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I suppose it should be said again, since it doesn't appear enough on the thread: This was a vacation home in the desert, and the wrong address (but right name) was given to subcontractors to ‘secure’ the home and any property on the premises.

This happened months ago, but is only now coming to light. Apparently because the family just recently visited the property and found it trashed.

Yes, the bank has a responsibility to secure personal property in a foreclosed home, but you have a specific time limit (IRC, 30 days in California) before the securing agent can dispose of the property however they see fit to ‘pay for the storage, cataloging and transport of possessions.’ Any excess money is supposed to be returned to the property owners or turned over to the state if they are unable to locate them.

In no way are the personal possessions security or payment for the outstanding balance on any home loan.

So, contractors go out, see very obvious signs on the property identifying the property owners which doesn't even come close to the name on their paperwork, and rather than stop (or secure the name tiles...), they continued with the process, only taking things they felt were of value. His father's World War I uniform, his tools, three golf carts, four riding mowers, etc.

He's hired a lawyer, he will be meeting with Wells Fargo's representative along with his lawyer tomorrow, but I'm going to guess that the real action will come in exposing the contractor who supposedly secured the property and their extremely selective and destructive manner in treating the property.

And while the bank might get away Scott free from this, it would not surprise me if we later hear about charges being filed against the contractor who caused major vandalism to the home, and committed grand theft. I'm going to guess that their insurance company is going to be paying out a very very hefty sum.

I'm sorry for the family for having their vacation home ramsacked, and sincerely wished they had some form of monitoring of the property (at least by a nearby resident.) But on the positive side, this is going to expose an industry that could do with some more scrutiny in how they conduct business, and more to the point, how they treat private property.