(The featured image above is not actually of anyone mentioned in this article)
Rose Candelario and her husband, Raleigh Blythe, were shocked to find their house on a list of foreclosures- particularly since they had been making regular payments to their mortgage. They found out that they had been tricked into taking out a predatory loan, which included a $15,000 balloon payment that the bank did not disclose to them.
Rose: “We didn’t know anything about predatory loans. I didn’t even know what a balloon loan was and how it worked. I thought in 15 years, the loan was supposed to be paid in full. We didn’t know there was going to be a balance.”
The threat of losing their home was made more stressful because Mrs. Candelario was recovering from a stroke and couldn’t work. Having known people who were helped by CLS in the past, Mrs. Candelario turned to CLS for help. Monty Wilson, her attorney, immediately recognized that the bank violated the Federal Truth in Lending Act, which requires lenders to practice full disclosure.
Although the case took two years to settle, Mr. Wilson remained dedicated and diligent, and eventually won Mrs. Candelario and Mr. Blythe damages in the original amount of the loan. Throughout the process, Mr. Wilson reassured Mrs. Candelario that they had a good case, even though the bank fought hard to foreclose on them.
Rose: “Monty told us not to be afraid because he felt the loan we had wasn’t right… We didn’t know exactly what the outcome would be, but he was very reassuring.”
Mr. Wilson also helped Mrs. Candelario to become more informed about the situation, answering all of her questions and helping her understand the process. In the end, the Mrs. Candelario and Mr. Blythe were able to keep their home.
Rose: “It was a huge relief. I thought, ‘Gosh, we don’t have to lose our home. It’s OUR home now. Nobody can take it away from us.”
