Are you covered for bonfire night?

Homeowners are being advised to make sure that they check their home insurance policies and plans before the festivities of Bonfire Night, as they need to make sure that they have the right level of cover for their needs and to ensure that they have adequate cover in place in the event of accidents or injuries. Many people do not even think about the fact that they may not have adequate cover in place and therefore any incidents that take place could end up costing them a fortune.

Whilst households may have insurance cover in place there is a chance that certain things are not covered on their policies, and this is what officials are urging households to check before Bonfire Night comes around. For example, if you are having fireworks and a bonfire in your garden your insurance cover may not offer any public liability protection in the event that someone is inured or worse on your property, which would effectively be your responsibility.

Officials have said that every year thousands of people are injured at bonfires and fireworks parties and households that do not have the right level of protection in place could find themselves in very hot water in the event of an injury occurring on their property. A quick phone call or just checking your policy could enable you to determine whether you have the right level of cover in place and if not you can upgrade your cover before November 5^th.

One home insurance expert said: “For those hosting a fireworks party at home, it is essential to ensure your home insurance policy is up to date and that you have adequate personal liability cover. In the event of an accident such as someone getting burnt on the bonfire, you could find yourself liable for any injury or damage if you are not covered by insurance.”

Legitimate Debt Relief Programs

Debt is no longer uncommon. More people are finding themselves in debt and searching for means of achieving a debt free life. The most common causes of debt in the nation are the misuse of credit cards, the occurrences of health emergencies and adjustable mortgage. Whatever the reason for your debt, achieving a debt free life is possible with the help of legitimate debt relief programs.

It is important to be careful when choosing a debt relief program. There are many people who are hoping to take advantage of ill informed debt ridden individuals. It is therefore important to use one of the many reputable debt relief programs.

One of the best ways of identifying genuine debt relief programs is by searching through customer review websites such as topconsumerreviews.com. This website lists the top reputable debt relief programs. The website allows you to read about the services offered by the various programs. You can also read client reviews and decide on the company that best suits your needs and budget.

When searching through websites and reading consumer reviews, remember to check the reputability of the debt relief company by searching for its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. BBB rating is an indication of the legitimacy of a company and shows whether the company is a smart customer choice. A rating of A+ means that the company is reputable and is a good choice.

Curadebt Company was ranked as the best debt relief program in the nation. This company has been providing debt relief services since 2000 for clients from all parts of the nation. This is the ideal company for those with debts amounting to more than $10 000. The company takes a hands-on approach to alleviating debt. Once they are hired, all conversations regarding your debt are dealt with by the company. They negotiate the best payment terms for you and set up a payment plan that is suitable for their clients. Their services can be accessed online through their website.

FTC Halts Fraudulent Mortgage, Debt Relief Scammer

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint with U.S. District Court alleging that Christopher Mallett has engaged in deceptive practices online, targeting debt-ridden consumers. The complaint outlines Mallett’s alleged misdeeds, which include violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

According to the FTC, Mallett:

• Impersonated federal consumer protection agencies on multiple websites.
• Falsely claimed that he and his websites were affiliated with federal consumer protection agencies.
• Invented a consumer protection agency that does not actually exist (the Department of Consumer Services Protection Commission).

The FTC claims that Mallett attempted to attract debt-ridden consumers to his site and redirect them to affiliate sites that provided relief for mortgages, debts, and taxes. None of these sites had any actual affiliation with the federal government, and all reportedly charged customers for their services.

If proven, these actions would violate the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule, which outline how online services and mortgage assistance can be advertised and sold.

In addition to Mallett’s alleged fraudulent affiliation claims, the FTC charges that he improperly used the FTC’s official seal and closely copied language from the FTC’s web site on his own web pages. Mallett’s companies and web sites reportedly include:

• U.S. Debt Care
• World Law Debt
• U.S. Mortgage Relief Counsel
• gov-usdebtreform.net
• worldlawdebt.org
• FHA-homeloan.info

Because of the close matches between official government logos and language and that on Mallett’s sites, he may also face charges of impersonating government agencies.

In addition to his false claims of government affiliation, Mallett reportedly made unsubstantiated claims about how his services could benefit consumers. The FTC notes that Mallett promised substantial reduction in consumer debts, even going so far as to publish charts showing previous customers’ “success” in lowering their debts.

The FTC is bringing the complaint as part of its efforts to eliminate scams that prey on consumers who are struggling with mortgage-related debt and other types of consumer debt. These types of scams can be particularly malicious because unsuspecting consumers may spend money they can barely afford for what they believe is a service that will help them turn their finances around.

When they learn that the service was nothing more than a scam, they often suffer a double blow of having lost money and having lost a chance at getting significant help toward improving their financial situation.

In some cases, consumers turn to such services to avoid filing for bankruptcy; ironically, spending money on such scams may push these consumers over the edge financially, leaving them with few choices besides personal bankruptcy.

Ninth Circuit Upholds Conviction for Mortgage Broker Involved in Mortgage Fraud Scheme – U.S. v. Rizk

As Moreno Valley foreclosure defense lawyers, we write occasionally about mortgage fraud because fraud at any level is part of what created the depressed real estate market every borrower must deal with today. A recent Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision was a good reminder that mortgage fraud frequently goes far beyond an individual lying on his or her loan application — the corruption often extends to several loan professionals who cooperate in their lies. This was the case in U.S. v. Rizk, the appeal of a home appraiser convicted of participating in a Los Angeles-area fraud scheme. The Ninth Circuit ultimately decided that the convictions of Lila Rizk were valid and not unfair, but overturned a restitution order awarding more money to victims than they actually lost.

Rizk appraised homes mostly in Orange County and Los Angeles County, sometimes working with mortgage broker Mark Abrams and his business partner, Charles Elliott Fitzgerald. Between 2000 and 2003, the men and some associates carried out a scheme to purchase high-end homes for more than they were worth and simply keep the difference between the marked value they paid and the much higher loans they took out. The total profits from this scheme were $40 million, at the expense of the lenders. To convince lenders to make the inflated loans, they created false contracts and also used inflated appraisal reports, many of which were provided by Rizk. At trial, prosecutors introduced charts that showed the difference between the actual and purported closing dates and prices and other evidence. Rizk and the others objected, arguing that the charts were overbroad because they included ten times as many properties as appeared on the indictment, but they were overruled. Rizk was eventually convicted of conspiracy, bank fraud and 13 counts of loan fraud.

On appeal, Rizk challenged the admission of the charts, saying they were prejudicial because they put evidence before the jury about acts for which she was not charged, and about which prosecutors never presented evidence. The court noted that the kind of charts in question must contain only admissible evidence, but the evidence must not necessarily be admitted. Thus, the Ninth Circuit dismissed Rizk’s first argument that it was prejudicial that prosecutors did not admit the evidence. It turned next to her arguments under federal rules permitting the exclusion of irrelevant evidence. Again, the Ninth Circuit found that the charts were admissible, under well-established caselaw allowing evidence of a conspiracy to be admitted even when not all the acts are in the indictment. On Rizk’s arguments that the evidence did not support her convictions, the court found this untrue, noting that she ignored certain evidence in her brief. A rational jury, using the evidence at hand, could find her guilty, the court said. However, it accepted her argument that the restitution order was erroneous. Because Rizk had an insurance carrier who has already paid the victims, it said, the court should have ordered Rizk to pay back the insurer and then pay roughly half that amount to the victims.

Our Placentia foreclosure defense attorneys would like to note that the victims in this case are the lending institutions that financed the fraudulent sales. As a general rule, however, mortgage fraud often victimizes the unlucky people who just happen to live near the fraudulently obtained property. Because mortgage fraud often means letting homes go into foreclosure very quickly after purchase, it depresses property values in the neighborhood with a foreclosure sale. The neighbors’ homes lose value, and they also often end up with an unsightly home in the area that is not being properly cared for. Observers of the housing bubble have likely seen this played out in a big way in communities hit hard by foreclosure. Many of those foreclosures were “organic,” in that the borrowers truly couldn’t afford to keep paying, but as Chino foreclosure defense lawyers, we are not fans of fraud that makes the situation worse for honest borrowers.

Small Financial Sacrifices For Big Achievements

My monthly rent just went from $1,500 per month to $350 per month. Yes, you read that right I just started saving $1,150 on my rent each and every month! (Do I sound like a Geico insurance ad?) This is part of the move I have referenced as of late and part of my long-term plan to hitting the road full time within the next 12 months. The place I was renting in California was a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom stand-alone house with rather high utility bills each month, while the place I am now renting in New Mexico is a studio-sized bungalow near town with all the utilities included. Counting rent, utilities, and entertainment, my costs for the house in California added up to about $1,750, while the costs for the studio in New Mexico add up to, well, exactly $350. I no longer have cable TV, and my heat/water/internet service is included in the rent, so my monthly expenses for the place end at the full cost of my rent each month. This may be too much sacrifice for some people, but for me it’s a means to an end one I am looking forward to.

From my new place, I can walk to Whole Foods, several different restaurants and coffee shops, and it’s a perfectly small, affordable studio for me to start assembling my plan of action for the coming year. In order to make the transition to my new space (and future plans) work though, I had to make several major changes, one of which I had wanted to do for many years significantly downsize my personal belongings. So in the few days I had to clear out and pack up my house, I donated enough goods to fill up two mini vans.

It was all superfluous stuff that wasn’t necessary to my life but had been accumulated over the years and that had taken its spot as a regular in my home. But while going through each item in my house, I was able to see it as “extra” and not a necessity, making it easier to donate to those less fortunate than myself. After clearing out the donations, I was left with two piles; one with just a few bags of personal items and computer equipment to take with me, and another pile of pricey furniture I wasn’t ready to dispose of and may want to use later. All said, I would say I am left with only about 35% of the stuff I started this adventure with just a few short weeks ago, and it feels amazing to have cleared out so much! Some may see that as a sacrifice, but I see it as progress, as my entire life feels way lighter now. After all, not everything can fit in one of these, can it?

My new rental is tiny compared to the house I was renting but the rent is $1,150 less per month. I don’t have any utility bills at all. My only monthly bills at this point are as follows:

• Rent $350
• AT&T iPhone Bill $95
• Storage $100
• Website Hosting $40
• Car Insurance $40
• BackBlaze Computer Backup $5

Total: $644.99

I am sacrificing my own space, my stuff, some mindless entertainment, big-city living (if that’s a sacrifice, as sometimes it isn’t), and the accompaniment of some old close friends as I start this journey of mine. And while not everyone is willing to move and/or downsize this significantly in order to save money, I wanted to write this post to show you that’s it not that difficult if you make the right choices for you (in terms of location, etc.) and you have an end goal that you are working towards. If I stay 12 months in my new place and keep all expenses the same, I could potentially put away $16,800 just from the cheaper rent alone, never mind any other money I have always saved each and every month outside of that. That is money that will enable me to pay cash (along with the trading in of my current car) for a truck and a trailer/camper I will be living in most of the year, along with putting a healthy amount of extra savings in the bank to pay for my travels and repairs on the road. I will be keeping my current “home base” because it is so cheap and I can lock it up and hit the road without worrying about taking care of it or paying the bills. I will always have a place to come back to for a rest or to regroup.

This type of life is definitely not for everyone, but with the right changes/choices, your dream life can be possible too. It just takes a little courage and some planning and you can be on your way to living life the way you want to, not the way others expect you to. In the big picture, I am not sacrificing anything of any true importance; rather I am giving up some things and exchanging them for an experience more valuable to me than “stuff” could ever be. You only get one shot at life make it count.

House Rich, Cash Poor or Just Double Poor

By Jeff Curl

Are you sacrificing everything to keep your home? Maybe nothing is going into retirement or your emergency fund.  Maybe you are actually taking money out of these sacred cow accounts to make the mortgage payments.  Coupled with drops in home prices, many of these homes are underwater.  Not to mention a good portion of these mortgages are five-year adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) with waves of adjustments set to push more people a little more cash poor.

I know that it is the “American Dream” to be a homeowner and there is a lot of emotional attachment that goes along with a place where your children grew up. A place you’ve lived in for years. It’s your  home. I get that.

But is it worth it?  The lopsided dedication to a home seems to cause a lot of pain for less and less gain.  I have clients working second and third jobs to keep homes.  Many of these homes are so upside down will most likely never appreciate enough to make it worthwhile to keep.  In this continuing struggle, they dont have the cash flow for unexpected  events that are inevitable such as car repairs or attending a family emergency.  And there are certainly non-economic factors that deserve consideration.  For example, a stable family environment, good school district, the cost of a mortgage versus rental prices can make keeping a home worth some of the costs.

But heres the rub in todays market.  Many people are not even house rich with so many home values below what you paid.  Many homeowners are finding themselves house poor and cash poor.  And many are making themselves more cash poor by continuing to invest in a home with no equity.

If you are struggling to keep a home, and you are not even house rich at this point, it may be time to examine if the stress of a keeping a poor investment at all costs is worth it.