After a year-long journey fighting her wrongful foreclosure, Rose McGee has won a settlement with CitiMortgage and Fannie Mae. “We are working on final details for a settlement resolution, and I will be staying in my home,” said McGee.
Seventy community members gathered to support McGee in a prayer vigil circling the Hennepin County Government Center water fountain Tuesday afternoon before she went into settlement court, where she finally reached a deal with her mortgage holders.
McGee, a community leader known for her storytelling and sweet potato pie business, fell into foreclosure after losing her job at a nonprofit. Immediately after, she contacted CitiMortgage to let them know. They assured her they were working on a modification, but then sold her home at a sheriff’s sale May 18, 2012. This process, in which banks foreclose on their customers during the modification process, is known as “dual tracking.”
With the help of Occupy Homes MN, Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition, Jewish Community Action, and MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, McGee began organizing a public campaign to save her home, with protests at Citibank branches, a letter delivery to Fannie Mae headquarters in D.C., and a “Housing is a Human Right” bus tour.
Information provided by Occupy Homes MN
Photo at top: Rose McGee
Photo courtesy markbrownphoto.com
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