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Wall Streetwalkers: The Sleazy Lehman Brothers Subsidiary

Lehman Brothers maintained its squeaky-clean image by relying on its seamier subsidiary. Just call her Aurora.

On September 15, the company finally acknowledged that they were reviewing his request. Three days later, however, a lawyer for Aurora sent a letter that said the company was foreclosing and had set a sale for October 9.

Walker called to discuss this latest development and was told that Aurora would not help him because he was behind on the payments.

Months earlier, the company had said it wouldn't consider a modification because Walker wasn't behind on the payments. Now, they were saying the exact opposite. Walker was furious.

"They did it without working with us on it at all," he says. "When this started, we had the income and the money, and we could have worked something out."

Walker's wife filed for bankruptcy, which delayed the foreclosure until January, he says. Now, the family is hoping that Congress will come up with some way to bail out beleaguered homeowners like himself.

"We're hoping that Congress will do something," he says. "But it seems like the only way you get help here is if you're on Wall Street."

After this story went to press for our print edition, Aurora Loan Service sent the following response after repeated requests for information from the Voice. Their response, in its entirety:

It is Aurora's goal to work with our customers so they can prevent foreclosure and protect homeownership. Our Customer Service team is trained to address customer's questions and provide recommendations specific to the individual's situation. We make customers aware of options such as repayment plan, forbearance, loan modification, short-sale and deed-in-lieu. In cases where the customer can benefit from talking with a HUD approved counselor, we provide them with the toll free number to contact a HUD approved counseling agent as the customer may benefit from financial counseling or additional assistance.

In January 2008, Aurora became a member of Hope Now, an organization of servicers dedicated to maximizing the preservation of homeownership and minimizing foreclosures.

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  • Courtney 12/05/2008 3:49:00 AM

    I always love how these articles breeze by the fact that the homeowner missed a payment and then the evil bank foreclosed. If these people paid their mortgage, we wouldn't have this problem. I hope New York has fun as they run the only profit center out of town and overseas. Wall Street does pay 20% of the operating budget for that shi**y state. I hope New York has fun becoming the next Detroit.

  • rayman 11/10/2008 11:07:00 PM

    thanks for the comments. as the writer of the article, i would love to hear from any current or former lehman employees on this topic. i can be reached via the voice email or 212 475 3300. thanks.

  • Megan46 11/09/2008 7:38:00 AM

    Well, the Psychotic Republicans who have no agenda or issues to run on are the reason you lost. As I recalled it was Sen. McCain who said; "this campaign is not about issues but personalities". Sen. Obama stayed on Msg. George Bush polices are allowing corporations to send jobs overseas, Union Busting, faith-base initiatives, no regulations, continuation of the trickle down theory base on tax-cuts to Corporations and the rich. A phony war, base on a lie of WMD�s (none were every found). Allowing Halliburton who are no more than war profiteering and our Gov�t paid them Billions of dollars through no-bid contracts. Let Capitalist regulate themselves since they know best. Then ask for a Bailout for the Banks and Wall Street that reeks of socialism and blame it on Poor and middle-class for buying houses they could not afford. Brass A** nerves. All you can talk about is Rev. Wright and Sen. Obama being a Muslim, which the people saw through. All the republicans offered was tired rhetoric and lies and all you people talk about was Rev. Wright and Sen. Obama being a Muslim and ignorant "Joe the plumber" which nobody cared about since it don't pay their bills or put food on the table!!!!!

  • Dhalgren 11/08/2008 10:19:00 PM

    Outstanding article, Mr. Rayman. I worked at Lehman from 1998-2008. When we acquired Aurora Loan and another mortgage subsidiary in California some people in Fixed Income and Ops saw the red flags. The people in Littleton were from a different culture and never fit with Lehman's four core businesses of Fixed Income, Equities, Investment Banking, and Wealth Management. When news broke in July that Lehman was on the hook ($350 Mil) for the failed exurb, McAllister Ranch, in Bakersfield, CA, and lost billions in Florida real estate development, we knew the end was near. This article explains the mistake Lehman made in acquiring a mortgage trader in Littleton Colorado, and how Dick Fuld went from being the best risk manager on the street to being the most reckless CEO in a nearly a decade. Great work!

  • Barquentine 11/08/2008 6:41:00 AM

    These muvvas should be put in jail. If there isn't a statute that can be used, Obama should make sure that one is immediately put into law.

  • ghostof'lectricity 11/06/2008 6:11:00 AM

    This is an excellent article and certainly tells us a lot about the sordid and double- and triple-dealing world of the investment bankers and finance "insiders" who plotted to make more profits for themselves no matter how many people got hurt along the way, then claimed to be victims when the whole Ponzi scheme collapsed. But I have one cavil about the article's metaphors and illustrative graphics: don't you think it's rather sexist and gratuitous to compare Lehman Bros./Aurora to a female prostitute? And the drawing of a sexy, scantily-clad, fishnet-stockinged hooker leaning on a street sign saying "Wall Street"? Was that necessary?

  • Will 11/06/2008 12:38:00 AM

    .... dubbya tee eff is wrong with these rich people who control these companies? do they really need more money at the expense of their brothers and sisters. it makes me so sad knowing these are the type of ppl who sit at the top of all the companies/services we deal with.

 

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