Subject: Re: Kentucky Attorney General Backs New York's Schneiderman In National Foreclosure Settlement Talks
From: "Alexander Snyder-Mackler" <[email-masked]>
To: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:09:46 -0400

I need to get an update on the oped he and Eric wrote -- it was supposed to
be in the NYT, but last I heard they were dragging feet. Beau (and this may
have changed) agreed to do a day in NYC off of that, and take up some
longstanding invites at places like MSNBC and the Times. But the oped was
supposed to be what he used as his jumping-off point. Admittedly, I've been
out of it, so I may be behind. I'm gonna track it down once CrimLaw class is
over. Also, many of the prior articles have had a "Schneiderman and Biden"
tack. So it ain't all bad.

On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 1:06 PM, Eric Schwerin <[email-masked]
> wrote:

> Agreed - I thought that didn't come across in the article either.
>
>
>
>
> Eric D. Schwerin****
> Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC****
> ****1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW********
> ****Suite** 705******
> ****Washington**, **DC** **20007********
> (202) 333-1880****
> [email-masked]****
> *P** **Consider the environment before printing this email.*
>
> On Sep 22, 2011, at 1:03 PM, Hunter Biden wrote:
>
> We need to make it more clear that Beau is a co-pilot and not just another
> AG jumping on the bandwagon.
>
> RHB
> 202.333.1880
>
> On Sep 22, 2011, at 6:15 PM, Alexander Snyder-Mackler <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
>
> CA, KY, MN, NV...they're all jumping on the bus that Beau and Eric are
> driving
>
> On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 11:05 AM, Eric Schwerin <<[email-masked]>
> [email-masked]> wrote:
>
>>
>> <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/kentucky-jack-conway-eric-schneiderman-foreclosure_n_975634.html>
>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/kentucky-jack-conway-eric-schneiderman-foreclosure_n_975634.html
>>
>> Kentucky Attorney General Backs New York's Schneiderman In National
>> Foreclosure Settlement Talks
>>
>> NEW YORK -- Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway has added his name to a
>> list of state law enforcers who fear that a settlement being negotiated
>> among government officials and big banks isn't backed by a sufficient
>> investigation into potential wrongdoing.
>>
>> As law enforcers approach a deal with banks to settle allegations that the
>> companies improperly foreclosed on American homeowners, the banks are
>> pushing for a broad release from liability for actions that have not yet
>> been fully investigated, Conway said in a Thursday email to the Progressive
>> Change Campaign Committee, obtained by The Huffington Post.
>>
>> By raising these concerns, Conway has aligned himself with New York
>> Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and law enforcers from other states who
>> have questioned the adequacy of the groundwork underlying the settlement
>> talks.
>>
>> "Today's economic crisis was caused by Wall Street acting improperly,"
>> Conway, a Democrat, said in the email. "Every American has paid the price --
>> with families losing their homes, investors losing their money, and many
>> Americans losing their jobs. There should be absolutely no criminal or civil
>> immunity given to banks for activity that has not yet been investigated."
>>
>> All 50 state attorneys general, along with a group of federal agencies,
>> launched an investigation into banks' foreclosure practices after it emerged
>> last autumn that mortgage companies employed so-called "robo-signers," who
>> approved thousands of foreclosure documents without reading them. Some banks
>> temporarily halted foreclosures, saying they would review documents for
>> errors, as criticism mounted.
>>
>> Talks to settle the civil allegations seemed to be reaching a conclusion
>> over the summer. But some government officials, including recent Obama
>> Administration adviser Elizabeth Warren<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/elizabeth-warren-foreclosure-investigation_n_899659.html>,
>> questioned the sufficiency of the investigation into the ways banks dealt
>> with homeowners.
>>
>> The banks, which include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells
>> Fargo and Ally Financial, seem eager for a resolution to the talks that have
>> contributed to investors' anxiety over the institutions' financial health. A
>> legal penalty for the banks could reach $20 billion, The Huffington Post<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/06/foreclosure-fraud-20-billion_n_872207.html>reported in June.
>>
>> But consumer advocates are not united in the belief that the investigation
>> has been inadequate. Some progressive law enforcers and other attorneys say
>> the investigation -- which has been largely shielded from the public view --
>> is grounds enough for a deal that could give immediate relief to homeowners,
>> by setting rules for mortgage practices and potentially offering monetary
>> assistance.
>>
>> "We all agree that banks have behaved abominably and they must be held
>> accountable. It's my strong belief that the multi-state AG effort is
>> attempting to do exactly that," said attorney Ira Rheingold, executive
>> director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, in an email. The
>> attorneys general, he added, "have done a significant
>> investigation/examination of serious servicer misbehavior in the foreclosure
>> and loan modification processes and I believe that the fair resolution of
>> their negotiations offers the best hope for immediate relief for consumers
>> faced with the possible loss of their homes."
>>
>> A spokeswoman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading the
>> investigation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier
>> this month, when Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/13/minnesota-attorney-general-lori-swanson_n_960139.html>raised concerns about the adequacy of the investigation, a spokesman for
>> Miller said in an emailed statement: "We share a lot of common ground with
>> Attorney General Swanson and we appreciate her input."
>>
>> Miller removed New York's Schneiderman from the so-called executive
>> committee of attorneys general last month, as divisions emerged among state
>> law enforcers. Schneiderman, who has expressed skepticism about the national
>> investigation, has advocated for a narrow settlement, as he pursues his own
>> investigations into the banks' behavior.
>>
>> Attorneys general from Delaware and Massachusetts have also questioned the
>> thoroughness of the national investigation.
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Eric D. Schwerin****
>> Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC****
>> ****1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW********
>> ****Suite** 705******
>> ****Washington**, **DC** **20007********
>> (202) 333-1880****
>> [email-masked]****
>> *P** **Consider the environment before printing this email.*
>>
>>
>
>
> --
>
> Alexander Snyder-Mackler
> (302) 598-8678
>
>
>

-- 

Alexander Snyder-Mackler
(302) 598-867