News & Blogs | Gantenbein Law Firm

Jul 13, 2015

Denver Real Estate Attorney Keith Gantenbein Teaches CLE for National Business Institute.

Denver Real Estate Attorney Keith Gantenbein is teaching a Continuing Legal Education Class (CLE) today on the new RESPA, TILA guidelines for Loss Mit and Loan Servicing. The event is sponsored by the National Business Institute (NBI). The CLE is titled "Top RESPA, TILA and HMDA Oversights: What the CFPB and State Regulators are Looking For." ; The class will focus on foreclosure defense and loss mitigation regulations and what happens to lenders when they fail to meet those

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 15, 2015

Keith Gantenbein named to 2015 SuperLawyers Rising Star List

Gantenbein Law Firm, Denver, is pleased to announce owner Keith Gantenbein Jr. has been named to the Super Lawyers 2015 list as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. Super Lawyers is a highly respected, independent rating service for attorneys from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” recognizes top lawyers who are 40 years old or younger. The annual Super Lawyers list is compiled by

Home Mortgage Debt & The IRS: What You Need To Know

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 9, 2015

Home Mortgage Debt & The IRS: What You Need To Know

Under normal circumstances, when your home mortgage debt is either all or in part cancelled you will be taxed on that amount. However, The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 generally allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence. Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, qualifies for the relief. This provision applies to debt forgiven from 2007 to 2014. Up to $2

JP Morgan Chase Robo-Signing; $50 Million Settlement to Homeowners

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 4, 2015

JP Morgan Chase Robo-Signing; $50 Million Settlement to Homeowners

In yet another settlement, JPMorgan Chase has admitted to filing tens of thousands of documents that were not reviewed by the people who had signed and authenticated to their accuracy. Many in the banking and legal community are shocked that Chase would admit to such wrongdoing in more than 50,000 fraudulent payment change notices. In court documents, it was stated that Chase “improperly signed, under penalty of perjury, by persons who had not reviewed the accuracy of the not

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 25, 2015

OCWEN: Alarmingly at Risk?

Ocwen Financial Corp. (OCN) subservices all the mortgage loans for Home Loan Servicing Solutions (HLSS). Mangrove Partners is an investment manager (hedge funds) and one of the largest shareholders of HLSS. HLSS is an affiliate of Ocwen. Mangrove Partners sent HLSS a letter demanding HLSS terminate its business relationship with Ocwen. Mangrove Partners sites a “dereliction of duty” and said it is “imperative” HLSS terminate its servicing relationship with Ocwen “without dela

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 20, 2015

The Taxman Cometh - Tips to Avoid Audit

February – the month of romance, Valentines and a hint that spring is on the way. It’s also the month you receive all those 1099’s, W-2s and other tax forms in the mail. The taxman cometh so we must prepare. There are several things that will make the taxman take a second look at your return - as in an audit. That dreaded word can send chills up your spine. Even if you’re completely in the right, the audit itself can be costly in time alone. Normally, individual audits occur

Gantenbein Law Firm Provides Pro-Bono Legal Service to Denver Renters

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 6, 2015

Gantenbein Law Firm Provides Pro-Bono Legal Service to Denver Renters

Attorneys Keith Gantenbein and Matthew Coombs are deeply honored to have this special opportunity to offer their pro-bono (free) services helping the Spanish-speaking residents of Colorado who have limited means and resources. Our firm has a commitment to our community and we strive to offer help and build relationships with our neighbors. As attorneys, we recognize the difficulties accessing and understanding the justice system and are in a unique position to assist and help

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 2, 2015

More Troubles for OCWEN in 2015

Ocwen Financial Corp. faced major problems throughout 2014. It seems this year will be more of the same. Announced Friday, January 26th, Ocwen will hire outside accountants and pay $2.5 million to the state of California in exchange for the state to halt their bid to suspend the company’s license. California state regulators previously announced Ocwen failed to comply with providing them with loan information as requested. This latest settlement only covers Ocwen’s failure t

Foreclosure Lawsuit May Initiate New FHA/HUD Crisis

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 30, 2015

Foreclosure Lawsuit May Initiate New FHA/HUD Crisis

In what some are saying is an innovative lawsuit, a group has filed a lawsuit in Ohio, alleging lenders who failed to take required mitigation steps prior to foreclosing on mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) under the authority of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have violated the False Claims Act. When a borrower defaults on an FHA-guaranteed mortgage, the FHA reimburses the lending bank for the losses. A condition of e

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 23, 2015

Keith Gantenbein to Teach at 2-day National CLE Regarding Rule 120, Mortgages

Excited to announce that Keith Gantenbein, of Gantenbein Law Firm, has been invited to teach at a 2-day National CLE, starting today, sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). Mr. Gantenbein will be speaking about some of his most passionate issues: the Rule 120 Foreclosure Hearing in Colorado, Dual-Tracking, and CFPB (Consumer Finanacial Protection Bureau) Rules and Regulations, as they relate to mortgages. If you have an issue with your loan modification, mortag

Life After Foreclosure: Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Companies Suing Borrowers on Foreclosure De

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 19, 2015

Life After Foreclosure: Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Companies Suing Borrowers on Foreclosure De

A couple living in New England are facing another battle after losing their home to foreclosure. Their mortgage insurance company is suing them for $136,000. The Galindo’s came to the U.S. to build a better life for themselves and their toddler daughter. They worked hard and bought a two-family house in 2005 for $410,000. They didn’t have the money saved to make a large down payment so their lender required they buy an insurance policy in order to qualify for the mortgage. T

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 14, 2015

OCWEN May Lose Mortgage License

California is accusing Ocwen of defying requests for information by the California Department of Business Oversight, which is the licensing bureau for nonbank mortgage lenders and providers of collection and foreclosure services. The state is now seeking to suspend Ocwen’s mortgage license because Ocwen has failed to turn over documentation showing compliance with California laws protecting homeowners. There have been investigations nationwide into Ocwen and other nonbank ser

Options for Back Tax Debt and Failure to Pay Taxes

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 12, 2015

Options for Back Tax Debt and Failure to Pay Taxes

There are many reasons why someone may not have filed taxes, including financial difficulties. Back taxes accrue interest and penalties- quickly adding to the total debt owed to the IRS. When the IRS feels you’ve been hiding money, filed fraudulent returns or willfully failed to file, there are cases where jail time is ordered. The IRS can also place liens against your property or seize your property including bank accounts and garnish your wages without ever going to court.

Colorado Public Trustees Looking to Pay Back Post-Foreclosure Homeowners

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 6, 2015

Colorado Public Trustees Looking to Pay Back Post-Foreclosure Homeowners

The Denver County Public Trustee is sitting on 1 million dollars in overbid funds! If you have lost your home to foreclosure to a third party investor, no matter what county, you may have overbid funds that are rightfully yours. The amounts can range from 50.00 to 250,000.00. We urge you to check the public trustee records for sale results to determine if funds are due to you. In Colorado, the foreclosing lender submits an initial bid to the public trustee two days prior to t

Colorado Attorney General Files 2 More Lawsuits Against Foreclosure Firms

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 28, 2014

Colorado Attorney General Files 2 More Lawsuits Against Foreclosure Firms

Colorado Attorney General adds two more law firms to his naughty list this Christmas. John Suthers has brought two lawsuits against Robert J Hopp & Associates and the Vaden Law Firm in connection with fees incurred and charged during a public trustee foreclosure process. The suit alleges that the firms charged homeowners excessive or fake fees for foreclosure costs. The firms allegedly padded fees and costs by “charging” for title insurance, from a title company owned by that

Bank of America to Pay $1.051 Million for Harrassing Foreclosure Phone Calls

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 17, 2014

Bank of America to Pay $1.051 Million for Harrassing Foreclosure Phone Calls

A court recently ruled in favor of a Florida couple who were in foreclosure, and awarded them over $1 Million. Bank of America, the foreclosing bank, robo-called the couple more than 700 times over a period of several years. The judge rules BOA's conduct as a pattern of "outrageous, abusive and harrassing conduct." Nelson and Joyce Coniglio fell behind on their mortgage payments in 2009. When BOA acquired the loan from now-defunct Countrywide, they started harrassing phone ca

Google likes Boulder, planning largest U.S. expansion to date

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 8, 2014

Google likes Boulder, planning largest U.S. expansion to date

Google is eyeing a move to the Pearl Place Development in Boulder- which could give the company 330,000 square feet of space to expand. This would make Boulder Google's largest site in the US. The space would allow for 1,500 employees. The office building, located at 30th and Pearl, would unify Google employees into a singular space, rather than the scattered 3 buildings in central Boulder Google currently uses. Site plans for the office submitted to the city include a public

Anxious Homeowners Waiting for Renewal of Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 1, 2014

Anxious Homeowners Waiting for Renewal of Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act

The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act was passed in 2007, and allowed homeowners the protection of forgiving mortgage debt. Mortgage debt includes: principal balance forgiveness, waiver of debt in a short sale, waiver of debt in a deed-in-lieu, any deficiency waiver, as well as charged-off second mortgages. Prior to the passage of the MFDRA, homeowners would have to declare any forgiven debt as 'income', and would be taxed on that 'income.' MFDRA provided financial relief

Fannie Mae Chasing Old Post-Foreclosure Debt

Keith Gantenbein

Nov 25, 2014

Fannie Mae Chasing Old Post-Foreclosure Debt

Despite being profitable, Fannie Mae is chasing old debt- perhaps to recover losses incurred during the foreclosure boom. Many homeowners have post-foreclosure deficiencies- due to the loss of equity, as a result of a bubble created by lenders Now, they seek to profit further from their risking lending pratices by chasing old deficiency debt. This places homeowners in a significant financial disadvantage. #postforeclosure #deficiencyaction #deficiencyjudgment #coloradoforeclo

Keith Gantenbein

Nov 24, 2014

Denver - Based Foreclosure Defense Attorney Keith Gantenbein Invited to Speak at National Conference

Keith Gantenbein, a foreclosure defense attorney based in Denver, and serving all of Colorado, has been invited, for the second year in a row, to speak at a National Conference regarding Mortgage Issues. Mr. Gantenbein will speak at the American Bankruptcy Institute's 20th Annual Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Conference. He will speak about Mortgages and recent Mortgage Law updates. This will include CRCP Rule 120 (Colorado's Rule 120 Hearing) and the House Bills Mr. Gantenbein h