I was served a notice of eviction from my home by Connecticut Marshal DeLucia on Friday May 15, 2009. I bought the home located at 23 Ridge Road Newtown , CT 06470 on June 30, 2001 and have lived there with my four children ages 13-17 since June 30, 2001. We still reside in the home and hope to stay there for many years to come.
Only one week prior to being served the aforementioned eviction papers, I received a phone call from a local friend informing me that she had see my name and address on a list of homeowners/homes that had been foreclosed upon by their lenders and were subsequently owned by those banks. Since I am a verbal, proactive individual, my friend was shocked that I had not told her about this compelling misfortune and subsequently rendered speechless (not an easily provoked state in this individual) when I responded that I had no idea that the foreclosure or bank sale had occurred. Following our brief conversation, I held back tears and panic just long enough to contact an attorney. After investigating the matter, Attorney William Carter of Meriden, Ct. confirmed that my home was in fact bank owned. He said that he would do whatever he could to help but in all likelihood my response in the matter was far too late to reverse the sale and regain title to my home.
Summarily, in July, 2008, I enlisted the help of a company, America Modification Agency (AMA) (http://www.yourama.com) to negotiate a modification of my mortgage. Job instability and a large monthly payment resulting from an inflated home appraisal preceding a mortgage refinance precipitated my need for mortgage assistance and an investigation of my options. Since my mortgage crisis preceded public awareness of the subprime mortgage debacle there was scant information about avenues or agencies to assist homeowners yet I did find AMA through an internet search engine. Based on their self reported track record and alleged success negotiating principal and interest reductions in cases supposedly similar to mine coupled with a lack of negative or scam reports about them, following three phone conversations with agency representatives and one with a client they said they helped, I signed a service contract. AMA agreed to negotiate with my lender (Litton Loan Services acting on behalf of Deutsche Bank) for a principal and interest reduction and were confident they could help. When I signed the contract with AMA in July 2008, I was still current on my mortgage payments and recently learned that because of my current status, I was NOT eligible for a loan modification at all. Thus, I was not eligible for AMA’s services nor was I entitled to any of their promises.
Immediately after signing the contract, I told AMA that I could not manage the $5,000 payment to them as I was barely able to meet my mortgage and asked for a payment schedule. AMA said they needed the entire amount up front before they could negotiate on my behalf and that time was of the essence. Then they verbally instructed me to stop making mortgage payments and assured me this was “safe” since they expected to have matters settled within 60 days. They also instructed me to send ALL correspondence from the lender directly to them (AMA) and not to read it. Their rationale was based on their experience that “mortgage companies typically use scare tactics that they have no intention of enforcing.” Further they told me not to communicate with the lender or anyone linked to them either verbally or in writing. Finally AMA assured me that my money would be refunded in full if a satisfactory loan modification did not result from their efforts.
In hindsight, I was a fool to believe, hire, pay and follow the advice and instructions of AMA. I was however desperate and overwhelmed with the responsibility of full time work, sole support of 4 children, a history of exploitation by others in my childhood years and a need for support and reassurance. AMA, just like the lenders and banks and corporations responsible for our nation’s current economic crises prey on people like me, the only difference is that I thought I was immune to their exploitation and I like millions of others I was not.
It turns out that I did not receive a successful loan modification, I was viewed as negligent by my lender for not responding to their letters; for not attending scheduled court dates. I spoke with AMA almost daily for weeks at a time especially when a court date was upcoming. They lied shamelessly, telling me with kindness in their lying voices that their lawyers were in attendance at court hearings on my behalf and that everything would be OK. I did not receive a refund, phone calls were no longer returned. AMA just made matters worse as they added at least $50,000 in principal, interest and legal fees to my already over-inflated mortgage. At the time I contracted with AMA my upside down mortgage reflected a home valued at $350,000 against a mortgage of $501,000.
Despite being a respected professional and member of my community with a PhD and years of education from ivy league schools I complied with AMA’s instructions because I was in dire straits and was desperate to save my home. I am a single parent with 4 children aged 13-17 and have received no child support for over 10 years. I have been a responsible homeowner in Newtown CT since 1997 when I moved from Philadelphia to assume a position at Yale University as an Associate Professor. Over the course of those 10 plus years, I was only late on one mortgage payment until July, 2008 when I signed up for AMA’s help. To date my children have no idea that we may soon be forced to leave our home and I assure you this will be quite traumatic for them as we have experienced significant hardship over the last several years. Within the context of the mental health services that I have provided to the citizens of Connecticut, the United States and beyond, I find it appalling that I am unable to find help for myself and my family at this time. This is especially disturbing since a series of events, largely precipitated by the greed of banks and insurance companies have put me and my family in our position of financial hardship in the first place.
I was on the faculty of Yale University (1997-2004) and the University of CT from 2005-2007. In 2007, due to family illness and my children’s need to have me closer to home, I started a full time private practice based on my background as a PhD prepared psychologist and nurse practitioner. Currently I am the owner and sole proprietor of Integrated Mental Health Services LLC. (see www.health-e-writer.com or psychologytoday.com find a therapist (zip 06482) for details regarding my professional credentials and accomplishments).
Based on 2 years of underemployment resulting from family illness and the lag time involved in transitioning from a 6 hr per week private practice to a full time caseload coupled with unreliable payment by managed care companies for services rendered and an alleged misunderstanding between myself and the University of CT regarding a severance package that did not materialize as promised, I was forced to live off of multiple home refinances for almost 3 years. In or around 2004, I actually owned my home outright and now find myself on the brink of homelessness for reasons that seem outrageously unfair, unethical and everything in between.
I am frantic for help and have not been able to access any. It seems wrong that circumstances should force me and my children out of our family home when I have spent my life helping others in need. Again, please help me or direct me to where I may obtain help. Although my private practice is growing rapidly and is very successful in terms of number of patients treated who experience positive health outcomes, I have been unable to meet my expanding caseload with needed infrastructure and resources for expansion. Medicare and other managed care companies have grown increasingly slow and unreliable with regard to making timely reimbursements for services rendered to their insured especially where mental health services are concerned.
Numerous conversations with colleagues have confirmed this escalating and disturbing trend which most of my peers have handled by refusing to participate as managed care providers and working exclusively on a cash basis. I have and continue to avoid that path as it represents the antithesis to strongly held values that mental health services should be available and accessible to all Americans, not just a privileged few. The preceding scenario has essentially created a situation whereby my private practice has and continues to grow exponentially; thus I am working well in excess of “full time” yet I am making an income that is not even comparable to minimum wage. I cap my caseload at 50 and have an ongoing and expanding waiting list. I am viewed b the local citizenry as competent, and compassionate; I can prescribe medication, have extensive training in psychotherapy especially with regard to treating depression am adept at treating patients with simultaneously occurring medical and psychiatric illnesses including the elderly and accept adolescent patients with behavioral, conduct and attention problems.
Paradoxically, despite the fact that I am one of the only area providers who accepts insurance, managed care companies have all but stopped paying me. This includes medicare and all other major health insurance providers. Never the less, I continue to work 6 days per week for at least 10-12 hours per day, somehow remaining optimistic that I will recoup my income which basically consists of small patient co-pays ranging from $5.00-$40.00 and occasional reimbursement checks from managed care plans.
Complicating matters further, in July of this past summer, I was hit from behind by a drunk driver going 80plus mph. My car has not been operable since and to date I have only recouped partial repair costs and my 500.00 deductible. Neither my insurance carrier, (Nationwide), nor the drunk driver’s carrier, (Commerce) even covered the total cost of replacement vehicle rental while my care was being repaired. When I finally got my car back, it was inoperable within days of being back on the road and as has been my consistent experience in all insurance matters, the insurance company denies responsibility when they clearly are responsible. As in the matter with my home, the time I have available to pursue legal action is quite limited. I am working long hours to support my family, barely making ends meet and have little time other than the middle of the night to address time consuming legal issues.
I am appealing to politicians, television stations, newspapers, listserves and friends to help me save my home and to expose the agencies, banks, corporations, insurance carriers and all others who exploit others in the name of our great nation. I have followed your work and admire your service as an advocate for the citizens of CT. Please, please extend your hand to me. I promise to return the favor many times over by continuing to serve others in need including those who can pay and those less fortunate who cannot.
