'The Con': How 91-year-old Addie Polk's suicide attempt in Ohio became a symbol of America's home mortgage crisis
The elderly widow became the victim of the subprime mortgage crisis, which contributed to the infamous US financial crisis in 2007-2008
By Namrata Tripathi
Updated On : 10:24 PST, Oct 6, 2020
As years passed by Polk's house was in need of repair, she decided to take her first loan in 1997 for $21,000 to fix her house. However, in 2001, agents of Countrywide Home Loans Inc. gave her another of $46,000 on a home that was not worth maybe $20,000. And that's when things started crumbling down for Polk. The loans, however, did not end there. Countrywide, again, in 2004 gave the widow in her 80s a loan for $45,620. Experts later stated that the loan should never have been made. In Polk's era, people trusted banks. She was, however, given a 30-year mortgage at the age of 89. How long did the bank think she would live? The elderly widow became the victim of the subprime mortgage crisis, which contributed to the infamous US financial crisis in 2007-2008.
As years went by, it became difficult for Polk to pay interest on those loans, and the company soon filed for foreclosure. Deputies began visiting her house, making a total of five or six visits notifying her of foreclosure. This was embarrassing for Polk, whose friends and neighbors knew her as a woman of substance and stateliness. She did not want people to know that her house was posted on the market. The idea of being homeless at the age of 90 was too much for Polk. The home loan crisis claimed many victims like Polk, although not everyone resorted to taking their lives, most lost their homes. As Polk's case became public, several other similar cases in Acorn cropped up and the realization soon hit many that the crisis was not just in the small town, it had spread across the state of Ohio, targeting poor neighborhoods and minorities. It was later discovered that nearly all states in the country were battling with a similar crisis.
A spokesperson for Fannie Mae, shortly after Polk shot herself, in a statement said that the mortgage association had decided to halt action against Polk and sign the property "outright" to her, according to CNN. The decision was taken while Polk was still hospitalized with gunshot wounds. "We're going to forgive whatever outstanding balance she had on the loan and give her the house," Faith said. "Given the circumstances, we think it's appropriate."
The elderly widow became the victim of the subprime mortgage crisis, which contributed to the infamous US financial crisis in 2007-2008
meaww.com
oh i see now. the truth is making the banksters and the gse's nervous. but it must just be me "whining" , "crying" and "complaining".
send this to TAF and ask them how they think the public trust is working with all their bankster sponsors.