The Law Blog - Joseph P McCaffery & Associates

3 Ways to Avoid Overpayment of Property Taxes

2011-11-23T16:24:34Z

The U.S. home price index reported its largest home value price drop in 2008 and home prices continue to decline. “Under-water” mortgages and bank foreclosures continue to turn the American Dream into a nightmare for many homeowners, yet property tax bills often do not reflect the loss in home value.

This makes it particularly important for homeowners to monitor their tax bills for accuracy under current property value and know their rights.

If you have a mortgage, your tax bill can generally be estimated by your ...

JPMA Launches HOMERS: Help Oust MERS

2011-02-25T18:18:00Z

We began finding many of the irregularities in paperwork that are making news today. One of these is MERS assignments. MERS, most simply described, is a corporation composed of member banks that was put in place to make mortgage paperwork easier for the lenders. However, in setting up MERS and its variations (the current is MERS-4) the banks repeatedly overlooked the illegality of its operation. Recently a New York judge ruled MERS assignments are illegal, invalid and fraudulent - something we have been arguing for nearly four years.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Home for the Holidays...and Beyond!

2010-12-02T03:39:00Z

Today we got to tell a family they can keep their home. The foreclosure against them was dismissed with prejudice. Uncovering errors can produce real results for troubled homeowners. Homeowners may be able to make a good case for halting a foreclosure if the bank can't show it has the right to foreclose.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Will Facebook Firings Put Free Speech and Labor Laws Under Review?

2010-11-29T01:35:00Z

The Internet has changed our world tremendously and more tension is likely to occur over posts as employers become more Internet savvy.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

BoA, GMAC & JPM-Chase Slowing on Foreclosures – What’s It Mean?

2010-10-04T05:21:00Z

The media is abuzz with recent announcements by Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage and JP Morgan-Chase slowing or halting foreclosures. So if you’re behind on your mortgage can you breathe easy? Is your case over if you’re already being foreclosed upon by one of these giants? The answers are no, and no. Here’s why...

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Tribune Blasts Lawyers, Laws Over Loan Modification Issue

2010-09-16T17:15:00Z

When it comes to loan modification, the majority of our clients have found that most modifications simply don’t happen. A lot of time, effort and frustration is spent with no gain. While lenders may appear to be negotiating in good faith, few if any of our clients who’ve attempted modification would say that describes their experience...

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Don't be Ashamed of Foreclosure; Fight for Your Home

2010-09-09T22:16:00Z

Here’s a bit of advice for anyone facing foreclosure from the perspective of a law firm that’s defended hundreds of foreclosures in the past three-plus years...

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Landmark Prenup Ruling Stands

2010-04-25T03:28:00Z

It's been more than two years since we reported on the landmark ruling that overturned our client's prenuptial agreement awarding her half of her ex-husband's nearly $2.5 million estate. This week the appellate court upheld the court's findings....

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

No Refusal Challenge Overruled - Compliance Was the Hitch

2010-04-19T15:28:00Z

Kane County's No Refusal weekends can be challenged. The secret is not to fold.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

A Profile in Courage: A (Kevin Jay) Long Story

2010-03-23T23:08:00Z

If you live in Chicagoland and watch the news, it's hard not to know about the new "poster child" for judicial threats, Kevin J. Long, a man who stockpiled some 1,600 knives, guns and other weapons and attempted to enter the Daley Center with four knives...But there is more to this Long story. Our firm and several of its clients have been entangled in these matters for a decade...

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

DIY Legal Services - You Get What You Pay For

2010-03-01T20:07:00Z

Would you do your own surgery or choose a licensed surgeon? More than 2 years ago we published a guest posting, Self-Representation: The Perils of PRO SE, and the risks of self-representation - and using DIY legal services - remain.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates

Social Media: Bringing People Together or Breaking Families Apart?

2010-02-23T23:46:00Z

Social media – Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. – are designed to bring people together, but reports indicate networking sites also are tearing people apart. From rekindling long-lost romances to finding evidence of extramarital affairs or dispersal of marital assets, social networking sites are increasingly linked to divorce matters.

(c)2008-2011 Joseph P. McCaffery & Associates