Posted on 07/15/2015 9:32:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Johnnie H. Hodges, who lived in his Buffalo, N.Y., home for some 60 years, refused to leave after he fell behind on his mortgage payments while caring for his sick wife, so authorities carried him out on a stretcher.
The story of Johnnie H. Hodges, a 90-year-old Navy veteran of World War II, and the home that he lived in for some 60 years is chock-full of sadness and missed chances.
Hodges lived in his Buffalo, N.Y., home with his wife for decades. About four years ago, Hodges spent most of his income caring for his wife, who had Alzheimer’s disease. In the process, he defaulted on his mortgage and amassed debt totaling $73,000 to M&T Bank.
Last week Hodges was evicted, literally taken from his home on a stretcher, after a two-hour standoff with U.S. marshals. The bank told the Buffalo News that it tried everything to prevent this from happening, but Hodges didn’t accept any of its offers.
“It’s a sad day for everyone involved because this outcome could have been avoided,” C. Michael Zabel, vice president of corporate communications at M&T, said in a statement viewed by the newspaper.
According to the Buffalo News, around October 2011, Hodges was sent a notice stating that he had defaulted on his home loan, according to court documents. A meeting was set up between the bank and Hodges in May 2012 to figure out a way to keep Hodges in his home. Hodges reportedly didn’t show up to the meeting. Court records viewed by the newspaper show that Hodges was sent notice of an upcoming sale in December 2013 but didn’t respond or appeal. The house was sold in foreclosure in January 2014.
Since the sale, the bank reportedly delayed Hodges’ eviction three times, but Hodges told the newspaper June 24—a
(Excerpt) Read more at theroot.com ...
A sixty-year mortgage?
They couldn’t wait until he just passed away naturally? He’s 90 years old and the property will still be there..................
Bastards.
“Last week Hodges was evicted, literally taken from his home on a stretcher, after a two-hour standoff with U.S. marshals.”
Why are US Marshals involved in an eviction on a private bank foreclosure?
A mortgage at 90???
I sympathize with the man for what he went through with his wife and I deeply appreciate his service to his country.
But if you borrow money you have to repay it.
Unless you’re the US Government, of course.
Poor man. It seems as though something could have been done, other than this.
The bank tried its best to deal with him, and according to the story, he had several offers of help from private individuals and rejected them.
Can’t see that this is anyone’s fault but the old man.
Unless he got a mortgage to pay for wife’s medical expenses,how can he have an unpaid mortgage after living in the house for 60 years.
Probably “If you like your house, you can keep it”.
Still, I think the guy deserves more slack. We treat our veterans like crap.
How much slack can you give a man who refuses to cooperate with you?
I agree.
He may be old and he may be a veteran but they gave him plenty of time.
.
Sounds like they cut him more slack than they would us.
It’s a shame. He could have gotten a Reverse Mortgage. He could have made a deal with the Bank. He could have done many things, but he CHOSE not do.
My Father is a 92 Year Old Navy Vet and was (is) an Alcoholic. He squandered thousands of Dollars on Get Rich Quick schemes and covered the overhead of a few Piano Bars.
If I wasn’t here looking after him, he could have easily ended up in the situation the guy in this Story has.
It is sad, but Personal Responsibility doesn’t end the day someone gets their first Social Security Check.
A bank kicking a 90 yr old vet from his home. Brilliant, not! If the management at the banks weren’t total butt heads, they could have turned this into PR gold for the bank. Cover his damn mortgage at least until he gets back on his feet.
The bank would have more goodwill from that gesture alone than any equivalent commercial could buy them. Instead they follow their rules to the letter of the law and look like dunderheads. Now they’ll have to spend more money to counter their poor choice of a move; and how many customers will they lose in the process?
I wonder if M&T Bank thinks their foreclosed property is worth the bad publicity.
TC
He’s only 20 years older than me. I plan to close my M&T account in the next few days to protest.
No, a reverse mortgage. I've been helping a few of my neighbors sort through the hype. In a few very specific cases, it can keep a senior in their home and balance their budget. This sounds like one of them. I'm surprised the bank's lawyers didn't show up at his house with the paperwork.
Guess his biggest mistake was not telling them that he was an illegal.
What sort of fundraising or donating would have taken the house out of his name? Doesn't make sense. This looks like a case where a legitimate GoFundMe type campaign would have raised the money easily.
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