Freddie Mac | The UpTake

Housing

Thanksgiving Surprise: Jaymie Kelly Gets Help From The Top In Fight To Keep Her Minneapolis Home

By Story & Video: Bill Sorem | November 28, 2013

Jaymie Kelly got a surprising answer after she sent an email to President Obama describing her trials with JPMorgan Chase and Freddie Mac. Eight days later she got a call from the Office of the Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency telling her that her case is under review.

Housing

Happy Election Day! Pre-Dawn Raid On Candidate’s Home; Occupy Activists Save The Day

By admin | November 11, 2013

At 5:00 a.m. on Election Day, 40 Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at Mayoral Candidate Jaymie Kelly’s house in Minneapolis to evict her, smashing doors and breaking windows.

Minnesota

Homeowner Wins Twice Against Freddie Mac

By Bill Sorem | November 18, 2012

St. Paul foreclosed home owner gets settlement offer from Freddie Mac with an offer to let her stay in her house.

Minnesota

Kids Book Rhymes The Housing Crisis Bad Guys

By Bill Sorem | October 27, 2012

Becky Dernbach reads her new book, “Fannie and Freddie” as Freddie moves against two Minneapolis homeowners. Illustrating artists show their contribution.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Homes Holds Vigil as Foreclosed Cruz House Goes for Sale

By Jacob Wheeler | October 24, 2012

Lender Freddie Mac put the foreclosed Cruz house on the market following a heated battle over the home early this summer between Occupy Homes activists and Minneapolis police and Hennepin County sherifs officials.

Minnesota

Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Challenged In Rhyme

By Bill Sorem | October 15, 2012

Can you imagine mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac gambling away homes in Las Vegas? Debbie Dernbach can, so she wrote a kids book about it, that’s really aimed at adults.

DC

Occupy’s Impact: Making Foreclosures an Election Issue

By Jacob Wheeler | September 26, 2012

In sending a delegation of embattled homeowners and activists to Washington, D.C., the Occupy Homes movement seeks to thrust the issue of home foreclosures into the national election.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy’s Impact: Forcing Mayor to Confront Lender

By Jacob Wheeler | September 21, 2012

That an undocumented immigrant family and a ragtag group of Occupy Homes activists could force the mayor of a major American city to call Freddie Mac was a testament to the power of Occupy.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy’s Impact: Emboldening Homeowners Against Banks

By Jacob Wheeler | September 18, 2012

Occupy Homes’ first ally was Monique White, a single mother in North Minneapolis who worked two jobs but had fallen behind on her mortgage payments and faced the threat of eviction by US Bank and her lender Freddie Mac.

Economy/Jobs

National Campaign Highlights Homeowners Difficulty with Freddie Mac

By Allison Herrera | September 12, 2012

Homeowners Alejandra and David Cruz join fellow Occupy Homes activists for a kickoff your around the country called the Fannie Freddie 99. The group hopes to raise awareness of other homeowners fighting Freddie Mac in Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Economy/Jobs

Social Media Potent Weapon In Foreclosure Fight

By Allison Herrera | August 10, 2012

Occupy Homes activists celebrated two more victories and a conference that took place in Minneapolis recently.

Economy/Jobs

Formerly Homeless Couple Wins Loan Modification

By Jacob Wheeler | August 8, 2012

After a three-year foreclosure fight and an investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General, Frank Clark and Kristina Darrington will keep their home.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Homes Holds National Day of Action to Support Cruz Family

By Jacob Wheeler | June 20, 2012

Buoyed by a nationwide Occupy Homes movement that has rallied behind them, siblings Alejandra and David Cruz arrive in Pittsburgh to confront PNC Bank’s executives on Thursday.

Minnesota

Police Brace For Violence, Instead End Up With A Song From Occupy MN

By Bill Sorem | June 2, 2012

Minneapolis police prevent Occupy Homes activists from returning to a foreclosed home. The grouped charged the police yellow tape, linked arms and sang.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Temporarily Retakes Cruz Home, 14 Arrested

By Bill Sorem | May 31, 2012

Occupy Homes recaptured the Cruz family home after Hennepin County Sheriff and Minneapolis Police had secured it for foreclosure by the bank.

Occupy Movement

Minneapolis Mayor Implies City Stepping Away From Helping Banks With Evictions

By Bill Sorem | May 30, 2012

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak issued a statement implying the city is getting out of the foreclosure/eviction business, but it’s unclear what that means to families fighting to keep their homes from banks.

Immigration

Minneapolis Police Chief on Seizing Occupy-Backed Home: We’re Done With This Job

By Jacob Wheeler | May 30, 2012

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan implied that the City’s work was finished, and that Minneapolis would no longer expend resources to protect the Cruz home on behalf of Freddie Mac.

Minnesota

Target Of Sheriff’s Eviction Raid Calls It An Outrage

By Michael McIntee | May 25, 2012

David Cruz is in the process of renegotiating his mortgage with PNC Bank, so he was surprised when at 4AM Friday members of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office busted down his house door and tried to evict the Occupy Minnesota protesters who were defending his home.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Activists Defend Cruz Home from Sheriff’s Eviction

By Jacob Wheeler | May 24, 2012

Approximately 100 Occupy Homes activists and community members defended Alejandra and David Cruz’s South Minneapolis home from eviction Wednesday after Hennepin County sheriffs stormed the house.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Wins Home in North Minneapolis, Defends Latino Home in South

By Jacob Wheeler | May 3, 2012

Alejandra and her brother David, two Minneapolis college students and activists for the Dream Act, took the Occupy Homes pledge this week to stay in the house which their Mexican immigrant parents purchased and are in danger of losing.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy-Backed Homeowner Monique White Seeks Jury Trial

By Jacob Wheeler | March 13, 2012

Embattled homeowner Monique White took one more step Friday toward what could become an improbable victory that would let her stay in her North Minneapolis home. Judge Mark Labine will decide on Monday whether White will get a jury trial in District Court.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Homes Buys Time, Gets Jury Trial for Foreclosure Case

By Jacob Wheeler | March 6, 2012

North Minneapolis homeowner Monique White had her day in court Monday morning. But last-minute jockeying between her defense team and attorneys for Freddie Mac postponed her hearing until Friday — when she’ll face a jury trial.

Economy/Jobs

Occupy Homes Confronts Mayor Rybak to Stop Foreclosure

By Jacob Wheeler | March 1, 2012

Occupy Homes activists appear at R.T. Rybak’s monthly public office hours in an appeal to the Minneapolis Mayor to intercede on behalf of Monique White.

Minnesota

Correction: Freddie Mac, Not US Bank Foreclosing On Occupy Supported Home

By Michael McIntee | February 28, 2012

Documents presented to The UpTake today show that Freddie Mac is foreclosing on North Minneapolis homeowner Monique White’s home, not US Bank as Occupy Minnesota activists had claimed.