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  • Report:  #686275

Complaint Review: American Residential Law Group - ft. lauderdale Florida

Reported By:
Suregood - cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:

American Residential Law Group
6245 S Federal Hwy #401 ft. lauderdale, 33308 Florida, United States of America
Phone:
(877) 236-6576
Web:
http://www.arlgnow.com
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?

Having been informed by my mortgage company that I was in foreclosure via mail, my mortgage company said there was nothing I could do. In hopes of saving our home I scoured the Internet looking for advice and attorney to help us. I found ARLG's articles all over the Internet. At the time they had an A+ rating and there were several articles written by them. I researched complaints on different sites but there was only one that had complained. I contacted them to see if they could help. They responded that they could help us and said their success rate is so high because they only take the consumers they can help. I sent them various financial information containing all our numbers to bank accounts, Soc.security numbers, etc. Not to mention I paid them the 1650.00 required to proceed. I became suspicious that after they received our money, communications became almost non-existent. I have kept complete and detailed records of e-mails and phone calls through my phone and e-mail services, including all paperwork I sent and the contract I signed. I called my mortgage company to see if they received a loan modification work out packet and they knew nothing of any packet. They only had 2 correspondences with them,1- being the third party disclosure form and an inquiry by phone for a sale date. Last week we receive a fill in the blank standard letter stating that due to the FTC mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule effective January 31, 2011 that they are no longer permitted to service our home loan modification in the state of Ohio. Consequently they say they can no longer service loans outside of the State of Florida. They say our file has already been submitted is currently under review for modification with my lender. At this time they have closed our file and advise us to direct all future communications with our lender. They did refer an affiliate - LaLawffices of William O'Toole, Esquire to service our file while in review. ARLG claims Mr. O'toole's offices service clients nationwide, yet his address is Boca Raton Florida. I am very confused but confident that I have been ripped off of 1650.00 money that was ill afforded during our foreclosure crisis. Our home has been in our family since 1962 and now I have a sale date less than 3 months away. Names involved are: Joel Jacobi Lawyer/Owner - Manager Faye Baxter - (who bullied when pressed for an answer). J. Brown _ (who sold the pack of lies) and Claudia Marcquez- the person who avoided my phone calls. January 24,2011. I called their affiliate and was put on speaker phone while a young person was prompted in the questions I had to ask. They informed me that ARLG no longer existed as of the beginning of December 2010/ Also, my lender was called and they still have no clue of any modification packet from ARLG.



2 Updates & Rebuttals

Kay

Springfield,
Georgia,
U.S.A.
OHIO Attorney General Sues ARLG

#2Consumer Comment

Fri, September 02, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) - The Ohio attorney general says a Florida-based outfit called the American Residential Law Group is bilking Ohioans in a foreclosure-relief scam. Despite its name, nothing in the state's complaint indicates that the two men who run the business are lawyers.  Ohio sued the Fort Lauderdale-based business and the two men who run it, Oscar Estevez and Joel Jacobi, both of Miami.  The attorney general says the men charge $1,395 to $3,350 for their purported services in "debt adjustment," but "often failed to perform the services listed in the contract."  The men "purport to offer help to consumers attempting to avoid foreclosure by working with the consumer's lender to modify the consumer's mortgage or adjust what the consumer owes."

Estevez and Jacobi claim their business "'employs professional negotiators with expertise in dealing with lending institutions regarding mortgages on residential/commercial real estate,'" the attorney general says, citing the Law Group's contract.  The contract promises that the "Law Group" will "perform a detailed market analysis of the subject property and the surrounding areas ... perform a loss liquidation analysis on the subject property," and "attempt to successfully negotiate" a mortgage modification, among other things.  In exchange, besides giving them money, the "'Client further agrees not to interfere, in any way, with negotiations between Company and Client's lenders.'"  But after they get the money, the defendants "often failed to perform the services listed in the contract," and "often failed to communicate with consumers, and did not return consumers' phone calls or e-mails," the state says.

The complaint continues: "When defendants failed to perform the services listed in the contract, they did not provide refunds to the consumer. "When the defendants did provide their services, the services were often of little or no value to the consumer, and the consumer often remained in foreclosure."

Nothing in the complaint refers to attorneys, but the state does not allege unauthorized practice of law.  Ohio seeks an injunction, restitution, and fines of $25,000 for each violation ofconsumer law and the Debt Adjusters Act, and costs.


Suregood

cincinnati,
Ohio,
United States of America
Update to American Residential Scam

#3Author of original report

Mon, March 07, 2011

Today I finally have received a phone call from ARLG's affiliate -Law Offices of William O'Toole Esquire. When I returned their phone call, the fella who left the original message seemed confused as to who I was. When reminded he was happy to tell me that my loan modification was in phase 3 and ready to go to my lender.  All I needed to do would be to send in $800.00 so I could get a market analysis done on my property by a certified CMA. As soon as I do that, my packet will be sent to Flag Star Bank (my mortgage company) and they will get my loan modification done with a new lower rate and a lower principle.! During the conversation you hear a lot of voices as if they are in a phone center. I thanked him and said I will return his call. I immediately called my lender and they do not know who they are and no inquiries were done. They also let me know again that you do not need a 3rd party to forward your documents. I was suspicious of ARLG's affiliates and righteously so. They were to be free, and of course now it makes sense - they too want a piece of the pie. Of course, I will not be returning their calls nor sending them another dime of our hard earned money in this precarious financial situation we are now in. American Residential Law Group has stolen and sold us a bunch of lies and now they are passing their charm so someone else can.  Sale date of home - 4/12

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