MORE PRAISE FOR CHAIN OF TITLE “Dayen illuminates how, during the past 10 years, home buyers ended up illegally evicted from their residences as the result of dishonesty, greed, and heartlessness involving mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers, investment bankers, and unscrupulous lawyers An inspiring, well-rendered, deeply reported, and often infuriating account.” —Kirkus (starred review) “Dayen brilliantly reveals the triumph of three ordinary Americans as they and their supporters exposed millions of foreclosure frauds—and their betrayal by law enforcement He shows that the rule of law does not apply to Wall Street, and the result is an orgy of elite crime and plunder.” —William K Black, former federal bank regulator who helped convict more than one thousand bank executives during the savings and loan crisis and author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One “Heartbreaking, inspiring, and enraging all at the same time, David Dayen’s Chain of Title will leave you seething at one of the great crimes and injustices of the financial crisis An essential book that humanizes the crisis by telling it through three remarkable individuals who refused to accept the label of victims and instead became crusaders for justice.” —Neil Barofsky, former special inspector general, Troubled Asset Relief Program “David Dayen first wrote about foreclosures as a scruffy blogger and consistently beat almost every established financial reporter to the story Now he has written the best history of that shameful period The mortgage industry spent untold millions to spread the story they created from whole cloth after the crisis hit: families who lost their homes were mostly undeserving spendthrifts trying to shirk just debts Chain of Title tells the real story and the real story should offend the sense of justice of every American with a conscience.” —Former congressman Brad Miller (D-NC), original co-author of the section of the Dodd-Frank Act that created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau © 2016 by David Dayen All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form, without written permission from the publisher Requests for permission to reproduce selections from this book should be mailed to: Permissions Department, The New Press, 120 Wall Street, 31st floor, New York, NY 10005 Published in the United States by The New Press, New York, 2016 Distributed by Perseus Distribution 978-1-62097-159-8 (e-book) CIP data available The New Press publishes books that promote and enrich public discussion and understanding of the issues vital to our democracy and to a more equitable world These books are made possible by the enthusiasm of our readers; the support of a committed group of donors, large and small; the collaboration of our many partners in the independent media and the not-for-profit sector; booksellers, who often hand-sell New Press books; librarians; and above all by our authors www.thenewpress.com Composition by Westchester Publishing Services This book was set in Minion Printed in the United States of America 10 CONTENTS Preface 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 A Knock at the Door The Dark Side of the American Dream Securitization FAIL; or, Cirilo Codrington and the Panama Doc Shop The Originator The Community Mr Anonymous When Michael Met Lisa Happy Hours The Network The Specialist Black Deeds The Revolution Will Be Blogged The Ninth Floor The Rally in Tally By Any Means Necessary Downfall The Big Time We Will Put People in Jail Wriggling off the Hook The Final Whitewash Lisa’s Last Stand Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Index PREFACE There is a rot at the heart of our democracy, rooted in a nagging mystery that has yet to be unraveled It gnaws at people, occupies their thoughts, leaves them searching for answers in the chill of the night Americans want to know why no high-ranking Wall Street executive has gone to jail for the conduct that precipitated the financial crisis The oddest thing about the predominance of the question is that everyone already assumes they know the answer They believe that too many politicians, regulators, and law enforcement officials, bought off with campaign contributions or the promise of a future job, simply allowed banker miscreants to annihilate the law in pursuit of profit But they must not like the explanation very much, because they keep asking why, as if they want to be proven wrong, to be given a different story Maybe they don’t like the implications of a government that lets Wall Street walk It does too much violence to the conception of the country they have in their mind, with its ideals of justice and fairness It explains the disempowerment people feel in the face of a rigged economic and political system, with differing standards of treatment depending on wealth and power It engenders a loss of faith in core institutions, turning our democracy into a sideshow, where the real action happens offstage It inspires people to don tricornered hats and protest crony capitalism, or pitch camp at the base of Wall Street and refuse to move It generates a profound anxiety, for if bankers can bring the economy to the point of ruin and get away with it, what’s to stop them from doing it again? It makes our economy seem too fragile, our laws too impotent Or maybe people just want the details filled in, to confirm their suspicions, so they can point fingers at those who created this two-tiered system of accountability There must be a set of facts that prove we’re living in a new Gilded Age, where holders of prodigious wealth guide government policy the way a string guides a marionette There must be a smoking gun Those details are available, but not where most chroniclers of the financial crisis have ever cared to look They usually take a ten-thousand-foot view, recounting stories of the hubris of bank CEOs or tracking the swashbuckling, without-a-net exploits of those tasked with stanching the bleeding But few have offered the perspective of millions of ordinary Americans, the ones who never visited a Wall Street office tower or a Washington conference suite, and who endured most of the suffering that resulted from the crash At ground level, the crisis was not a cautionary tale of greed or an adventure plot: it was a tragedy, too casually hidden from view Starting in 2009—as the crisis raged—three of these ordinary Americans decided to take on this mystery for themselves, to fill in those details, to understand what Wall Street perpetrated and why In so doing, they played a significant role in uncovering the largest consumer fraud in American history They didn’t work in government or law enforcement They were not experts in real estate law They had no history of anti-corporate activism or community organizing They had no resources or institutional knowledge They were a cancer nurse, a car salesman, and an insurance fraud specialist, and they were all foreclosure victims While struggling with the shame and dislocation and financial stress that foreclosure causes, they did something extraordinary: they read their mortgage documents Wall Street’s scheme was not hidden but readily apparent in millions of pieces of documentary evidence, and to be a whistleblower, you just had to pay attention All whistleblowers are a little bit crazy They obsess over things most people overlook They see grand conspiracies where others see only shadows In this case, these whistleblowers, armed with only a few websites and a hunger for the truth, found that the mortgage industry fundamentally ruptured a centuries-old system of U.S property law; that millions of documents generated to foreclose on people’s homes were phony; and that all those purchasing a mortgage in America were taking a gamble that they would be tossed onto the street with nothing, even if they made every payment and played by the rules Virtually everyone to whom they presented this information reacted the same way: “That can’t be true.” Right up until the day the banks admitted it These three—Lisa Epstein, Michael Redman, and Lynn Szymoniak—unearthed another layer of the mystery, too After they exposed foreclosure fraud and forced the nation’s leading mortgage companies to stop repossessing homes, they saw firsthand the unwillingness of our government to deliver any consequences In fact, walk into any courtroom today and you will see the same false documents, the same ones Lisa, Michael, and Lynn exposed, used to foreclose on homeowners As America searches for understanding amid the perversity of the financial crisis, they should know that there were a few determined people, far from the corridors of power, who tried to write an alternative history, one where the perpetrators of fraud get rounded up and put away But the same democracy that allows ordinary Americans to collaborate and organize and build a movement allows their deep-pocketed opponents to use the tools of entrenched power to counteract it And we have to reckon with the fact that, in our current system of justice, who you are matters more than what you did Michael Redman, one of these whistleblowers, sat next to me one night as he told me his story, and said over and over again, “I don’t believe your book I lived through it, and I don’t believe it.” I will forgive readers their skepticism, as even a protagonist in the tale shares it It is unbelievable That doesn’t make it untrue A KNOCK AT THE DOOR As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights —James Madison, National Gazette, March 29, 1792 February 17, 2009 The sun crept down over the Intracoastal Waterway, separating Palm Beach from its companion cities to the west With the proper nautical chops, you could navigate from Norfolk, Virginia, to Key West through this shore-hugging water highway bordering open ocean, down through the Great Dismal Swamp, under the Hobucken Bridge, across the marshy lowlands of South Carolina and Georgia, and through the Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve, on the Indian River near the city of Edgewater Eventually you would hit Palm Beach, located on a sixteen-mile-long barrier island of manicured lawns, ritzy mansions, and precisely fashioned grains of sand, a place where American ingenuity and truckloads of money summoned paradise out of the Atlantic A few miles inland, amid vacationers and part-time snowbirds seeking refuge from winter winds up north, a car motored down Route 80 to tell Lisa and Alan Epstein that their bank wanted to take their home away Florida felt the worst of the Great Recession’s force, a financial hurricane that spared almost nobody, not even in paradise This was one of the “sand states,” warm-weather regions of the country with economies disproportionately based on real estate Home prices in Florida, Arizona, California, and Nevada surged more than 264 percent from 1998 to 2006 Over half of all subprime mortgages written in 2006 were issued in these four states “Sand states” turned out to be an accurate description of the market’s feeble foundations, as prices crumbled and industries that supported and sustained the bubble washed out In fact, Florida suffered two waves of foreclosures The first engulfed those who purchased or refinanced mortgages at the height of the bubble, in 2004, 2005, and 2006 While tagged as “irresponsible,” these homeowners actually suffered from inadvertent timing and susceptibility to predatory lending When prices sank, borrowers went “underwater”—owing more on the mortgage than the homes were worth They couldn’t sell or refinance to escape, and many couldn’t afford the payments to begin with This led to defaults, even in Palm Beach Then came the second wave, relentless ripple effects from unemployment in real estate, construction, and pretty soon everything else, swallowing those who paid their mortgages effortlessly for years Suddenly hundreds of thousands of Floridians needed help, and help was slow to come So it was not uncommon to find cars like the four-door sedan motoring past West Palm Beach’s shiny subdivisions Process servers contracted by “foreclosure mill” law firms, so named because they pumped out foreclosures the way a textile mill would fabrics, made their daily rounds here, unsmilingly handing homeowners legal documents and informing them that as a result of their failure to pay their mortgage promptly, their lender would place them into foreclosure By early 2009, one in twenty-two Florida homeowners had received some sort of filing like this, such as a notice of default, court summons, auction sale, or foreclosure judgment—nine times the historical average Local sheriff’s deputies used to deliver the papers, but there were now too many to handle So the foreclosure mills had to hire private contractors; it represented one of the few recession-era growth industries in the state Nobody on either side of the transaction felt particularly good about it The process servers greeted eyes filled with tears, faces lined with desperation The full force of post-recession fury at Wall Street malfeasance and personal tragedy refracted onto them Though business boomed, it was shit work, the misery beat In fact, you can almost understand why some contractors ducked the emotional tumult by resorting to “sewer service”—a popular scam where they would simply throw envelopes in front of the home, technically fulfilling their obligations while ensuring that the homeowner would not see the complaint or know to show up for court This was illegal, but it also carried the benefit of being way faster than actually knocking on the door, increasing volume—and profits Sensing opportunity, some process servers and foreclosure mills even invented fake recipients of foreclosure papers In Pasco County, Judge Susan Gardner found numerous charges for serving papers to “unknown spouses” and “unidentified tenants.” One process server in Miami listed forty-six defendants on a single property, racking up $5,000 in fees He claimed he had to serve everyone in the state with the same name as the homeowner, in case one of them was the real defendant Every two-bit business in Florida had its own way of skirting the edges of the law to get ahead; this was a particularly crude one As for the homeowners, news of foreclosure tore through their front door like a wrecking ball Taking a family’s house involved taking their spirit and snuffing it out like a candle, the bright light fading into smoke Millions of Americans who thought they gained a foothold in the middle class, a clear pathway to wealth and economic security, absorbed the collateral damage of a fatal miscalculation on Wall Street This evening’s pageant of process serving would come to rest at 607 Gazetta Way, in an unincorporated area near West Palm Beach, a classic post-boom development of oversized properties on small lots Built in 2006, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, one-story home with a clay tile roof and yellow siding was wedged between a collection of larger properties all painted the same, as if the builder decided yellow was the optimal color to convince buyers to take the leap Inside the house, the Epstein family had no warning of their impending visitor Lisa Epstein sat on a ledge in the master bathroom, hospital scrubs rolled to her knees, her daughter Jenna kept upright in the bathtub by a reclining baby seat Lisa’s brown hair was pulled back with her trademark multicolored scarf, the kind you would see in the 1970s, maybe on Rhoda or The Bob Newhart Show She had blue eyes, soft features, and a laugh you could hear across a crowded room When she got excited she got very loud But at the moment she focused on her daughter in the tub Blond-haired, big-eyed Jenna had been born with a mild form of spina bifida Her spinal cord was tethered at the base, something that could generate motor control problems as she grew The child would turn two in March; surgery had been scheduled for April And Lisa could think of practically nothing else, ministering to Jenna at nearly every waking moment As a cancer nurse, she worked with families coping with the stress of a sick child Now she was experiencing the same emotions: consumed by the same yearning to keep her daughter comfortable, and at stray moments wondering how this beautiful creature could be marked for affliction Lisa was forty-three, a nurse, a wife, and a new mother She had only lived in the house two years And her life was about to change forever KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! She did not hesitate for a second “That’s about the house, Alan!” she yelled out to her husband “They’re from the bank, and it’s not good news!” Lisa Epstein dreamed of following her father, a pediatrician, into medicine After earning a nursing degree from George Mason University in 1988, she bounced around the mid-Atlantic from one job to the next: the pediatric intensive care unit at D.C Children’s Hospital; an OR in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; an endocrinology unit at the National Institutes of Health Soon she started her own business as a freelancer in Columbia, Maryland, working with terminally ill patients in home care, while filling in for nurses across the Washington Beltway Lisa chose to enter an area of nursing that involved long-term, one-on-one collaboration with people who were at the end of their lives and often aware of their own mortality There were daily duties, techniques to make patients comfortable and free of pain And she loved the perpetual motion of the job, marking her ability in the eyes of her patients But to Lisa, the real appeal was the challenge of being the last new person these terminally ill people would ever connect with, a confidant amid an atmosphere of grieving Lisa would make her patients laugh, hear their stories, pray with them, cry with them, and give them strength when needed Building intimacy and trust helped keep people alive, too Part of the job involved knowing when and how to tell patients, “It may be time for you to videotape yourself reading bedtime stories to your grandchild I’m not saying you won’t be there to read to them, but with this new information from your scan, it would be nice for your family to have that.” Even doctors flinched at such naked honesty Everyone in the medical system, on both sides of the desk, clings to the faintest possibility of recovery If treatments A, B, C, D, E, F, and G don’t work, let’s try treatment H But someone has to stress the importance of organizing thoughts, of compensating loved ones with the word “goodbye.” In those darkest moments of loss and depression, the truth can be an odd comfort It took as much skill as knowing how to connect an IV or read an EKG Over nine years in the D.C area, Lisa built her freelance nursing business, helping patients balance hopes of recovery with the realities of the life cycle She had lived in the region since early childhood, and while she wasn’t too interested in politics, she grew accustomed to the dynamic, politically charged environment Plus D.C had another side: a storehouse of experts with accumulated wisdom on virtually every topic Whenever she found herself in the District, Lisa would find a lecture on something she knew nothing about Away from the stress of caretaking, it was nice to decompress and enter an unknown world But these were also restless years for Lisa Every fall, when the leaves changed color and the clouds rolled in, she would feel a powerful rush of sadness, bursting into tears for no reason These days they call it seasonal affective disorder, but Lisa never gave it a name She just recognized the need for a change of scenery So in 1997 Lisa decided to head to Florida for the winter The state had Barr, Michael, 240 Bear Stearns, 12, 53–55, 57, 59, 170, 214 Ben-Ezra & Katz (foreclosure mill), 256 Bennett, Michael, 182, 185, 189 Berger, Max, 268 Bermuda Triangle Recovery Services, 264 Bernanke, Ben, Biden, Beau, 266, 284, 296 Biden, Joe, 296 Bishop’s Gate Mortgage Trust, 307 Black Panther Party, 132 BlackRock, 232 Bly, Brian, 71, 88, 237 Boca Raton Investment Club, 288 Bock, Sharon, 285–290, 292–293 “BOGUS” documents, 148–154, 157, 178, 193, 196, 243, 248 Bondi, Pam, 232, 244, 247, 260–262, 275, 306 Bradbury, Nicolle, 211–213 Breuer, Lanny, 235, 278, 301 Brown, Lorraine O’Reilly, 193, 302–303 Browner-Hamlin, Matt, 268 Brunner, Jennifer, 216–217, 225–227 Bryn Mawr Trust Company, 133 Bush, George H W., 54 Bush, George W., 67, 158 Butler, Victoria, 276 Byers, Kevin, 115, 118 Californians for a Fair Settlement, 267, 274 Campaign for a Fair Settlement, 274, 277–278 Canady, Charles, 237 Casey, Bob, 225 cash-out refinances, 29, 101, 135 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 155, 205 chain of title, 34, 37, 41, 45–46, 50, 54, 57, 70, 95, 111, 160, 236, 239, 241, 243, 253–254, 256, 295, 301, 305 Chambers, James, 27, 107, 182 Charney, April, 113–115, 117–121, 124, 126–127, 186–187, 199, 205, 207, 212–213, 237, 305 Chase Home Finance, 12–17, 24–25, 35, 42, 45, 49, 65, 72, 97, 109, 188, 215–217, 231 Chevy Chase Bank, 69 Church of Scientology, 71, 237–238 Citigroup, 71, 86, 131, 171, 216, 221, 229, 232, 274, 278, 300, 307 Citizen’s Commission to Investigate the FBI, 132–133 Citizen Warriors Radio, 258, 262, 276 Clark, Greg, 121 Clark, Henry (“Tommy”), 146, 161, 263 Clarkson, June, 104, 174–179, 202–203, 214, 228–229, 242–244, 260–262, 269, 275–276, 285, 306 Clayton Holdings, 31 clerks of courts, 45–47, 71, 85, 148, 150, 168, 203, 242–243, 252–253, 260, 273, 285–290, 292–293, 302 Clinton, Bill, 29–30, 59, 174 CNBC, 16–17, 218, 220, 224 CNN 214, 222, 257 Coakley, Martha, 252, 266, 274, 284 Codrington, Cirilo, 43–45 collateralized debt obligation (CDO), 30, 33 collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO), 22–23 Colton, Judge Roger, 308 Commodity Futures Modernization Act, 30 Conboy, Tom, 285–286, 288 confidential information disclosures (CIDs), 200, 227, 242, 297 congressional oversight panel for TARP, 233, 239 Conners, Trish, 243, 275–276 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 227, 279, 311 Conway, Jack, 266 Cook, Whitney, 39, 43, 65, 72, 89, 96–97, 216 Cordray, Richard, 217, 220, 232, 241 Cottrell, Beth, 72, 89, 208, 215–218, 225 Countrywide Financial Corporation, 27, 29, 33, 59, 67, 174, 197, 236–237, 270, 280, 284 county recorders See clerks of courts Covington & Burling, 235, 278, 301 Cox, Thomas, 210–213, 233–234, 240–241, 244 Craine, Marshe, 231 cramdown, 67 credit rating agencies, 23, 28, 30, 32, 287 Crist, Charlie, 223 Cullaro, Erin, 103–105, 126–128, 175–179, 229, 261 Cullaro, John, 128, 178–179 Cullaro, Lisa, 103, 126–128, 175–176, 178–179 Cullen, Mark, 133–137, 141, 143, 146, 163, 169, 250, 281–282, 292 Cullen, Mark Elliot, 134, 139–140, 243, 262, 281, 294, 304 Cullen, Molly, 134, 200, 290 Cullen, Zach, 134–135, 164, 290, 294 Cymrot, Mark, 61 Daily Business Review, 192, 215 The Daily Show, 222, 224, 247 Dako, Dhurata, 237 Dall, Robert, 21 Davidson, Howard, 156–157 Delaguila, Mary, 63, 196 Delany, Andrew (“Ace”), 26–27, 34, 69, 76, 158–159, 223 delinquency letter (paragraph 22 defense), 113, 124, 305 DeMartini, Linda, 236, 270 Denninger, Karl, 90–91, 105, 152, 157 Department of Homeland Security, 205 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 43, 173, 199, 266, 279, 283, 298–299 Depository Institution Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA), 28 derivatives, 30, 33 de Soto, Hernando, 46 Dettelbach, Steve, 217 Deutsche Bank, 71, 125, 136–137, 139–141, 147, 160, 163, 191, 199, 250, 262, 266, 268, 278, 281, 291, 293–294 Devereaux, Mark, 143–146, 302–303 DHI Mortgage, 10–12, 17, 24–25, 37, 41–43, 45, 97 Dibert, Steve, 194–195, 259, 292 Dillon, Mike, 68, 157 Dimon, Jamie, 296 DocX, 141–143, 145–148, 150–152, 154–156, 160–161, 163, 169, 171, 178–179, 193, 196, 199–200, 218, 227–229, 245–246, 248, 253, 302–303 Dodd-Frank Act, 230 Donovan, Shaun, 266, 279, 299 double-pledging notes, 56, 58, 115 D.R Horton, 9, 10 dual tracking, 100, 255, 283 Durbin, Dick, 67 Echevarria, Codills, and Stawiarski See Florida Default Law Group (FDLG) Edwards, Theresa, 176–179, 202–203, 214, 228–229, 242–244, 260–262, 269, 275–276, 285, 306 Eggers, Byron, 258 Elder, James (“Jazzy”), 109, 196 Ellis, Scott, 203 EMC, 53–57, 59 Epstein, Alan, 1, 4, 7–12, 14, 40–41, 288, 308 Epstein, Jenna, 3, 11–12, 16, 41, 63, 72, 131, 149, 159, 186, 195–196, 205, 246–247, 268, 289, 292–293, 308–309, 312 Epstein, Lisa: actions as a pro se litigant, 40–45, 63–66, 73–74, 108–109, 145, 148–149, 153–154, 159, 179 activism, 109–112, 180–189, 194–196, 204–208, 230, 234, 237–238, 246–247, 256, 264–265, 268 aftermath of activism, 307–312 campaign for clerk of courts, 285–290, 292–293 creation and maintenance of Foreclosure Hamlet, 74–76, 131, 157–158, 192, 213–214 early life and marriage, 3–8 home purchase and foreclosure, 8–18, 31, 300 interaction with Lynn Szymoniak, 144, 149, 151, 163–164, 169, 248, 250–252 interaction with Michael Redman, 71, 77–78, 87–91, 94, 100–102, 106–107, 172–176, 198, 221, 225–226, 257–259 loss of job, 159–160 research on foreclosure fraud, 24–27, 33–37, 39, 41, 48–50, 55–56, 68–70, 72, 130, 152, 154, 197, 255 work with foreclosure defense attorneys, 126–128, 131, 304–306 work with state and federal regulators, 95–99, 103–105, 176–178, 202–203, 229, 233, 241–242, 261–262, 270, 272–276 work with the media, 192–193, 214–215, 218, 222–223 Fairbanks Capital, 68 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 147, 160, 162 False Claims Act, 162, 169, 280, 298 Fannie Mae, 19, 21, 24, 28, 33, 47, 60–62, 164, 170, 211, 219, 229, 268, 271, 279, 285, 307 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 32, 90, 132–134, 143, 145–146, 155, 161, 171–172, 199, 244, 246, 248, 251–252, 259, 263, 294, 300, 302–303 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 125, 144, 168, 179, 241, 248, 254 Federal Housing Administration (FHA), 19, 113–114, 170, 281 Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA), 199 Federal Reserve, 9, 22, 29, 31, 56, 97, 170, 255, 300 Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 232 Federal Trade Commission, 68 fee pyramiding, 53–54, 219, 233, 278 Fidelity National Foreclosure Solutions, 116–117 fifty-state attorney general investigation, 221, 232, 239–242, 244, 253–255, 260, 265–267, 273–274, 278 Figueroa, Damian, 151–154, 157, 162–163, 169–170, 201–203, 215, 236, 281, 298–299 Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, 31, 168, 234 Financial Stability Oversight Council, 230 Fink, Larry, 22 Firm Solutions Panama, 44, 228 First Alliance Mortgage Company, 29 First Franklin Mortgage, 109 Florida attorney general’s office, 96, 99, 103–104, 127–128, 172–179, 202, 206, 214, 228–229, 232, 244, 260–262, 275–276, 287, 306 Florida Bankers Association, 110, 181, 183–184, 247 Florida Bar Association, 97, 159, 202–205, 257, 259, 306 Florida Default Law Group (FDLG), 15, 41, 44, 70–72, 76, 87–88, 96, 100, 104, 126–128, 175–176, 178–179, 213 Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 174, 203, 273 Florida First Amendment Foundation, 296 Florida Office of Financial Regulation, 174 Florida Rural Legal Services, 134 Florida Supreme Court, 96, 98, 110, 126, 153, 185, 187–188, 197–198, 200, 237, 257, 307 force-placed insurance, 52, 233, 283, 295 Ford Pinto memo, 62 foreclosure fraud happy hours, 106–107, 109–111, 144–145, 148, 150–151, 153, 158, 162, 172, 182, 223, 234, 245, 250, 262, 274, 298 Foreclosure Hamlet, 75–76, 90, 106–107, 109–111, 154, 157–158, 192, 194, 196, 202, 213, 222, 288, 292, 308 foreclosure mills, 2–3, 15, 41, 50, 58, 76, 87, 99, 104, 109, 117, 121, 123, 143, 151, 156, 163, 165, 174, 177, 193, 203, 207–208, 237, 257, 260–262, 306 Foreclosure Watch, 268 Forrest, Chris, 237 4closureFraud, 91, 127, 144, 151, 154–157, 160, 164, 173, 183, 190, 192–193, 204–205, 208, 210, 213, 215, 222, 225–226, 229, 231, 234, 237, 259, 264, 266, 291, 304 Frank, Barney, 292 Franken, Al, 220 Franklin, Talcott, 232 Fraud Digest, 141–142, 144–145, 157, 168, 191, 262 Freddie Mac, 21–24, 28, 33, 47, 60, 83–85, 110, 170, 229, 279, 285 Gardi, Matt, 288 Gardner, Max, 115–119, 129, 143, 241 Gardner, Susan, Garfield, Neil, 26, 33–34, 39, 68, 91, 93–95, 194 Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act, 28 Geithner, Timothy, 67, 230, 238 GetNet, 218 Gibbs, Robert, 226 Giddens, Michael, 203 Giffords, Gabby, 220 Gillis, Ronald, 158, 288 Ginnie Mae, 21 GMAC Mortgage (Ally Bank), 208–215, 217–218, 221–222, 228–229, 232, 241–242, 274, 278, 283–284 Goldbeck McCafferty & McKeever, 237 Goodman, Rachel See American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Google Reader, 87, 156, 304 Grady, Tom, 184 Grayson, Alan, 220, 229, 232, 234 Great Depression, 18–19, 66–67, 267, 312 Great Recession, 1, 59, 97 Green, Linda, 138, 140–142, 145, 148–149, 153, 163, 218, 227, 241, 243, 246, 248, 250, 263, 269 Greenspan, Alan, 29 Guidice, Theresa and Joe, 301 Guttman, Reuben, 169–171, 282 Harman, Kathy, 41–43 Harp, Korell, 138–139, 141, 145, 152, 193 Harpootlian, Dick, 146–147, 160–163, 169, 171, 296 Harris, Kamala, 232, 266–267, 273–274, 277–278 Harris, Ramsey, 214 Herman, Harley, 97–98 Hertel, Curtis, 285 Hindman, Barbara, 85–86, 89 Holder, Eric, 227, 235, 301 Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), 35, 67–68, 100, 206, 253, 279 Home Defenders League: ACORN campaign, 66 post-ACORN coalition, 238 Homeless for the Holidays, 238–239, 304 Homeowner’s Bill of Rights (California, Minnesota), 311 Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC), 18–19 Houk, Lane, 149 House Financial Services Committee, 168, 233 Housing Justice Foundation, 294–296, 304 HR 3808 (Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act), 225–227 HSBC, 196, 295 Huang, Christina, 142, 145 Hueston, John, 284–285 Huffington Post, 194, 234, 281 Hunt, Lona, 307 Ibanez, Antonio, 111, 238, 274 Ice, Ariane, 122–124, 126–128, 131, 165, 175, 209 Ice, Thomas, 122–128, 165–167, 175, 205, 209, 233, 241, 306–307 Ice Legal, 122–128, 144, 165–167, 175–176, 178, 185, 187, 195, 203, 209–213, 215–216, 228, 306–307 Immel, Chris, 209–210, 212 Independent Foreclosure Review, 255, 300 IndyMac Bank, 124–125, 130, 151, 201, 298 In re Hawkins, 48–49 Inspectors general: Department of Housing and Urban Development, 283 Florida attorney general, 179 Florida chief financial officer, 261–262, 274–276 Troubled Asset Relief Program, 199 interagency review, 240, 254–255 interest-only mortgages, 11 Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 115, 169–170, 262 Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), 240 Iuspa-Abbott, Paola, 192, 215 Jacquot, Joe, 261 Johnson-Seck, Erica, 124–128, 151 JPMorgan Chase, 12, 14–15, 17–18, 25, 37, 41–43, 45, 53, 65, 70–72, 84–89, 97, 146, 171, 173, 181, 219, 233, 238, 255, 262, 267–268, 274, 278, 283, 295–296, 300 Julian, Bob, 178, 243–244, 260–261 Junk, Dan, 216–217, 225 Jurists Engaged in Defending Title Integrity (JEDTI), 121–122, 155, 185 Justice Department, 97, 155, 199–200, 208, 217, 227, 234–235, 240, 242, 245, 263, 266, 270, 273, 278, 297, 300–301 Kapusta, Tammie Lou, 228–229 Kelleher, John, 269–270, 272–273, 278, 284–285 Kemp v Countrywide, 236, 270 Kennerty, John, 171 Khuzami, Robert, 278, 300 Kinney, Craig, 68 Koch, Bill, 89 Kowalski, Jim, 208–209, 212–213, 233, 241 Kroll, Andy, 167, 203 Kwiatanowski, Margie, 209, 212 Landmark National Bank, 77 LaSalle Bank, 256 Lavalle, Nye, 50–62, 68, 85, 91, 111, 116, 149–150, 162, 197, 215–217, 241, 258 Lawrence, Tracy, 271–273, 284–285 Lawson, Richard, 244, 275–276 Lehoullier, Dave, 75–76, 110–111 Lender Processing Services (LPS): contract with Palm Beach County, 287 creation of, 117 federal and state investigations, 171, 179, 199, 227–229, 245, 251, 253, 255, 260–261, 269–273, 275–276, 279, 284, 297, 302 involvement in document fabrication, 125, 155, 244 involvement with DocX, 143, 154, 246, 248 litigation, 160, 169, 256, 295, 298 Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure, 161, 196 Leontakianakos, Mary, 261 Lester, Helene, 269–270, 273 letter rogatory, 211–212 Levitin, Adam, 232–234, 237, 262 Levitt, Arthur, 59, 217–218 Lewis, Judge Diana, 123, 169, 282, 312 Lilley, Deb, 288 Litton Loans, 171, 221 Living Lies, 26–27, 33–34, 39–40, 68–70, 72, 74–76, 87, 90–91, 94, 105, 158, 194 Logan, Judge Walt, 69, 119–121 lost note affidavits, 73, 114, 116, 136, 218, 295 Lowman, David, 255 LSI Title, 284 Luttrell, Cory, 187 Lynch, William, 60–61 Lyons, Tom, 97–98, 154 Madigan, Lisa, 284 Maiden Lane, 170 Maine Attorneys Saving Homes (MASH), 211–212 Marks, Bruce, 183–184 Martin, Susan, 71–72, 88, 105 Masto, Catherine Cortez, 266, 270, 272, 274, 278, 284 Matthews, Doug, 143, 145–146, 246 McCollum, Bill, 174, 179, 203–204, 232, 242, 261 McDonnell, Marie, 252 Merkley, Jeff, 220 Merrigan, Georgi, 257 Merrill Lynch, 59 Meyer, Joan, 244, 276 Miller, Brad, 311 Miller, Kim, 192–193, 202, 218, 244, 258–259 Miller, Tim, 274 Miller, Tom, 239–240, 253–254, 266–267 Mitchell, Dixie, 264 Moore, Crystal, 71, 88, 237 Moratorium Monday, 195–196, 238, 246 Morgan Stanley, 32 mortgage-backed securities, 15, 17–18, 21–25, 28, 30, 33, 37–39, 47, 54, 57, 115, 123, 168, 170, 222, 231–232, 234, 236, 262, 265–266, 277, 279, 287, 295, 300 Mortgage Bankers Association, 47, 194 Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS), 42, 47–49, 60–61, 69–72, 77, 85, 89, 97, 111, 114, 119, 121, 125, 140–141, 151, 155, 162, 166, 171, 193, 201, 209, 231, 235, 252–253, 255–256, 284–285, 298 Mortgage Justice Group, 185, 189, 247 mortgage servicers: federal settlement, 278–279, 283–284, 297, 299–300 fee pyramiding and other profit-making schemes, 52–54, 56–57, 59, 115–117, 122, 189, 219, 233 function of, 18, 24–25 HAMP program, 35 interaction with MERS, 48–49 lacking and/or fabricating evidence to foreclose, 39, 42, 50, 58, 64, 73–74, 124–125, 142–144, 152, 170, 182, 201, 208–209, 216–218, 237, 243, 248, 270, 272, 302 litigation, 119, 161, 192, 207, 211, 224, 228, 295, 304–307 loan modification problems, 12–13, 66–68, 70, 100, 113–114, 124, 203, 264–265, 269 Michael Redman case, 83, 85 NACA event, 180 state and federal investigations, 221, 240, 253–256, 277 Mortgage Servicing Fraud (blog), 59, 68, 157 Motorola, 80, 88 Moua, Xee, 221 Mozilo, Angelo, 27 Muckle, Paul, 158 Naked Capitalism, 157, 218, 236, 262 National Association of Consumer Attorneys, 160 National Consumer Law Center, 59, 116, 233 National Mortgage Settlement, 278–281, 283, 291, 299, 301, 306 National Organization for Women, 292 Nationwide Title Clearing, 71–72, 88, 208, 237–238, 284 Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), 67, 180–183, 248 Nemes, Valerie, 166 Nettles, Bill, 171–172 New Bottom Line, 238 New Century Financial, 8, 29, 32 Newsom, Gavin, 267 New York Daily News, 231, 300 New York Times, 56, 61, 69, 218, 266 “NINJA” loans, 31 non-judicial foreclosures, 94, 101, 181–185, 189, 218, 247 No One Leaves (Springfield, MA), 267 notaries/notarizations: backdating, 86, 166–167, 203 electronic notarizations, 225–226 Erin Cullaro case, 103–104, 126–127, 175, 177–178 Function of, 46, 116 Gary Trafford/Gerri Sheppard case, 270–273 irregularities, 90, 106, 125, 128, 148, 161, 171, 202, 209–210, 216–217, 228–229, 237, 243, 252, 260 Lisa Epstein’s mortgage documents, 43, 49, 99 Lynn Szymoniak’s mortgage documents, 138–139, 141 Nurses’ Coalition Against Homelessness, 106–107 Obama, Barack, 35, 67, 158, 208, 218, 225–226, 230–231, 276–277, 296 O’Brien, John, 252–253, 285, 302 Occupy Our Homes, 268–269, 296, 311 Occupy Wall Street, 265, 267–269, 285, 310 Ocwen, 58, 85, 91, 118, 201, 264–265, 304 Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 32, 99, 255, 300 Ohde, Jessica, 145 Old Republic National Title Insurance, 220 Olenick, Michael, 202, 218, 245, 250 Olick, Diana, 220 OneWest Bank, 124–125 Option One, 29, 71, 136–139 Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, 292 Palm Beach County Bar Association, 198 Palm Beach Post, 192, 218, 222, 244, 258–259, 285, 290, 293 Parker, Chip, 185, 187, 257 Parsons, Virginia, 157, 241 Pelley, Scott, 245–246, 248, 250 Pendley, Chris, 246, 248 Perpetual Savings, 22 Peterson, Christopher, 48–49 PHH Mortgage, 111 Phoenix Light v JPMorgan Chase, 295 PICO, 238 PigsAss.org, 181–183, 189 Pimco, 232 PNC Bank, 109, 197 pooling and servicing agreements, 18, 34, 37–38, 41–42, 48–49, 102, 110, 114–115, 166, 171, 197, 236, 243, 270 Porter, Katherine, 39, 233–234 Powell, Robyn, 73–74 Powers, Judge Keith, 211–213 principal reduction, 67, 117, 260, 279, 296, 299 process service, 2–3, 87, 120, 123–124, 182, 228, 284 promissory notes: allegations of destruction of, 110 failure to convey notes to trusts, 36–37, 39, 74, 95, 169, 199, 236, 241, 255–256 irregularities, 65, 68–70, 74, 96, 115, 119, 125, 153, 191, 197, 207, 213, 216, 219–220, 227–228, 296, 305, 307 Lisa Epstein case, 34, 36, 40–43, 45, 100 lost note counts/affidavits, 34, 36, 40–41, 114, 116, 136–137, 153, 163, 193, 207, 217–218, 295 Lynn Szymoniak case, 136–137, 139–140, 281 Nye Lavalle case, 53–55, 57 role of MERS, 48, 193 “show me the note” defense, 118, 224 pro se litigants, 36, 40, 64, 75, 87, 96, 105, 158, 187, 194 public pension funds, 265 Qualified Financial, 152 qui tam lawsuit, 162–163, 169–171, 199, 201, 227, 245, 280, 282, 297–298 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, 147 Rally in Tally, 184–190, 192, 203, 247, 259, 276, 306 Ranieri, Lew, 21–24, 27 Ratigan, Dylan, 222–223, 234 Reagan, Ronald, 23 Real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC), 23–24, 38–39, 114–115, 169–170, 262, 295, 301 Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 224 redlining, 29 Redman, Jennifer, 80–87, 93, 103, 173, 186–187, 239, 264, 304 Redman, Michael: activism, 87–88, 106–112, 149–154, 180–184, 186–187, 189, 195, 204–206, 214–215, 221, 223, 230, 234, 238–240, 246–247, 256, 262, 264, 268 aftermath of activism, 303–312 creation and maintenance of 4closureFraud, 91, 127, 131–132, 144–145, 151–152, 154–157, 160, 167, 190, 193, 205, 210, 213, 229, 231–232, 237, 254, 266, 278 early life and career, 79–83 foreclosure, 83–85, 87 guide to looking up public records, 88–92, 99–100 HR 3808, 225–226 interaction with Lisa Epstein, 71, 75, 77–78, 88, 90, 93–94, 100–104, 106, 108–112, 172–174, 180–184, 198, 250–252 interaction with Lynn Szymoniak, 149–151, 169, 281 research on foreclosure fraud, 85–87, 197, 231–232 role in Lisa Epstein’s political campaign, 286, 289–290, 293, 308 work with foreclosure defense lawyers, 126–128, 164–165, 175–176, 257–259, 304–307 work with state and federal investigations, 176–179 work with the media, 72, 88, 105, 192–193, 218, 222 Redman, Nicole, 83, 92, 173, 186, 246, 303, 308 Reed, Kasim, 296 registers of deeds See clerks of courts Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (RMBS) working group, 277–278, 285, 300–301 Resolution Trust Corporation, 54 Richardson, Denise, 157 Ritholtz, Barry, 219–220 robo-signing, 58, 128, 171, 191, 197, 200–201, 208–209, 214, 216–218, 220–221, 227, 230–231, 241, 253, 261, 272, 274, 277–278, 282, 289, 293–294, 298, 300, 302, 305–307 robo-verifiers, 197, 306–307 robo-witnesses, 305–306 Rockenbach, Kara, 198 “rocket docket,” 64, 194, 206–208, 223, 231, 237, 256–257, 306, 308 Rondolino, Judge Anthony, 191, 203 Roosevelt, Franklin, 18–19 Roosevelt Institute, 234 Rosen, Evan, 239, 304–308 Rucci, Grace, 109, 186, 196, 247, 288 Ruetenik, Dan, 245–246 Sadler, Keith, 192 Salomon Brothers, 21–22, 24 Samons, Cheryl, 165–167, 202–203, 228–229, 263 Santelli, Rick, 16–17 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 97, 154, 237 Sasser, Judge Meenu, 73–74, 145, 149, 153–154, 163, 195, 198–199, 202, 205 savings and loans (S&Ls), 20, 22–23, 28–29, 51–52, 54, 66, 210, 300 Savings of America (SOA), 52–55 Savoia, Tami, 108–109, 145, 154 Saxon Mortgage, 73, 118, 171, 284 Schack, Judge Arthur, 69, 125 Schneiderman, Eric, 232, 241–242, 265–266, 276–278, 284–285, 300–301 Schwartztol, Larry See American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Scott, Kelly, 229 Scott, Rick, 203, 256 Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act (SMMEA), 23 Secret Service, 205 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 17, 55, 59, 161, 168, 202, 217, 278, 300 securitization: definition and structure, 24–25, 36–37 fabrication of securitization agreement, 218 federal investigation, 277, 300–301 history of, 21–24 housing bubble securitizations, 30–33 Lisa Epstein research, 40, 72, 100, 285 Lynn Szymoniak research, 200, 243–244 role of MERS, 45, 47 rules (pooling and servicing agreements), 37, 56–57, 110, 114, 168, 197, 223–224, 231–232, 241–242, 307 securitization audits, 26, 95 securitization FAIL (notes and mortgages never made it to trusts), 33–34, 39, 42, 50, 69, 85, 115–116, 137, 160, 199, 207, 209, 236, 238, 266, 269–270, 295, 301 Select Portfolio Servicing, 68, 89, 171 Senate Banking Committee, 239 September 11 attacks, 112, 188–189 Service Employees International Union (SEIU), 224, 268 Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), 255, 262 Seterus, 307 Shapiro & Fishman (foreclosure mill), 73, 197–198, 203, 247, 261, 306 share loans, 6–7 Sheppard, Gerri, 270–272, 284 short sales, 219, 279, 299, 304, 311 Siegel, Marc Alan, 286–290, 293 Silvers, Damon, 233–234 Sink, Alex, 205 60 Minutes, 245–248, 250–251, 253, 262, 291, 296 Smith, Shannon, 202 Smith, Yves, 218, 262, 300 Snow, Brittany, 193 Soto, Darren, 184, 187, 203 Soud, Judge A.C., 207 Spark, Andrew, 261 spina bifida, 3, 11–12, 41, 196, 205 State of the Union address (2012), 276–277 Statute of Frauds, 46, 122 strategic defaults (moral hazard), 194, 260 Stephan, Jeffrey, 208–215, 217–218, 221, 241, 253 Stern, David J (foreclosure mill), 109, 145, 151, 153, 162, 165–167, 200–203, 208, 228–229, 237, 243, 256, 263, 291, 298, 306, 311 Stewart, Jon, 170, 224 Stoller, Matt, 234–235 Stopa, Mark, 157, 185, 207, 257 Stop Foreclosure Fraud, 157, 298 subprime mortgages, 1, 9, 11, 28–33, 43, 114, 124, 170, 174, 218, 239 Suggs, Ken, 147, 160–161, 163, 169 Summers, Larry, 230 SunTrust, 294 surrogate signing, 227, 275, 302 Swanson, Lori, 266 Szymoniak, Lynn: activism, 152–154, 186, 215, 230, 234–235, 250–253, 265, 268, 285, 309–312 “BOGUS” document, 148–154 creation and maintenance of Fraud Digest, 141–142, 144, 157, 191, 237 early life and career, 132–135 foreclosure, 135–143, 192, 218, 256, 262, 281–282, 291–292, 293 Housing Justice Foundation, 294–298, 304 interaction with Damian Figueroa, 151–154, 162–163, 169–170, 201–202, 298–299 interaction with Lisa Epstein, 144–145, 149–154, 163–164, 196 meetings with President Obama and Vice President Biden, 296 qui tam lawsuit, 162–163, 169–170, 199–200, 297–298 research on foreclosure fraud, 138–143, 171–172, 197, 200–201, 205, 214 role in Lisa Epstein’s political campaign, 285–289 role in private litigation, 146–148, 160–162 role in state and federal investigations, 143–146, 161, 168–169, 171–172, 178–179, 199, 227, 229, 241–244, 262–263, 269–270, 272– 275, 302–303 60 Minutes, 245–248, 250, 255 whistleblower award, 280–283, 290–291 “ta-da” endorsements, 197 Taibbi, Matt, 207, 215, 237 Take Back the Land, 267 Thievin, Shelley, 85–86, 89 Thigpen, Jeff, 252–253, 285, 302 Thomas, Tywanna, 142, 193 Thompson, Diane, 233 Thompson, Judge James, 257 Thorpe, Kim (“KT”), 158, 308 threshold error rates, 283–284 Ticktin, Jessica, 312 Ticktin, Peter, 227 Tobin, Judge Victor, 257 Tompkins, Anne, 172 Torch the Fraud, 246 Trafford, Gary, 270–272, 284 Trawick, Henry, 312 Traynor, Judge Michael, 204–205 Treasury Department, 35, 67, 230, 233, 238, 240–241, 262, 279 Trent, Kenneth Eric, 202 Tribe, Laurence, 208, 273 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), 97, 199, 239, 283 Trowbridge, Christina, 43, 49, 65, 89, 216 trustees: bankruptcy trustees, 56, 245, 256 fabrication of documents, 170 failure to receive mortgages and notes, 37–39 inability to foreclose, 55, 115–116, 118, 125, 201, 218, 236, 255 interaction with MERS, 48–50 involvement in mortgage-backed securities, 15, 17–18, 24–25, 36, 66, 109, 136, 163, 293 private litigation, 160–161, 207, 297–298, 307 state and federal investigations, 144, 199, 266 Truth in Lending Act, 34 2010 midterm elections, 229, 232 underwater mortgages, 2, 11, 65, 84, 122, 260, 269, 279 “Unfair, Deceptive and Unconscionable Acts in Foreclosure Cases,” 243–244, 260 U.S Attorney’s office: in Iowa, 240 in the Middle District of Florida (Jacksonville), 134, 135, 143–145, 148, 161, 168–169, 171, 199, 227, 234, 237, 242, 245, 262–263, 273, 302–303 in Ohio (Clevaland), 217 in South Carolina, 171, 262 in the Western District of North Carolina (Charlotte), 172 U.S Bank, 15, 17–18, 24–25, 37, 39–43, 45, 65, 96–97, 109, 111, 125, 145, 154, 160, 238, 256, 307 verification standard: by Florida Supreme Court, 98, 153, 197–198, 200, 257, 306–307 by New York and New Jersey courts, 231 Veterans Administration, 20, 113–114 veto (presidential), 225–227 Virani, Alina, 26–27, 71, 75, 158 Virtual Bank, 246 Volcker, Paul, 22 Wachovia Bank, 86, 295 Wall Street Journal, 154, 224, 253 Warren, Elizabeth, 226–227, 230, 310 Washington Mutual, 27, 52–53, 59–61, 69–70, 83–86, 271 Washington Post, 6, 214, 218, 222, 239 Watson, John, 192 Watson, Marshall C (foreclosure mill), 163, 192, 203, 257, 260–261, 306 Webster, Daniel, 188 Webster, Tony, 202–203 Weidner, Matt, 119–122, 127–128, 131, 151, 155, 157, 167, 175–176, 178, 184–187, 205, 209, 213, 218–219, 237, 241, 247, 257, 281, 311 Wells Fargo Bank, 13, 15, 17–18, 25, 45, 86, 130–131, 171, 181–182, 221, 238, 247, 253, 274, 278, 295 West, Tony, 266 Wexler, Robert, 99 Where Is the Note?, 224, 268 White, Alan, 48 Wilson, Christine, 218 Winston, Michael, 27 Wizmur, Judge Judith, 236 Working Families Party, 277 Wright, Jack, 59, 68, 157 Wylde, Kathryn, 266 yield spread premiums, 28 Zacks, Dustin, 195, 216 Zero Hedge, 157, 223, 231 Zloch, Judge William 160–161 Zombeck, Richard, 194–195 ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Dayen is a contributor to Salon and The Intercept, and a weekly columnist for the Fiscal Times and the New Republic He also writes for publications including the American Prospect, The Guardian, Vice, and the Huffington Post He lives in Los Angeles This is his first book PUBLISHING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST Thank you for reading this book published by The New Press The New Press is a nonprofit, public interest publisher New Press books and authors play a crucial role in sparking conversations about the key political and social issues of our day We hope you enjoyed this book and that you will stay in touch with The New Press Here are a few ways to stay up to date with our books, events, and the issues we cover: • Sign up at www.thenewpress.com/subscribe to receive updates on New Press authors and issues and to be notified about local events • Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/newpressbooks • Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thenewpress Please consider buying New Press books for yourself; for friends and family; or to donate to schools, libraries, community centers, prison libraries, and other organizations involved with the issues our authors write about The New Press is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization You can also support our work with a taxdeductible gift by visiting www.thenewpress.com/donate THE STUDS AND IDA TERKEL AWARD On the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, Studs Terkel and his son, Dan, announced the creation of the Studs and Ida Terkel Author Fund The Fund is devoted to supporting the work of promising authors in a range of fields who share Studs’s fascination with the many dimensions of everyday life in America and who, like Studs, are committed to exploring aspects of America that are not adequately represented by the mainstream media The Terkel Fund furnishes authors with the vital support they need to conduct their research and writing, providing a new generation of writers the freedom to experiment and innovate in the spirit of Studs’s own work Studs and Ida Terkel Award Winners David Dayen, Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street’s Great Foreclosure Fraud Aaron Swartz, The Boy Who Could Change the World: The Writings of Aaron Swartz (awarded posthumously) Beth Zasloff and Joshua Steckel, Hold Fast to Dreams: A College Guidance Counselor, His Students, and the Vision of a Life Beyond Poverty Barbara J Miner, Lessons from the Heartland: A Turbulent Half-Century of Public Education in an Iconic American City Lynn Powell, Framing Innocence: A Mother’s Photographs, a Prosecutor’s Zeal, and a Small Town’s Response Lauri Lebo, The Devil in Dover: An Insider’s Story of Dogma v Darwin in Small-Town America ... reported, and often infuriating account.” —Kirkus (starred review) “Dayen brilliantly reveals the triumph of three ordinary Americans as they and their supporters exposed millions of foreclosure frauds—and... without-a-net exploits of those tasked with stanching the bleeding But few have offered the perspective of millions of ordinary Americans, the ones who never visited a Wall Street office tower or a... be documented evidence of transfer, like links in a chain? ??a chain of title, which lays out the different transactions You can’t skip a link: the chain must show evidence of transfers from originator