Keeping The 'Recovery' Dream Alive; 3 Big Banks Halt Foreclosures In May

What is the only thing better than Foreclosure Stuffing to provide an artificial supply-side subsidy to the housing market? How aboutcompletely clogging the foreclosure pipeline, by halting all foreclosure sales, which is just what the three TBTF megabanks: Wells Fargo, JPMorgan and Citi have done in recent weeks. Under the guise of 'ensuring late-stage foreclosure procedures were in accordance with guidelines', the LA Times reports that these three banks paused sales on May 6th and all but halted foreclosures. Perfectly organic housing recovery - as we noted earlier... and guess what states the greatest number of 'halts' are in from these banks - California, Nevada, Arizona - exactly where the surges in price have occurred.

Via The LA Times,

Sales of homes in foreclosure by Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. ground nearly to a halt after regulators revised their orders on treatment of troubled borrowers during the 60 days before they lose their homes.

The banks said they paused the sales on May 6 to make sure that their late-stage foreclosure procedures were in accordance with the guidelines. The banks wouldn't say exactly which issues had been under scrutiny.

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Wells and Citi were still on hold as of Friday, according to PropertyRadar.com, which tracks foreclosure filings inCalifornia, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.

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"We simply needed to take the time to assure that we can validate and document our compliance," Wells Fargo added.

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At Wells, the biggest mortgage servicer, foreclosure sales in the five Western states fell to 17 for the week beginning Monday, May 6, from 298 the previous week,

A bank official predicted Wells would soon resume selling the houses of defaulted borrowers. "It won't be long,"