Is There Justice for Homeowners in Fannin County?
The Assistant DA produced a list of "crimes and bad acts" of which the Egerts allegedly were guilty. One of these "crimes or bad acts" was that "... the Defendants threatened to and did falsely report the Complainants to the Texas Residential Construction Commission...." --the agency that the Attorney General's Office recommended the Egerts contact. Without being allowed to produce evidence such as business letters, which showed the professional manner in which they attempted  to communicate with Fines and Leggett and would have countered much of Leggett's testimony in court, the Egerts were subsequently found guilty of telephone harassment...Fines testified under oath that he had indeed taken "at least up to $41,000" of their money. He could not be accurate concerning the amount, he said during the trial, because he kept "no books or records" of any kind.

A Citizen's Lament - Was justice denied in a Fannin County court?
"In June 2005, after helping construct a subfloor for Pat and Bob Egert's new house in Ben Franklin, Bobby Fines, owner of Cedar Log Homes in Ivanhoe, owed me $530 for my work," Starkey said. "I called his residence and Vicky Leggett, his partner, answered.  I said, "I'd like to have my money.'"...And Starkey was $1500 poorer because of a lawyer he shouldn't have needed and was still out the $530 allegedly owed him by Fines. See related article: Homeowner convicted for reporting Builder to TRCC & the Better Business Bureau

Civil rights groups urge 6-month halt to foreclosures
Civil rights groups called today for a six-month moratorium on foreclosures resulting from high-risk loans given to people with shaky credit, arguing that lenders should help borrowers refinance their mortgages or face lawsuits. A coalition of advocacy groups said mortgage lenders should immediately halt foreclosures on so-called subprime mortgage loans made at high interest rates to people with weak credit histories. More than two dozen subprime lenders have either closed their doors or gone bankrupt since late last year. Those that remain in business have drastically trimmed their staffs, and larger, national lenders have eliminated jobs in their subprime mortgage divisions as they tighten credit standards.

Some hope Williams' threat to quit a "moment of frustration'
Some House Democrats said Friday that they hope Olympia Rep. Brendan Williams was just blowing off steam when he threatened to quit this week over the apparent killing of legislation to give new-home buyers a warranty against construction defects. "I can't imagine such an extreme reaction to a bill not coming up," House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said of Williams' reaction to statements by House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, that the consumer-protection measure needed more work this summer..."There is no point in continuing in this (job) if right-wing thugs like the Building Industry Association are allowed to run roughshod over the process," Williams told the paper,

Democratic State Senator Calls Democratic House Speaker Chopp a "Dictator."
Weinstein believed he had his ducks in row to also pass the bill in the House. Last summer, he says, he met with powerhouse House Speaker Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Seattle) at Chopp's de facto office, the Tully's on 45th in Wallingford. Chopp, Weinstein recalls, said the idea sounded good... However, earlier this week, after the House Judiciary Committee passed the bill onto the Rules Committee, Speaker Chopp tabled the bill...Anybody can get sued. Homebuilders are the only people in this state that can't get sued. Aren't they willing to stand by their work?"..This is democracy at its worst. Here is one guy that overruled 30 Democratic Senators and the Democratic House Judiciary Committee. What's the point of working hard on a bill? There's no point in doing the fact finding, holding eight hours of hearings, of doing the right thing, if a dicatator can just pull the rug out from under you. I feel helpless.

Reuteman: Greed vs. greed battle throws us all for a loss
Opponents of the controversial Homeowner Protection Act now have overplayed their hand so badly that their fears of frivolous lawsuits and higher housing costs will likely be tested in the marketplace. Trial lawyers and homebuilders have been fighting in the state legislature for years about the best way to resolve legal disputes over residential construction defects. The lawyers say homeowners don't have a strong enough "lemon law." Homebuilders complain that fee-happy barristers would rather take them to court than get a defect corrected. If there's anything worse than a sore loser, it's a sore winner, and this long-running catfight has both.

BUILDER Online News Service
Beazer Homes USA confirmed on Wednesday that it had received a request from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, N.C., for documents "generally related to its mortgage business," Beazer Mortgage. That subsidiary of the Atlanta-based builder was the subject of a scathing four-part series of articles in the Charlotte Observer last week, which raised questions about Beazer's mortgage lending practices in North Carolina several years ago.

California Investigates Subprime Mortgage Industry (Update2)
Attorney General Jerry Brown opens an investigation of the subprime mortgage industry. Half of the 20 biggest U.S. subprime lenders, including No. 2 New Century Financial Corp., which is trying to avoid bankruptcy, are located in California.

Mortgage scheme steals dream, home, credit
While the U.S. Senate looks for someone to blame for a national mortgage meltdown, Brenda Brown sits in her hotel room wondering if she'll ever be able to buy another home. Brown, branch manager at Security Finance in Conway, says she is the victim of a mortgage scheme in which manufactured home dealer Glenn Vaught promised he could get her a new home despite her past credit problems...Chris Orlando, a spokesman for Argent Mortgage, said the lender "is investigating what appears to be a concerted effort to deceive the company" and that Argent will help customers who have been victims of fraud. Argent is the company that loaned the money for Brown's home, but the lender has since sold the loan to another finance company.

Centex & John Wieland Homeowner Websites
Beware The Centex Illusion!  Little did we know that promises made would become promises broken once the money stopped flowing into Centex's coffers. Centex is an expert at promising much, getting public monies to help fund their projects and then abandoning it all once the profits slow or stop.
John Wieland Homes: Georgia Mold Home I would like to share some valuable information about our home which was built by JOHN WIELAND Homes. Most people are exited to show off their wonderful homes. In this case this is not true! After the last nail was hit, the check cleared, here is the harsh reality.... Our home is ruined with water damage and mold throughout the whole house. Homeowner Website Links

Mortgage firm New Century files Chapter 11
New Century Financial Corp., once the largest independent maker of mortgages to high-risk borrowers, sank into bankruptcy proceedings yesterday, swamped by demands that it buy back defaulted loans.The Irvine, Calif., company said it would eliminate 3,200 jobs, or about half its work force.

Home builder named in thee more lawsuits
A home building company in Berkeley County is the defendant in three suits filed last month, making a total of more than 30 cases filed against the business in the last six months. Between September 2006 and February 2007, American Homes and owner John E. Petry have been sued for millions of dollars in more than 30 lawsuits.

State House Approves Homeowner Protection Act
The House approved and sent to the Senate on Thursday a measure that would bar home buyers from waiving their warranties that force home builders fix defects. "This gives homeowners a fighting chance if they find out that their new home has serious problems," said Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder.

Bill protecting homeowners supported
Homeowners would not be able to sign their rights away in contracts with builders under a measure lawmakers initially approved Wednesday. House Bill 1338, dubbed the Homeowner Protection Act of 2007, would prohibit homebuilders from forcing buyers to sign contracts with certain provisions if they want the property. Under the bill, the provisions in the contracts designed to protect builders from lawsuits would be voided if there is fraud or gross negligence. The homeowner also would not be able to waive home-repair costs that are currently allowed by state law.

GOP colleague warned she'd be a target, rep says
A lawmaker says a fellow Republican warned her she'd be a target in future elections if she supported a construction-defects bill the home builders industry opposes. Rep. Debbie Stafford, of Aurora, won't say which colleague reminded her that the industry has given money to her and other Republicans in previous elections. But the admonition from a lawmaker came amid what Stafford called the "most heavy-handed lobbying" she's felt in her seven years in the legislature... "My vote is not for sale." Stafford voted for the bill in committee last week. She said she doesn't care how that might affect her political future.