Woman says she might lose her home because of bank error
TUALATIN, Ore. – A widowed homeowner says a bank error has sent her into the fight for her life after the bank began foreclosing on her home even though she has a perfect payment record.
Dee Dingman's bank account records for the past four years show mortgage payments being deposited by the bank every single month. Even with that proof she has been battling for more than three years to save her home.
Dingman's ranch-style home along busy Boones Ferry Road is the only home she's known for the past 45 years. She raised her four children – two boys and two girls – there.
Just short of her 80th birthday she still does a lot of holiday entertaining. The Christmas tree went up just in time for her annual Thanksgiving dinner.
"Twenty-one people came here and oh, we had lots of fun," she says.
But now she wonders if this will be the last holiday season in the home.
Her husband, Leland, worked as a Greyhound driver and she worked at a nearby Kmart to pay off their home.
They did pay it off. But four years ago Leland got really sick and the medical bills piled up. After her husband passed away, Dingman took out a new mortgage to pay off his medical bills. A year after Leland died, however, she started getting foreclosure notices.
"You don't know how shocked I was, because I was getting ready to make another payment," she says.
According to Dingman's bank records, more than $2,300 a month, every month, went to Wells Fargo Bank.
She says Wells Fargo wouldn't listen to her even though she had the records proving she was paid up on the mortgage.
"But they, at that time, still would not go through this invoice register," she says.
She said the bank wouldn't talk to her because she was in foreclosure.
"I mean, what did I do wrong? Tell me what I did wrong in doing this just because they made an error," she says.
Dingman admits it would be easier to just let the home go into foreclosure and get an apartment. But she says there are just too many memories there and more to make.
"I don't want to do that. I want my home," she says.
According to Wells Fargo on Tuesday afternoon, the foreclosure notice remains in effect while it tries to find a solution that will allow Dingman to stay in her home.
If you have a story for Thom Jensen or any of the "On Your Side" investigators email them at investigators at investigators@katu.com.
Banks are too big to fail and too big to jail. What do you think they are there to do. Enslave the people to work for their political masters. Once the system is corrupted then corruption breeds more corruption.
Poor woman
It's Wells Fargo. What else would you expect?
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Banks are not accountable to anyone for their mistakes or mishandling of customer money or accounts. Until they are held accountable, they can do or say pretty much anything they want...and make you pay for it.
i bet she bet the deed on a texas hold em bingo match and lost
"Stellar" writing KATU - From the first sentence of the second paragraph it is unclear if the payments were debited from her account - or credited to the mortgage. The writing makes it appear that she is the receiver of the payments. Either way - if this was my family member and indeed true - nothing would stop me from righting the wrong.
the overlord bankers are never wrong
I want to believe this story, BUT she has all of her records for making payments. Banks are stupid, but not that stupid. I think there is more to this story that meets the eye.
 @dkgiovenco I disagree.  Banks ARE that stupid.  This is from personal experience with a Wells Fargo home loan.  I did get my problem resolved before they foreclosed.  My records were perfect, and they even admitted they made a mistake.  Unfortunately, they held my title hostage until I paid for their mistake.  Never again will I ever deal with Wells Fargo.  Lesson learned.
 @dkgiovenco I agree--something doesn't pass the sniff test!
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The biggest banks have earned their bad reputations over the past 8 years or more...
The only thing clear in this story is how erroneous it is. It makes no sense that the bank decided to start their very expensive and unwanted process of foreclosure on this lady. Thom, write the sequal to this. Banks HATE foreclosures and stories like this lend momentum to the ignorance that banks like their collateral back. Come on, Thom. You have been doing this too long to leave this many facts out. Or have you?
get an attorney.Â
This makes me ill.. This poor woman falling victim to Wells Fargo. Crooks! BOYCOTT ALL BANKS! Go credit union!
 @PDXBEARÂ
Almost all credit unions sell their loans to big banks. My credit union now sells loans which is a new policy.
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Consumers have little option in this matter any more and most loans will end up being in the hands of big banks.
 @PDXBEAR I already do.
@PDXBEAR.....I agree wholeheartedly.
@PDXBEAR - unfortunately, small banks and credit unions bank with the big banks like Wells Fargo, US Bank or Bank of America. :(
Sue them for $500,000,000 for legal costs and punitive damages for emotional distress.
 @viewoflife Plus, they have to pick up the lunch tab!
I guess I'm missing something...Why would Dingman ever consider letting her home go into foreclosure if she is all paid up and then move into an apartment, etc., etc.? Wells Fargo does not have a very good reputation in the home mortgage business...Dee, sick the cops on them, find an attorney that will sue not only for getting them off you back but for pain and suffering and anything else he can dun them for....
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Screw the big banks. You're better off going through a credit union.
You don't always have a choice who owns the mortgage as they are sold sometimes (our last one was sold 2 times), also, we use a mortgage broker who shops the lowest interest rates, and that's what we go with.
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Curious that they leave her in default while it's investigated when she can prove she paid. Not sure why she didn't set up a payment plan for the med bills as opposed to risking her house.
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Seriously, there needs to be consumer protection laws to prevent things like this from happening.
If they are working on a solution to keep her in her home, there is more to the story. KATU is not going to get the bank to comment further on the story because it is private information. The homeowner can come to a news station and give them information about the case without the bank legally being able to respond.Â
Ok people, stop and think here. Why would someone her age and her husband take out a mortgage that is $2300 a month to pay back medical bills? Why not use medicare that they have earned? If you fell behind on medical bills, they can never come after your house anyways. I think these stories are written to get the public in a frenzy about evil banking institutions even though without them virtually no one could even own a home to begin with. Do you have a few hundred thousand laying around to buy a house cash? Most of us don't so without the whole story please save us your "Banks are evil! Banks are picking houses they want to takeover." Do you really think a bank would want to take over a house someone is paying monthly for in the real estate market?Â
 @centurysteve I know this lady, and worked with her for 7 years. Wells Fargo is the one at fault, and refusing to even listen that they could be at fault or have made and error.
 @centurysteve Maybe they can't come after your house, but what they can do is come after any income you have, your bank account, etc. They'll take 25% of whatever your income is until that debt is paid off.
You as many people have fallen for the false hope that hospitals are required to treat customers regardless of being able to pay. This is so far from the truth that it shows the pure ignorance of the average person. Treating pain and not the underlying condition is considered "treatment". That is all hospitals are required to do. Medicaid also does not and will not pick up all the costs. Hopefully you educate yourself before you need any of these services that you pay into your entire life.
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Our current medical system is designed to treat minor illnesses. Once you get a major illness its designed to dump you by the side of the road.
 @mike Like I said, whatever they couldn't pay for would not enable the medical facility to come after the home to repay the medical bills. So before you say pure ignorance, don't make statements like your last paragraph that is to any educated person entirely BS!!
CenturySteve. Excuse me, but YES they CAN go after your house. She put it up as collateral. Now they CANNOT go after retirment funds (SS, 401K) but they CAN go after possesions.
 @centurysteve  @mike Hey century, any default on medical bills can and will most likely go to a collection agency, you can then lose your home just to pay for court fees (forced sale). Now as for your comment "Why not use medicare that they have earned?", Medicare is not an insurance policy you can draw upon to pay for any and/or all medical costs. Medicare is a bare bones coverage policy for seniors and disabled persons. If a specific medical cost or procedure is not covered by Medicare, the patient can and will be billed for that specific cost or procedure. If Medicare covers a specific medical cost or procedure but only allows a certain amount or percentage of the actual cost for reimbursement, then the patient can not be billed for the remainder. A person can not just use the Medicare they have earned to pay medical bills at their discretion.Â
I am an educated person who has worked in medical billing profession on both sides of the coin, for the insurance companies and for medical facilities. Mike's statements are factual. Insurance companies are businesses designed and operating with the goal of making money. With the exception of the relatively few not for profit hospitals in the United States, the hospitals are designed and operate with the goal of making a profit. It is most of the time difficult to differentiate between the doctors trying to save a person's life and the business that employs them.
I guess I'm one of the few who has an ok relationship with Wells Fargo and Chase. Back in 1981 I opened a free checking account with Wells to have a bank near school. They had a branch within walking distance. I still have that account open.Â
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Last year they dropped the free checking if you did not keep a $1,500 balance. Still ticks me off and I don't pay a fee...
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My original mortgage was with NorWest. When the rates dropped I swapped my 30 year note for a 15 with less interest. My credit report was so screwed up that my mortgage officer gave me the phone number of someone behind the firewall that consumers don't normally get behind for good reason. There were pages of bad info on me and I explaned that talking direct would save us weeks of phone tag clearing things up and I could be very cool and business like. She was game. It took about a 1/2 on the phone. She then thanked me after she cleared the mess up in real time. I got my loan approved a few days later with no problem. Wells bought NorWest after my refi and I never had a problem with them. Paid of the note early.Â
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Chase has a sweet rewards program for Subaru owners. 3% back for use at the dealer. In Feb I'm going to get my timing belt changed with the kickback from buying groceries.
Wells Fargo, Chase, BOA all stink I am generally skeptical of folks claiming fraud like the well publicized Portland lady that apparently hadn't paid for years but this lady needs to find a hungery lawyer and inconvenience the hell out of Well Fraudgo. I avoid all three; there are lots of great local banks still around. Hopefully they will survive Dodd-Frank.
wells fargo lost the title to a car i was buying when it took over a bank where my loan was. i think they are the worst bank in america when it comes to record keeping. She should file a complaint with the attorney general and get a lawyer and sue them for emotional duress to the tune of 5 million dollars.
 @32jim2 5 million? well they need a deeper wound more like 5 billion.. I wish she could do that to them. It seems like the Government is using banks to evict people for what ever the cause. Banks are being rewarded by government bail outs by doing this kind of crap.
When I hear stories like this, it makes me smile knowing I didn't repay my debt to WF and caused my checking acount to go into major negative amounts. 6 years later, nothing but a satisfied smaile.
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I hope she sues them like one guy did BofA and collected on it all!!
Ok all you Pay your Bills and you won't lose it Explain this !..Wells Fargo needs to be thrown to the wolves.
Its so horrible that this women has proof that all her payments have been made,and they will not even look at the records. Now she  will have to hire a lawyer,and probably end up in court. I know all banks are probably doing this,but I have never heard anything nice about Wells Fargo!
Wells Fargo - how did they get so big ? They've been treating customers like crap for decades, Â well prior to the industry collapse.
Wells Fargo is a corporate abortion that teaches its lenders to prey upon people's ignorance and financial vulnerability. My wife worked in the credit division and was so disenchanted with the company that she quit and went back to college.
Thom - I hope a pro-bono attorney comes out and fights this HARD!Â
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I'm so tired of banks foreclosing and not listening to their customers. I understand that this economy has everyone on edge, but mercy and compassion go much further than a boot to the curb! One late payment is all that it takes for a bank to send up a red flag, and cause much fuss.Â
This has happened to thousands of people nationwide throughout the recession. Â They even foreclose on homes who do not owe any money and have never taken out a loan. Â I can bust out 20-50 articles of the same thing happening to other people throughout the recession where the banks have all of the power.
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Here's one such article:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/bank-of-america-forecloses-on-house-that-couple-had-paid-cash-for/1072632
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and another:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/business/22lockout.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
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 @portlandborn83Â
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Yeah that second one looks like what is happening to be from BofA.
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So every other week a person comes by my home and takes a photo. This is to prove the house is not abandoned. Now it's creepy, but considering two houses on my block have been abandoned, I took it as a CYA for the bank.
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It appears however I have been paying for this service. I now owe the bank $700 in fees to have this woman take pictures of my home for the last few months. This despite the fact I never misses a payment, have never been late, and owe far less than what the house is worth.
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And that it likely the reason.
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Earlier this year the bank offered to lower my interest rate with a refinance. Now I have a pretty good rate (4.1) but the offer (3.1) would have meant more money in my pocket so I applied. The bank sent me notifications that I had gotten the refinance and that paperwork would be in shortly and I no longer needed to pay my current mortgage. My wife called and confirmed this over the phone.
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Each week we called about our new paperwork and didn't get anything. The bank kept claiming we should not pay our current mortgage. After two months, we just started paying again.
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Three months later we get a notification that we were declined the refinance and owed two months plus fees or we would get foreclosed. Because I don't trust banks I had kept the money we didn't pay set aside and paid them the back payments. I negotiated to get the fees removed.
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Then for the next 6 months we get creepy woman taking pictures. I presume this is a threatening tactic because the bank was angry they couldn't steal our home.
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Criminals are stupid. They are stupid because they steal from people in illegal ways. If a criminal was smart they would work for a bank where is it perfectly legal to steal from people.
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@Repoman @portlandborn83 So, you two are suggesting the big banks not only can, but are practicing Jesse James' tactics in 2012. Just ride in, pick a house and grab it? You should be Journalists.
 @Repoman  @portlandborn83 Yep, it gives "BANK ROBBERY",  a whole new meaning!!!
 @Repoman  @portlandborn83 Hey repo man, here is some facts that might help you, If she is on the property and she is taking pictures you can indeed take her to court for invasion of privacy, seriously, when I was with KLTV, They said Don't ever Shoot up close on a house in fact if you do a shoot make sure you on the other side of the street other wise it could become an invasion of privacy..
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Oh and get a camera with a zoom lens, Start shooting every one shooting the house and O)nce they see you have a bigger camera and there faces start getting noticed as you start plastering them all over the web.. They just might stop. Also get shots of license plates.
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I had a few issues with kids throwing rocks at my place, I placed some cameras up facing the slough at my old place and caught "Peeping Paul" throwing rocks at my window, His father tried to nail me with invasion of privacy but when the officers looked where the camera was and the picture of "Peeping Paul" looking into my window, the officer said, Sir, your an idiot.. I can arrest your son for Voyeurism.
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The father was Not happy.
Thom Jensen's report makes no sense. He takes the time to go over four years of bank statements, he finds all payments have been auto deducted, the payments are current and yet the bank if foreclosing. His closing remarks from the bank, does not support his story. Banks do not randomly pull a number out of a hat to select whom home is going to be foreclosed. If the bank has truly made an error, then get to the bottom of the story. But, as it currently stands, this news report did nothing, in my option. It seems to be a half baked cookie. Â
 @Tyler Van Pelt You are wrong sir, banks foreclose on others for any reason they want, even if they do not owe money:
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/bank-of-america-forecloses-on-house-that-couple-had-paid-cash-for/1072632
83, your words read as though you failed to make payments at one point. Watch this:
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Lendors cannot foreclose for any reason they want.
@rnm I've never owned a home or place to live so no...
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I can give links to 20-50 more articles if you want where people paid off their house but got foreclosed.
 @portlandborn83 The fact of the story, the bank was in error, wrong address, couple is suing for damages....In the above story, the time line is three years in active foreclosure. There must be more to this story than is being told.
This same thing happened to my friend about 6 years ago. She got a lawyer and still there was nothing that could be done, she lost her home. In her case, they just stopped accepting her payments with no explanation as to why.Â
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