cover of episode Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages

Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages

2024/9/17
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AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
C
Christy Kelly
D
David Gordon
K
Karen McDonough
R
Roman Mars
Topics
Roman Mars：本期节目讲述的是一种被人们遗忘多年的问题，数千人曾被告知不用担心，但这些债务又卷土重来，困扰着他们。经济力量像潮汐一样影响着我们的生活，即使是十年前的贷款也可能突然复活并夺走一切。 Karen McDonough：Karen McDonough 的房子面临被法拍，而她一直按时还贷，这源于她十多年前的第二笔抵押贷款（僵尸抵押贷款）被债务追讨人重新追讨。她描述了收到神秘电话和信件，以及债务追讨人出现在她家门口的经历，表达了她的震惊、无助和绝望。 Robert Smith & Chris Arnold："僵尸抵押贷款"是指那些沉寂多年后又重新出现并威胁到房主的旧债务，本文将探讨这些旧债务为何现在卷土重来、其合法性以及阻止它们的方法。他们调查发现，数千人面临着与 Karen 相同的困境，他们被要求偿还多年未曾提及的第二笔抵押贷款。 David Gordon：David Gordon 解释说，他购买的是不良债务，这些债务在房地产市场价格上涨后，变得更有价值。他认为借钱就应该还钱，即使是多年以前的贷款，并表示会与借款人协商，但如果对方不还款，他也会进行房屋法拍。 Christy Kelly：Christy Kelly 律师指出，债务追讨人以极低的价格购买了这些旧债务，并利用法律漏洞，对房主进行不公平的追讨。她发现债务追讨人违反了《Truth in Lending Act》中的规定，这为房主提供了法律依据来对抗他们，并成功帮助许多房主阻止了房屋被收回。 Chris Arnold & Robert Smith：他们详细讲述了Karen在2005年购买房屋时，由于无力支付首付，使用了第二笔抵押贷款，这在当时的房地产泡沫时期很常见。2008年金融危机期间，政府介入帮助许多房主修改贷款，降低利率，避免房屋被收回。Karen的第一笔抵押贷款得到了修改，但她被告知第二笔抵押贷款被免除了。多年后，Karen收到了一封来自她从未听说过的公司的信，要求她偿还第二笔抵押贷款。房地产价格上涨使得这些“僵尸抵押贷款”重新具有价值，债务追讨人开始追讨债务。Karen的案例中，她被告知第二笔抵押贷款被免除，但债务追讨人仍然要求她偿还贷款，并最终拍卖了她的房子。Karen的律师正在调查First American National公司的背景，发现该公司存在违规行为。尽管政府在金融危机后采取了措施，但“僵尸抵押贷款”问题仍然存在，并再次威胁到许多房主的房屋。Karen仍在努力维护自己的权益，并继续生活。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Karen McDonough, a registered nurse, discovered her home was facing foreclosure despite being current on her mortgage. A group of strangers appeared, claiming she owed a long-lost debt from a second mortgage taken out during the housing bubble. Confused and scared, Karen sought answers, ultimately finding herself at a beach contemplating her situation.
  • Karen McDonough faced foreclosure despite being current on her primary mortgage.
  • The foreclosure was due to a 'zombie' second mortgage from the 2008 housing bubble.
  • Karen had been told the second mortgage was forgiven after a loan modification.

Shownotes Transcript

Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie mortgages,” forgotten second loans from the housing bubble era that have come back to haunt homeowners like Karen. As real estate prices rise, debt collectors are reviving these dormant debts, threatening homes across the country.

This episode is from our friends at Planet Money, a podcast about economics...possibly the biggest thing that we all collectively try not to think about, only to have it greet us at the grocery store, at the gas station, even in our homes. This episode illustrates how massive forces pull at the economy like tides and create ripple effects in our lives, like how a decade-old loan can suddenly come back to life and take everything away.

Subscribe to Planet Money) wherever you get your podcasts. They also have a digital piece with further reporting on Zombie Mortgages from NPR’s Investigations Team. You can find that at npr.org/zombie).

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