Patriot Act and my new home closing

[Debau2005]

I had to sign a statement that I knew that the govt was collecting data about me to "help the government fight the funding of terrorism..."

So now when we buy a house we are going to be scrutinized by the govt? Maybe next they'll ask us if we have the mark of the beast!

[Redstone]

1. Welcome to the United Soviet States of America.

No way I'd have signed that. I'd do without the house instead. Not that I'm advising that you do it, because it's a dumb, pointless protest and would accomplish exactly NOTHING except to make Mrs R get mad at me for being stubborn.

Enjoy your house!

Redstone

[Debau2005]

4. Can I move in with you and Mrs R?

haha

If I don't take the house I am homeless at the end of July...

The closing attorney saw the displeasure on my face and commented on it. Of all the papers I knew I was signing this was a total surprise.

[Redstone]

10. Sometimes, as I said, you gotta just choke it down and sign the paper.

Absolutely NO negative reflection on you for doing so.

After all, it's not like you could change it by refusing to sign.

And I meant it: Enjoy your house.

Redstone

[Debau2005]

12. I did not take it as a negative!

I am looking forward to finally having a place of my own. I have struggled with the concept of home ownership, but think this is the time. I was afraid if I waited to much longer that the interest rates would by way to high for me to even consider a mortgage.

Don't worry, I am the queen of sarcasm and dry humor, no offense taken! :hi:

[Redstone]

16. But if you really HAD gotten in trouble, yes, you could have

stayed with us. We have room.

Redstone

[Debau2005]

19. Thanks!

That would be a helluva commute to Atlanta from CT! haha

[flordehinojos]

2. we are living in the bush terrorist state. he will do with anyone of us

whatever he damn well pleases. this is also called a dictatorship.

[elehhhhna]

3. suiciders especially like zero-down loans

[Debau2005]

5. Good point! nt

[notadmblnd]

6. and they all buy houses because they plan on being around for a while

:sarcasm:

[partylessinOhio]

7. My entire suburb is peppered with Nothing Down-For Sale signs.

We fast became a ghetto and there are no buyers willing to move here.

[Debau2005]

9. I imagine

that the foreclosures on those zero down loans will be coming next.

[Rosemary2205]

20. Wait till interest only loans hit the fan.

Much of the housing speculation market is financed with interest only loans. When that pops in those select markets and Billions upon billions in real estate value is unrealized and the loans can't be paid off -- well, I hope a Republican is in the White House when that hits the fan because it was their policies that created it. (although in my fantasy world it never happens in the first place)

[partylessinOhio]

22. I know that is coming. Trouble is with my finances/health there is no way

for me to get out of here. Where would I go if I could leave?

[Rosemary2205]

17. Similar here.

I live south of Atlanta in a modest neighborhood - in a county mostly populated by modest neighborhoods. Until about 5 years ago the county, and my neighborhood was fairly well kept and quiet. Now one by one the houses are either falling apart or are selling to investors and ending up rentals. On my street alone there are 2 abandoned houses that we are fighting to do something about before they turn into a crime problem. A few miles away developers are building a large gated community of very expensive homes. Welcome to the Bush economy of the haves and have nots.

[partylessinOhio]

25. Same thing here.

We have an empty house on this street for about three years now with the Zero Down-For Sale sign in front. The "investor" who grabbed it up from an elderly woman who went to a nursing home, through her trusted priest, won't even cut the grass. The old garden area in the rear is so wild and overgrown that it is as tall as the garage roof. Windows are broken on the garage door and the side storm door. Prior to Bush this was a nice suburb of moderate homes that were fairly well kept. We also have lost so many of our commercial properties like banks, drugstores, medical offices, supermarkets, warehouses, manufacturers, etc. Even more upscale areas in Greater Cleveland are showing a marked decline.

These are really scary times that I wish I hadn't lived to see.

[elehhhhna]

28. We had a crappy repo on our block a few years ago--

Our neighbors cut the grass ( and edged, and weed-wacked...okay these guysa re pretty anal about their own yards, so...) religiously. It's now occupied.

[dogday]

8. Cause you won't be able to buy or sell without it!!!

Freaking great how they work that into something as important as your home closing... Lot of terrorist buying houses in the US now... Home Grown Terrorist Ya know :sarcasm:

[Debau2005]

11. Well every suicide bomber

wants a 30 year mortgage, dont they?! :rofl:

[dogday]

15. You really think they would even go

through the bullshit of paperwork that it takes these days to get a house??? Yeah right.... Just another way to suck our information from us.....

[NV Whino]

13. I would have been tempted

to cross out the "help the government fight the funding of terrorism..." then initialed the change and signed it.

[Debau2005]

14. Damn...

I wish I had thought of that. I think the attorney would have been amused.

[Redstone]

18. And it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. The paperwork would have

gone through just fine. I'm going to remember that, not that I want to go through the torture of buying a house anytime soon...

Redstone

[rosesaylavee]

21. Was part of that statement an agreement to pay

a fee for them to do so? I wonder if that wasn't tacked onto your closing costs. Just wondering...

[Debau2005]

23. Not that I can see

But then some of the fee names are a little odd and hard to understand. So no telling where some of that money is going.

[Kingshakabobo]

27. It doesn't get tacked on as a fee but the lender pays a fee.........

.....to run the name through a vendor that "specializes" in this area as well as fraud prevention/detection - property-flip scams etc.

I'll never forget, after 9/11, they produced a list of Arabic sounding names we couldn't lend mortgage money to. Of course, Osama's name was on the list as if he was going to fly in to the states for a loan.

[Nobody]

24. Just because you acknowledge that you know they're doing it

doesn't mean you approve or grant permission. Demand a copy of what the KGB (oops I mean the NSA) gets.

It may be helpful to know what they have on you.

I suppose all this data collecting is useful so that they can steal your identity to give some spy a cover story.

[crikkett]

26. hOly cOw k&R n/t

[Contrary1]

29. I had to sign one when we bought a new car a few weeks back.

The salesman didn't even look at it when I gave it back to him.
Next time, I will sign off as Anthrax Annie and see if it's noticed.