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Newschannel 5 Reveals Pitch To Legally Blind Grandmother
POSTED: 6:11 pm EST November 27,
2007
UPDATED: 8:41 am EST November 28,
2007
CLEVELAND -- Newschannel5 had a rare opportunity to witness a local broker pitch a loan deal to a local, legally blind grandmother.The brokers turned up on Flora's doorstep after she talked to a contractor about getting some work done on her house.NewsChannel5's hidden camera and crew were there with the local grassroots community advocacy group called ACORN when brokers offered Flora a refinanced mortgage.An attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Harold Williams, took a close look at Flora's refinancing offer and found that while she's saving $16.87 a month on her mortgage, her fees will total about $6,000.Those fees include a "broker price" at $1,462.76. Williams said the broker gets that money as a bonus for signing Flora up for a higher rate loan, even if she qualifies for a lower rate. There are also a loan origination fee, an administrative fee, and a loan processing fee."She's saving $16 [a month] on her mortgage, but what she's really doing is paying it back through fees, because both are roughly $6,000," said Williams.
Flora did not sign any papers during the broker's vist.
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