guy you spoke to lost his cool. He should have never of done that, but he must have snapped from the stress.
Many mistakes are being made on all sides because there are just so many homeowners who need help and only so many people to help. You have to keep fighting along side of these guys and gals. You can make it!!!
Here is an email. Send your contact info and NACA id to the email to get help.
wcleves@naca.com
Let me clear the air here for a minute. I have never seen this. Over the past few days, I googled NACA complaints, after I saw yet another news story about the treatment of employees, and I was shocked by many of the posts I read.
I have never seen such a bunch of ungrateful people in my life. I’m speaking about staff as well as members. I was on that line in Charlotte like 10,000 other people back in June of 2009 when NACA announced they were the hiring 1,000 people. They didn’t hire me, but almost everyone I know that works there was depressed that they couldn’t find work for the longest when the prior companies they worked for let them go. I still volunteer at some of the events and I see the same staff at all of them. Yeah, the hours are long, but NACA isn’t forcing anyone to stay there. If it’s that bad, then leave. I can’t think of a single job I’ve had where there weren’t policies or some activity going on there that I didn’t like. It’s work. It beats staying home, disguising your voice from the bill collectors when the phone rings. And the member complaints. NACA wouldn’t exist if you were getting anywhere with your Banks on your own. You would have no need for their services. So, they can’t help everyone. So what? Some people can’t be helped! Some people don’t need help. They just want 2%. This company pays hundreds of people to come to a city near you and provide an opportunity for you to speak to your Bank, who otherwise won’t talk to you, and they do this FOR FREE!!! What more do you want? You should hear some of these stories I hear when I’m at the events. Some people haven’t paid their mortgage for 2 and 3 years, then are upset that the bank isn’t able to work out a deal for them. Then they are crying that NACA didn’t do anything for them. Be happy you were able to stay in your house for the last 2-3 years for free. Some people have 4 & 5 % fixed interest rates and are bringing home generous sums of money and they heard 2% and came running. I, personally got my mortgage reduced. I had a genuine hardship and I had a bad loan that I knew was difficult for me to afford when I got into it. If I hadn’t gotten a modification, I certainly wouldn’t have blamed NACA. If they weren’t there to create an environment for me to see my lender, who was giving me the run around for 11 months before that, who would have? NOONE!!! Not for free anyway! And it did take 3 months for my proposal to materialize, but with persistence it happened. And I didn’t leave my destiny all in NACAs hands either. I called the bank and made noise regularly, until they got tired of me.
This company went from 40 or 50 counselors to something like 600 in a year with millions of people desperate for their services and you wouldn’t expect them to have some growing pains along the way? Any company would. So, I say to the dissatisfied members and the disgruntled employees of NACA, “America is a GREAT country that allows you the freedom to leave something alone if it doesn’t work for you. “