Wells Fargo is in trouble again. The bank has suffered numerous setbacks facing lawsuits in the past couple of years. This week, Wells Fargo was fined $8 million in what the bank calls a ‘computer glitch’ the bank had incurred. Last week the bank agreed to pay a $2.09 billion fine for issuing mortgage loans knowing the loans contained incorrect and erroneous information. Between April 2010 and October 2015, the bank disclosed a computer glitch had caused approximately 625 cus

During the first half of 2018 there was a 15% decline in foreclosure filings nationwide. Foreclosure filings are properties that had a default notice, a scheduled auction, or bank repossession. There were a total of 362,275 foreclosure filings, a far cry from the 1.6 million foreclosure filings eight years ago in the first half of 2010. Even though the overall, nationwide number of foreclosure starts had decreased, there was an increase in foreclosure activity in 88 of 219 me

Congratulations to Gantenbein Law Firm Denver, Colorado attorney Keith Gantenbein Jr. who was again, recognized as Super Lawyers, Rising Stars for 2018. For Keith, this is his fourth consecutive year as a Super Lawyer, Rising Star. Mr. Gantenbein is nationally recognized for his work in Real Estate Law, which also includes Foreclosures Defense and HOA Law. Mr. Gantenbein worked extensively last few years with the Colorado Supreme Court to pass updated Rules of Civil Procedure

Your Estate Plan may consist of a Last Will and Testament, Trust, Power of Attorney and other important documents that need a tune-up from time to time. Not just because your life may have changed, but outside events can affect what’s in your estate plan as well. One recent outside event is the new tax reform that Congress passed at the end of December. Did the tax reform, or new estate tax limits affect or alter your estate plan? It’s the beginning of the year and time to th

Many properties in Colorado are used as a second home or a vacation home. These owners often rent these properties for part or all of each year to help cover expenses and provide additional income. When owners or investors buy a property that is under the jurisdiction of a Homeowner’s Association (HOA), they were given a set of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) that outline all the rules and ‘laws’ of the community. The buyers agreed to follow the rules and restric

On December 8, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made changes to its authentication system. This is the system that verifies tax returns that mortgage applicants provide. The system is known as the Income Verification Express System (IVES) and is in place to make sure tax returns aren’t fraudulent. Within five days of the changes, on December 13, mortgage groups were finding problems with the new system. Other groups said problems with the changes began almost immediat

When you buy a home in a covenanted community, you will receive a copy of the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs) along with your closing documents. The CC&Rs will spell out all the regulations (rules/conditions) and the amount of Homeowner’s Association (HOA) fees, which are typically paid monthly. Each year the HOA’s Board of Directors meet to discuss and set the budget that will include how much every household (property or unit) will be charged for their monthl

Before buying a home, a seller has to disclose any major problems regarding the property before the sale. As a buyer, you will want to know everything possible about your soon-to-be property including the physical condition and any problem that may affect the value of the property. Years ago, sellers were allowed to remain silent on potential problems unless they were asked specifically by the buyer. This was under the doctrine of caveat emptor (buyer beware). Colorado is on

Gantenbein Law Firm, Denver, Colorado is proud to announce its attorney, Keith Gantenbein, was named to 2017 Colorado Super Lawyers, Rising Stars list. Congratulations to owner and managing attorney Keith A. Gantenbein Jr, who was selected, named and included on the “2017 Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Stars” list. Super Lawyers is the Thomson Reuters lawyer rating service. To be selected as a Super Lawyer, attorneys are nominated by their peers and evaluated on 12 indicators

If you’re thinking of buying a home you’ve probably noticed the inventory of available houses for sale has been declining and mortgage rates and housing prices are on the rise. After years of having a huge inventory of houses to choose from, thousands of foreclosures and very low mortgage rates, the market is heading the other way. Denver is number three regionally for having the fastest time to sell a house. The average amount of days in Denver to sell a home is now 18 days,

Nationwide, home foreclosures have dropped to their lowest level since November 2005. During April 2017, there were 77,049 filings reported in the U.S. This number includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. The figures reflect the lowest number of foreclosures since the housing crisis began. While the drop is significant, at the same time there was a rise in repeat foreclosures. A repeat foreclosure is noted as any property address with the same owne

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, known as Freddie Mac, announced last week that it’s selling off non-performing loans to private investors. Freddie Mac is a public government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) headquartered in Virginia. Freddie Mac was created in 1970 to help expand the mortgage market alongside the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Previously, from 1938 to 1968 Fannie Mae was the only institution that bought mortgages leading to and enco

Last year, in 2016 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) levied a multi-million dollar fine against PHH Corporation for allegedly illegally referring consumers to mortgage insurers in exchange for kickbacks. PHH provides mortgage services to some of the world’s largest financial services firms and is located in New Jersey. PHH then sued the CFPB, challenging the CFPB’s Director Richard Cordray ability to be able to increase their original $6 million fine against PHH

Colorado has joined the new age in providing online foreclosure auctions. Last year, Realauction.com was approached by the Denver Public Trustee’s office and asked to provide Denver with its own auction site. That site is up and running and bringing huge cost savings to Denver and making it easier for more people to be able to bid on the foreclosed properties. Realauction.com runs many foreclosure auctions throughout Florida. One by one, counties in Florida put their foreclos

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) was introduced in 2009 and established to help homeowners recover from the great housing bubble burst. The HAMP was part of the Making Home Affordable program (MHA) along with the Hardest Hit Fund program (HHF) that was under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). These programs were part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and put into place to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. HAMP and the entire

Homeowner Jim Hildenbrand has been embroiled in a four-year court battle with his Homeowner’s Association (HOA). His case went to the state appellate court but that court raised more issues than it settled. The Kansas Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s ruling and sent the case back for resolution. The appellate court said the district court applied an “incomplete test” in determining whether the HOA acted in good faith. The HOA has control over the 153 homes in hi

Hundreds of Americans are getting frightening calls from “IRS Agents” making threats including sending the sheriff over to arrest them if they don’t pay back taxes immediately. The first 8 months of this year there has been a 400% surge in these phony calls and text messages. These calls are alarming due to the fact the so-called “IRS Agent” have personal information including their correct social security number, where the person lives, where they used to live, their maiden

The housing bubble triggered foreclosures to hundreds of thousands of distressed homeowners all over our nation. If you experienced a foreclosure or opted for a short sale, that doesn’t mean you will never be able to own a home again. Your credit will take a hit after a foreclosure or short sale. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans are the most forgiving of foreclosures. You’ll have to wait at least three years after your foreclosure to qualify. The three years sta

By now, most of us have heard something about Brexit (British Exit). In a sentence, Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a historic referendum June 23. The effects of Brexit are being heard around the world. Britain has the world’s fifth-largest economy and is one of the United State’s biggest trading partners. After the vote, Britain’s pound dropped to a 30-year low prompting Americans to change vacation plans to visit Britain and take advantage of the low price

Our own IRS isn’t the only entity to fear when it comes to taxes. Europe has their eye on international businesses as well as wanting their ‘fare share’ of the profits. The French have widened their investigations and are cracking down on these international businesses concluding a nearly 3-year investigation and auditing of Priceline’s Booking.com The French tax authorities operate in a big way - with exactly $397.37 million in unpaid taxes slapped against Booking.com. The m