UPDATE:
The bank which accidentally foreclosed on the incorrect home and wrongfully repossessed all of the owner’s stuff issued a statement saying it wants to compensate Katie Barnett “fairly and equitably for her inconvenience and loss.”
Yet at a fundamental level First National Bank of Wellston, OH seems to have a unique take on what is “fair” or “equitable.”
For starters, the bank is balking at paying her the $18,000 that Barnett reports she’s lost.
In an interview with 10 TV news, Barnett said that bank officials asked her for receipts for all of her repossessed items.
“First of all, I don’t have receipts for all my stuff, and second, if I did, where do you think they would be?” Barnett said. “In my house with my belongings.”
Additionally, Barnett told 10 TV that the bank offered her a replacement Boflex Ultimate, for which she paid around $2,300. The only catch is that this workout machine was found curbside in someone else’s trash.
Barnett said she declined the bank’s offer.
Still, First National is insisting it acted in good faith. The lawn was overgrown, the utilities were shut off, and the door was unlocked. Bank representatives just chucked out what they thought was unwanted stuff.
That’s not a good enough excuse for Barnett, however (or for pretty much anyone else who’s invested themselves in Barnett’s story).
Barnett said she just wants her stuff back. And she’s lawyering up to try to get it.
More to come as the story unfolds.
*****
Talk about a vacation horror story.
An Athens County, OH woman came home from a two-week summer vacation to find that a local bank had accidentally foreclosed her house and repossessed all of her belongings.
A representative from First National Bank apparently mistook Katie Barnett’s home for a house across the street and cleared the place out while she was away.
Barnett said the locks had been changed and she had to crawl through a window to enter the premise.
The worst part of the story is that when she called the police and notified the bank (which isn’t even her bank), neither made moves to help, 10 TV reported. The police closed the case after finding out that a bank in a neighboring county had made the error.
When she presented the bank with an $18,000 estimate of her monetary losses, bank officials reportedly declined to compensate Barnett for her retail losses.
“He got very firm with me and said, ‘We’re not paying you retail here, that’s just the way it is,’” Barnett said in an interview with 10 TV. “I did not tell them to come in my house and make me an offer. They took my stuff and I want it back…”
“Now, I’m just angry,” Barnett said. “It wouldn’t be a big deal if they would step up and say ‘I’m sorry, we will replace your stuff.’ Instead, I’m getting attitude from them. They’re sarcastic when they talk to me. They make it sound like I’m trying to rip the bank off. All I want is my stuff back.”
Unbelievable.
You can check out Barnett’s full interview with 10 TV below:
This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2013.
That bank is going to owe way more than 19,000 if this thing goes to court and that is where it should go if they refuse to admit full fault and pay her the modest sum she is asking for.
“Not paying market value” my butt! She is right, she did not have a yard sale, and the only way she will be able to replace what was STOLEN from her and then pawned off is to buy them at market value!
Wow… The audacity of today’s banks and their employees knows no limits. This has absolutely nothing to do with me and I’m outraged beyond belief! My heart goes out to Ms. Barnett in this situation. The American bank systems and corporations need to be made an example of with all their schemings, greed, and glut. Though I’d like to see her get this resolved as painlessly as possible, I hope she takes them for MUCH more with what she’s had to unnecessarily endure due to their idiocy and arrogance.
I know there are people in the OH area, lawyers with a sense of right and wrong, who should be out there helping this woman!! You know this will offer a lot of press and a percentage of damages. Obviously she needs some basic items now but the bank shouldn’t be allowed to treat her this way. Where is the community outrage? Don’t you know this could be you next time? Where are this woman’s elected officials? I’m hundreds of miles away and trying to think of a way in which I could contribute. Katie, if you are reading any comments on your report – you’ve got a friend in the Chicago area who’s willing to go to bat for you!
When I called to complain the bank secretary threatened me telling me she “packed a gun”, here is the Bank President’s info…
Anthony Thorne – 52 – President FNB Wellston
135 Ohio Ave
Jackson, OH 45640
H (740) 286-7338
FNB Customer Service:
Wellston Office (Phone) 740-384-2146
Toll Free: 877-684-2146
Jackson Office (Phone) 740-286-6773
Anthony Thorne
1505 Oregon Ave
Steubenville, OH 43952
H (740) 282-3501
bottom line is they stole her property and unlawfully took her possession and foreclosed on her property without any standing to do so.. that is pure FRAUD..
This is actually a case of gross negligence on the part of the preservation contractor who re-keyed her house and removed her personal belongings. It doesn’t take a genius to tell the difference between an abandoned property and a property currently being occupied. It is standard practice to contact the servicer or mortgage holder and verify the status of the property if it appears occupied or if it is empty but contains a significant amount of personal belongings. Obviously the contractor failed to follow these procedures so he is responsible. However if the bank (or whoever is servicing the mortgage) gave the go-ahead to clean out the property then they are responsible. To clarify, the bank did not “foreclose” on this house, it is still owned by Ms. Barnett. However the preservation contractor (and possibly the bank) are fully responsible for wrongfully taking her property and should be sued.
Just a follow-up I called Mr. Tony Thorne’s office and was offered his voicemail. I explained who I was and how far away I was. I let him know how far this story is spreading (as I first read it in the Daily Kos) and how many people are reacting to the negligence and lack of compassion or contrition regarding the act they committed against Ms. Barnett. I also thought seeing some press about the bank taking responsibility for their part and try to help Ms. Barnett recover or replace her belongings might go a long way to improve their image.
PLEASE use the numbers provided in Huuf Arted’s comment to contact Mr. Thorne, use respectful and thought out words if possible and let him know how close or far you are so he knows how far it’s spreading. Ask him to do the right thing it will cost the bank less in the long run. If he won’t listen to reasonable requests, we can turn up the heat!
Banks like this think they can just walk over consumers and do whatever they want. The ironic part is, idiots like these are the ones that started the huge housing market crash with their stupid lending practices.
I’m from Australia and now I’ve read the story. I’m not sure if this stupid bank realises how far these stories spread. I think she should sue, but also the people that took the belongings should be charged as criminals, as they broke in and stole.
“…the bank is trying to come to terms with Katie and hopes to have the matter resolved real soon…”
Come to terms? WTF! Bank, YOU (or your contractor) screwed up! The only “terms” to come to is saying, “Yes Ma’am. Whatever you want ma’am. Right away ma’am”!
i don’t think an “oops, our bad” from the bank is going to cut it this time.
If I was the bank manager, I would bend over backwards to take care of this problem, I would replace her belongings and more. I’m sure the bank is insured for things like this should they arise. Not only did she loose her belongings but she lost personal items like photos, letters, cards, etc. these things are irreplaceable. I thing this bank should act quickly and avoid a lawsuit.
They are claiming their people’s records don’t reflect what she lists as taken.. Here is the thing, if your people can’t find the right house, why would anyone believe they did proper record keeping at all? $18,000 is CHEAP compared to legal fees. I can’t believe they think road-side trash is a FAIR exchange. stupid!
I just got this article on my Facebook page in Texas! If it’s on Facebook, it’s gone worldwide!
Well, this bank definitely screwed up, and she is owed big time, but what I don’t understand is this….if your utilities are shut off, what in the hell are you doing taking a two week vacation???
Mike, Some people may have the utilities intentionally suspended *Because* they will be away for 2 weeks or more… to avoid the risk of utility failure accident while they’re gone.
I’ve known a few people that’s happened to while they were away (pipe bursting) who I bet wish they’d shut the utilities!
ahhh, good point. Hadn’t thought of that!
Even if her belongings were worth only $5,000 asking for $18,000 is almost a joke! Do they know how much a lawsuit would cost?! She is being beyond reasonable. All she wants is her stuff back. I can’t believe the bank would act like this. Even if they somehow feel justified, the bad publicity alone will hurt them way more than 18k.
What ever happened to this story? It was all over the net for a while, then no updates. Did the bank pay? Did she sue? Was it all a hoax?
They property cleaners are suposed to hold items in storage for a time.
This is a very common story. Safeguard Properties, a “Cleanout” company is being sued by the State of Illinois to put them out of business by revoking their authority to do business in Illinois for stealing from the houses, not following the law to clean out a property and other charges. I hope everyone pays attention to what is happening.