I am Half Agony, Half Hope

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in
F. W.
"I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never." - Jane Austen (Persuasion).

The agony is that of separation. All sufferings arise due to separation. To be separated from our loved ones is suffering. To be separated from conditions that make us happy is suffering. The nature of our existence is such that if we meet, we must part. If we don't, death will do us part. Separation manifests in two dimensions, time and space (distance). The time dimension manifests as impermanence and the space dimension manifests as discrimination between self and others.

The hope is that separateness is an illusion. That one day we will wake up to realize that we never part. That all the conditions for happiness are right here. Love must find a way. We are half agony, half hope.

What gives me the confidence that separateness is an illusion? Separateness is built on the conditions - time and space. Let's look at time. There was a time when a cloud was floating in the sky. Then it transformed into rain and became a river. Then the river with the help of the sun became water vapor and transformed into a cloud again. The other clouds think that the first cloud died. They think that a new cloud is now born. But transformation is continuity. The separation from the dimension of time is illusory. Death and birth, coming and going are illusory. The cloud manifests as a cloud when certain conditions are present, manifests as rain when a different set of conditions are present. If we truly love each other we will learn to recognize each other's manifestations. Then we will meet again, when you are a cloud, I will recognize you and smile at you and you can smile back.

Let's look at the dimension of space. Is it possible for a cloud to be separate from water? Cloud is water. Cloud and water are never separate from each other. We can see the water in the cloud and the cloud in the water. Everything is in everything else. The sunshine, rain, wind, earth are in the tree which bears the fruit that we eat. The sunshine, rain, wind, earth, the tree and fruit are in us. The transformation is illusory. The transformation is based on signs like touch, sound, image, taste and smell. If we cannot see, hear or feel someone we think they are not there but this cannot be true because nothing is ever destroyed. The cloud becomes rain, the water in your tea, the tear in your eye and then a cloud again and then rains again. You can listen to the sound of rain and smile. A cloud is never destroyed. A cloud never dies.

The transformation too is not real because all the while it has been only H2O - two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. We must learn to recognize transformation, to see through transformation.

"You are in me and I am in you. I am the hope in the agony and the agony in the hope. I have loved none but you." - F.W.

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Meditating On The Five Mindfulness Trainings

Jane Austen wrote in her book, Sense and Sensibility, "I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way."

When I was a child, I used to live with my grandparents. When I was with them, I was very happy. I was safe, comfortable, free from inhibitions. All conditions for happiness were present. My grandmother used to say that I was to my grandfather like a stepney to a scooter. Like a stepney follows a scooter wherever it goes, I would follow my grandfather wherever he went. Now if you told me there is a heaven or nirvana where one can have everything they want, what do you think I'd want? I'd want my grandparents. Perhaps you want to be with your children or parents or friends or someone you are attracted to or a million beautiful women or God or just by yourself.

This aspect too is what we call a self. We are the five aggregates - form (body), feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. The first four are manifestations of the fifth (consciousness). Consciousness is existence. If we are conscious, we can be happy or sad. We obviously want to be happy. It is for this very reason that we need to learn, practice, experience the Five Mindfulness trainings.

Just like how a dress or a shoe is no good until it fits us, so are the paths to freedom, peace and joy. A shoe that does not fit me is a shoe but not my size. It is not something I'll buy. Similarly the understanding and experience of the Five Mindfulness trainings must be a personal one to really create an impact, to really become a habit.

It must be your own way. So it is necessary then to see how the Five Mindfulness trainings are your own way.

Perhaps, you believe in God. Perhaps, you believe that God created this world, you and me. So did God create this world, you and me with a substance other than God or is God everything and we are a manifestation of God?

Let's say you think that God created us using some substance other than God. In this case, you'd have to admit that God is conscious. Without consciousness it would not have been possible for him to create and we can only connect with God through the bridge of consciousness because you say we are of different substance. Only consciousness is common. It is the bridge.

Can you separate consciousness from the object of consciousness? If you experience, you experience something. Even if it is only a dream or a thought or an imaginary object. Since consciousness cannot be separated from objects, God is connected to all objects of existence. When you kill, humans or animals or contribute to the depletion of natural resources you are actually bringing about a negative transformation of consciousness. This is so because to the consciousness an experience of being killed or being depleted is not a pleasant one. So do you think God will reward you? Do you think God will say, 'Now come, my love, here are a few angels for you to kill in heaven. You have done a wonderful job of destroying life on Earth, now come and destroy life in heaven.' Certainly not. If you want to go to heaven, it is  necessary for you to not hurt objects of consciousness. The Five Mindfulness trainings are designed with the objective of preventing us from hurting others.

If on the other hand you say that everything is a manifestation of God, its as good as saying everything is a manifestation of consciousness. So God and consciousness ultimately are same. So it would be fair to say that any change we experience is a transformation of consciousness/God. Is the transformation, then, real or illusory? If it is real, then God has become something else, is no longer God and you are now one who thinks God and his creation are of separate substances which we have already discussed. If you say the transformation is illusory, then how is this illusion of change manifesting? Change is impermanence. Time is a necessary condition for impermanence to manifest. There have to be at least two moments for change to manifest. Two means separateness. So you would have to agree that impermanence cannot manifest without time and separateness. But you say that everything is a manifestation of God, so separateness must be an illusion.

According to Buddhist teachings, such an existence where causes and conditions are required for manifestation of phenomena is a conditioned existence and such phenomena are conditioned phenomena. God/Nirvana are unconditioned phenomena.

To wake up from this illusion of separateness we will have to practice seeing everything in everything else. To wake up from the illusion of the separateness is also to realize that our loved ones are here, my grandparents, God, a million beautiful women and me are all here. All conditions for happiness are present right here, right now. We will have to be mindful to recognize the conditions of happiness that are present. The Five Mindfulness trainings are our guide to practicing mindfulness.

The Five Mindfulness trainings are - reverence for life, true happiness, true love, mindful communication and mindful consumption.

To practice reverence for life is to practice nonviolence, to avoid aggressive behavior, to refrain from depleting natural resources, to not contribute to anything that can become a threat to conditions that are conducive for life. It is also to practice veganism. To practice the first mindfulness training is also to revere the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice true happiness is to not exploit others, including animals and natural resources. It is also to practice veganism. It is also to share what we have.  To practice the second mindfulness training is also to share the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice true love is to not take advantage of others, it is a display of commitment, it is an act of transmitting happiness. We can make someone very happy by dedicating ourselves to the cause of making her happy. We cannot do this if our motivation is only to solicit sexual favors. When two people love each other, there is perfect understanding. To practice the third mindfulness training is also to perfect the understanding of the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice mindful communication is to not hurt others through speech and other form of expression. To not engage in slanderous or hate speech. We are an expression of existence. To practice the fourth mindfulness training is also to become an embodiment of the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice mindful consumption is to only consume what is good for the mind and body. To avoid alcohol, illicit drugs, cigarettes, etc. What we consume transforms us. The fifth mindfulness training is also to consume the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To revere life is also to revere God because God is inseparable from the living. To practice true happiness is also a practice of generosity which brings us closer to God. By practicing true love we connect with God. We truly praise God when through mindful communication we bring joy to others. Mindful consumption leads to mindful transformation that helps us to wake up from illusions and touch God.

If you are a Mahayanist, to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings is also the practice of sila pāramitā. In each of the six pāramitās are the other five pāramitās. So practicing the Five Mindfulness trainings is also practicing the six pāramitās.

If you are a Theravadin, to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings is also the practice of Right Mindfulness. In each fold of the Noble Eightfold Path are the other seven folds. So when we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings we are also practicing the Noble Eightfold Path.

Thus, the Five Mindfulness trainings are the one size that fits all. They are like water, you cannot dislike water. They are the theory of everything. They are not of a religious or sectarian nature and yet they are your personal spiritual experience and practice. They do not teach us to discriminate. They are your own as they are Thich Nhat Hanh's. They are not created, they are universal truths. If we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings, all our wishes are fulfilled. God embraces us, we are enlightened, we cross over to the other shore - Nirvana.

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Why do we practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings?

The Five Mindfulness trainings are our understanding of the Panchashila (Panchsheel) - the five precepts or the five pillars of a happy community. The Panchashila and Five Mindfulness trainings are universal truths and guidelines to manifest a happy community with happy individuals. These trainings are not created by Thich Nhat Hanh or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Instructions like do not kill, do not steal etc. have been there long before Gautama Buddha was born. In fact there were laws to prevent these from happening.

Unfortunately reading the Panchasila does not mean we have understood it and are keeping the precepts. For example, Buddha says do not steal. A child's understanding of this would not be the same as that of a taxman or a vegan activist. What is stealing? Is stealing from animals not breaking this precept? Is encouraging theft not breaking this precept?

Buddha taught - do not kill. Is it ok for Buddhist monks to order non-vegetarian food? Is it possible on the other hand for us to not inhale tiny microorganisms?

Buddha taught - do not consume alcohol. Does that mean we can't consume medicines that contain alcohol? Should we not use alcohol based fragrances? Since Buddha only said 'do not consume alcohol', is it ok to smoke?

Our practice of the five precepts largely depends on our understanding of phenomena. The Five Mindfulness trainings are more detailed descriptions, making it easier for us to understand and practice the precepts. If we carefully read and meditate on the Mindfulness trainings we get the answer to all these questions and any other that may arise in our minds.

We must approach these teachings keeping this in mind. Today, it is possible to practice veganism. Today we have alternatives to leather so it is not necessary to wear leather shoes. We have cashew and almond milk to replace cow milk. Vegetarian food is easily available. So to not kill is also to protect animals. It is to respect all forms of life. Respect is not to bow. We do not bow to ourselves but we respect ourselves. To respect is to not hurt others. You would not slap a Buddha, then why slap your wife? Is it possible for a monk to incite violence in Burma or Sri Lanka if he understands 'do not kill' as 'respect life'? We see things like monks and lay practitioners engaging in violence, politics, non-vegetarianism etc. because of their shallow understanding of the Panchashila and Pratimoksha.

It is not very important to study the scriptures if we have a Buddha teaching us. We learn from life more than we learn from scriptures. We have done enough if we can just practice the Five Mindfulness trainings. It is not necessary to become a monk or to chant mantras or to meditate for hours or to even be a Buddhist. A Muslim practicing the Five Mindfulness trainings is dearer to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas than one who has memorized all the sutras.

These precepts are based on our understanding that we cannot be happy if others are unhappy. By practicing these mindfulness trainings we are helping each other. We are promoting happiness. One who practices these mindfulness trainings does not hurt animals, does not exploit labor, does not exploit resources, does not evade taxes, does not hurt women, does not practice racism, does not cheat her/his partner, does not consume drugs or toxic substances, does not engage in lose talk or slanderous speech etc. It is wonderful to live with someone like this. You can rely on such a person. You know her love is true. You know her actions are not manipulative. You know that she is kind. We would like a bit of love and kindness. We want more people like this. Such a person is to be treasured. We want to be like this. So we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings.

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #VijñaptimātraBuddhism #Interbeing

The Yazidis Need Our Help

The Yazidis of Iraq need our immediate assistance. They are facing difficult times. They are being killed and tortured. Yazidi women are being captured/kidnapped and sold as slaves.

Not very long ago, the Indian mission in Iraq successfully managed to get Indian nurses out of captivity without having to fight a war.

Unfortunately, the Yazidis are not Indian citizens or for that matter citizens of United States or Russia or China or European Union. So no one is negotiating the release of the Yazidis, women and children in particular. The mass killings and torture of the Yazidis must stop immediately.

In order to truly help we must realize that we are not separate from others. In fact, we are not separate from anything. If others are hurt, we will be hurt. If there is conflict then there must be as lot of people who have been exploited.

Economic and social exploitation and discrimination cause great dissatisfaction as they obstruct our freedom and right to wellbeing. Exploitation is a result of the wrong view that we are separate and different from others. It leads to a feeling of superiority or inferiority.

Social exploitation includes ill treatment of an individual or community on religious, racial or other communal/ideological grounds. Economic exploitation is to take what is not ours from an individual or community.

All participants in this conflict have reason to believe that they are victims. Each feel that they have been economically or socially exploited. Only corporations profit from conflicts. In the Middle East, conflict helps push up oil prices which benefits major oil marketing nations. Conflict also increases the revenues of weapon manufacturers.

We would not do this to ourselves. We would not push ourselves onto the battlefield so our corporations can make money. Unfortunately, we think that the Middle East is not us. They are not Indian, Chinese, Russian, American or European. We think it is not about us. We are wrong. The Yazidi women are our sisters. Our sisters are family. They need our help right now.

From the fact that they are being sold as slaves, it appears that it may be possible to secure their release through negotiation. Kindly get your embassy in Iraq to negotiate the release of the Yazidis and find a safe place for them to recover from the trauma they have been subjected to.

Open Letter to Ocwen and Altisource

Dear friends,

Last week I was at a supermarket on Bangalore's busy Brigade Road when a child came up to me asking where he could find 'Mogu drinks' (a popular beverage containing nata de coco). I led him to the refrigerated food and drinks section. A few minutes later he came back to me asking me if I knew where his mom was.

In pursuit of material wealth we lose our mom, our loved ones, our home, our happiness. Not being able to find a 'Mogu drink' must have made the child a bit anxious but imagine the anxiety at not finding his mom. No 'Mogu drink' can relieve the child of that anxiety. It is time for you to find your mom, your loved ones, your home and true happiness.

I read, today, that a 6-year old from Temple, Texas, ordered for pizza under the name Thomas Jefferson, paid for it using his father's credit card and signed the receipt as 'Dad'. Prior to this he had ordered for pizza from the same outlet under the name Abraham Lincoln.

Many children use their parents' credentials, credit cards etc. perhaps sometimes without informing them. Shall we tell them that they are stealing and and that they are thieves and put them in prison? The correct way to deal with such situations is to explain to children that if they take more from mom and dad, then mom and dad will have less. Mom and dad may not have enough to pay for groceries, school fees, telephone and internet bills, medication etc. If they have less, we will have less. If they have less, they may not be able to keep their car or their home. On the other hand if they have more, they may be able to provide us a better future, better education, better lifestyle etc.

The government too helps us and protects us. If we do not pay taxes, the government will have less money to help us. If we take more from others, they will have less. If we do not contribute enough, they will have less. Many of your clients are banks, who were bailed out by the government. This helped you survive and profit. In return you spun off Altisource and headquartered Altisource in Luxembourg to avoid paying taxes. You also headquartered Altisource Asset Management Company, Altisource Residential, Newsource etc. at tax havens. So the government has less money to deal with problems like homelessness.

According to an organization, "There are 610,042 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. About 9 percent of homeless adults- 57,849 - are veterans. These numbers come from point-in-time counts, which are conducted, community by community, on a single night in January every other year."

These are people who contributed to our wellbeing. They worked for us and fought for us. They worked so we could fulfill our desires and they fought to make the world secure.

You have been instrumental in making people homeless by pursuing foreclosures and then keeping them homeless by evading taxes, thereby preventing the government from having enough money to fix the problem of homelessness.

Then, it is only fair that you stop foreclosing on loans and start providing homes to the homeless for free. You own a lot of properties through companies like Blue Valley Apartments and Altisource Residential. You can transform some of these into residential apartments and allocate them to the homeless. Thanks to modern technology mass housing projects can be completed at low cost. Materials like coated steel can also be used to construct elegant homes. According to the Tata group it is even possible to construct a house for less than $1000.

You are aware that since January, I have been trying to create awareness about your companies' practices and trying to help borrowers without charging any fees or receiving any favors in return. During the same period you have failed to admit wrongdoings and have continued foreclosing on loans and have failed to work towards providing homes to the homeless. You have, instead,been paying more money to yourselves and your lawyers. This indicates that you have not understood that if we take more from others, they will have less. If they have less, we will have less.

World leaders have shown remarkable maturity by avoiding conflict in Ukraine. If a government pays for its army to fight a war, it also leads to rise in prices of essential commodities. The people end up paying for both. That is how things impact each other.

You have been consistently chasing material wealth. Many of you have been buying homes in America but living in places like Luxembourg, while there are people who remain homeless. If we chase material desires we are separated from mom, from loved ones, from our home, from happiness. This is what I have learned from my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.

Please stop foreclosures immediately and provide homes to the homeless. If possible, please learn and promote the five mindfulness trainings and stop harming people, animals, natural resources and the environment.

Regards,
Saurabh Singh

How Ocwen and Altisource function

The excerpts from Ron Davis' testimony in Sealy Davis vs Ocwen FSB, Deutsche Bank et. al. (2005) provided the court a glimpse of how business processes were set up to push borrowers into foreclosure and to sell more foreclosed homes at Ocwen.

The motive behind designing those processes was the management's greed. Business processes are corporate habits. Since the motivation remains the same, the processes have only changed slightly.

The REO department has been spun off into Altisource, while LRCs remain at Ocwen (now Ocwen Loan Servicing in India). The last I knew collectors were being paid up to INR 100,000 a month as a part of the ICP. REO staff at Altisource were also being rewarded substantially through ICPs. On the other hand when I was involved with foreclosure prevention activities (short sales, deed-in-lieu, refinance) Altisource refused to pay my team and me any incentives. Most Collections/Foreclosure Consultants/REO Asset Management employees would get very low salaries but very high incentives to motivate them to foreclose and sell more foreclosed homes. Transaction Coordinators were also paid substantial incentives so they would get deeds with forged signatures and errors recorded through Premium Title (a subsidiary of Altisource), let RHSS agents like David Judd make important decisions on transactions and allow payment of real estate commissions to Ocwen subsidiaries - RESS and REO Management, LLC.

Here are the key parts of Ron Davis' testimony:

Q.(Mr. Hilliard) Mr. Davis, while you were at Ocwen, would you explain to the jury the type of training that you received in regards to dealing with customers.

A. (Ron Davis) When I first hired into Ocwen, we just hired off the street. We didn't have a training class up yet. The time line I remember,training class was 1998, '99. When we went to Orlando, Florida,from West Palm Beach,their operation there and they had a training class then. That was for collectors.

Q. And while at Ocwen, would you from time to time be given bonuses or extra money that had a particular name?

A. We got ICP programs and then extra money called bumps.

Q. Would you tell the jury what you think a bump is?

A. What I think a bump is?

Q. What you think a bump is.

A. I know what a bump is.

A. A bump is like if you lost your home to foreclosure and we had a broker list to call brokers to buy the home, we would get a bump for that extra money because they bought it. And it's called third party take out. And Ocwen paid us extra for that.

Q. Do you have any information about whether Ocwen would send payments back to customers, reject payments after they requested the payments be sent to them?

A. Yes,we did. Sometimes--

Q. Could you explain that to the jury?

A. Well, the foreclosure department needed a minimum of three payments. If they wanted to send one to us, it was our discretion to take it or send it back. We could put them on foreclosure hold for that one payment and they would send us two more later on or whatever. But we would send it back to them. We looked in the system and seen there was equity in the home,we would reject the payment and it was in foreclosure anyway and there was not time to put them on a forbearance plan,and we sent it back. Or if we didn't receive the payment, got lost or sent back,that's what we did.

......

Q. (MR. HILLIARD) Can you explain to the folks what you meant when you explained to Mr. Madole if there was equity in the house,you would choose not to modify a customer's loan?

A. That's correct. Because if there was equity,and this is based upon all the LRCs, and there's 30 of us,and we would get a bump if it went to foreclosure. We didn't have to do modification. If they didn't come up with payments to put them on forbearance, we would not do that either. We would let it go to foreclosure, get a buyer for the home.

......

Q. Could you explain to the jury what the policy was in regards to representing forbearance as a possibility and foreclosure?

A. Again, our system allowed us to go in there and plug in the numbers for percentages of the house, what the loan to value was,what Ocwen got for the home, or if it was even being serviced by another lender. It was up to us. And we did it to let it go to foreclosure or come up with the money we were asking for, including attorneys' fees and costs for our bumps,extra money in our pocket.

Q. Are you familiar with whether or not there was a policy at Ocwen to make representations that forbearance was a possibility while unbeknownst to the customer proceeding to foreclosure?

A. Yes.

Q. There was a policy?

A. Yes. We had control over the portfolio. We had 250 to 300 customers in our portfolio. We could go in, check everyone out,see which ones had equity, which ones we would put on forbearance or modify. We only had to get an X amount of deals to get our money, big money,up to 10,000 a month for bonus money. And many did.

Q. How much?

A. It's 10,000 a month.

Q. What's the most you made in a month?

A. It was $7600. One month. I was overwhelmed myself.

Q. What was your salary?

A. It was 30,000 in '96.

Q. Go ahead. Finish.

A. So, by not knowing anything,I was off the street and took the position because they offered it to me. I was a collector two years. Before I got that offer, I learned from the rest of them how to do it and what to say. And we didn't treat the people very well but the money was pretty good.

Q. So,during the time that you were there --and were you a manager at some point?

A. Supervisor.

Q. Were you familiar with the prevailing attitude that exited while you were there in regards to misleading customers?

A. Yes. I was trained.

Q. What?

A. I was, like trained by the other managers and employees how to treat the people that's -- the loans we had.

Q. Tell the jury about what you know in that regard.

A. We would call the customers and ask them what bridge they were going to live under or the next cardboard box they would have to cut out,what curb they would be kicked to,because all the belongings in Georgia went to the curb. Hey, I wasn't like that, but I learned to take the money. That was our key,the money. We had never seen the people..

Q. Once you learned how to do it,would you tell these folks how you felt about doing that?

A. I came here for that reason,
kind of like to put myself at ease. I got away from Ocwen, resigned and went to another firm, an attorney firm three hours away to get away from being like I was.

......

Q. Do you have familiarity with that situation, sending checks--telling the customer to start sending a check to a different location.

A. Yes, lockboxes.

Q. What familiarity do you have in that regard?

A. They started out with four different lock boxes in different places. The payments were getting lost. So,they changed the lockbox but the customer wouldn't get the notice before the late charges were assessed. And some went to foreclosure.

.......

Q. Let me ask you that. Were you familiar while you were there with regard to the policy of Ocwen intentionally posting payments late?

A. We posted numerous payments late.

Q. Why?

A. One,the system wouldn't accept them. We had a new program put in and it was rejecting the payments and late charges were added. And then before foreclosure, more fees were added. And that caused a lot of problems.

........

Q. Did folks in your position -- were you called an LRC?

A. Yeah, a loan resolution consultant.

Q. LRC. Did LRCs, while you were there, also get money,kickbacks from brokers?

A. Yes, they did,as well as the REO department.

Q. Would you tell the jury about that?

A. The note that -- the customer would go into foreclosure would come to our department first. We would hear -- if we couldn't put them on a plan or we refused to put them on a plan and refused their monies,and again, if there was equity, it would benefit us. If they went to foreclosure, they would go to other department we knew. And most of those were ex-LRCs. It's called real estate owned, REO. They are the ones who got the extra cash and trips and shared it with us. They were managers as well as -- well, managers, I guess.

......

Q. Let me ask you again. in regard to the question I just asked, was it a policy of Ocwen's to sometimes represent to customers that they could get a forbearance agreement while at the same time secretly move that customer towards foreclosure?

A. Yes.

......

Q. You and your colleagues, things you saw and were permanently aware of, how were your customers viewed?

A. As D&E people. Poor. Not affordable homes.

Q. Why is that significant?

A. There is a portfolio full of equity homes to benefit us for extra money, the bumps and bonuses.

......

Q. And if Sealy Davis -- one of her issues in this case is that she was promised by Ocwen that they could lower her payments,is that a type of promise you have personally made in the past to customers like her?

A. Yes, I did. I would on some of the loans that had no equity --

Q. No. After you said "yes," I have to ask you another question. So, you did that?

A. Yes.

Q. From time to time, did you do it with no intention of fulfilling that promise?

A. Yes, I did. I couldn't find the payments, yes. So they went foreclosure.

......

Q. (Mr. Madole) You said that you personally, Ron Davis, would pick up a phone,call a borrower and say, "I will give you a forbearance plan."  And in your secret heart, you would say, "Ha, ha, no." That's the way you were?

A. That's the way we were.

.....

Q. (Mr. Hilliard) Let me ask you, who is Bill Erbey?

A. He is the owner of Ocwen Federal Bank.

Q. Did you ever attend any meetings with Bill Erbey?

A. Yes. Luncheons we would call it.

Q. During those luncheons did Mr. Erbey ever set out for you his view of how Ocwen should conduct business?

A. Yes. Due to the type of paper, again we're back to the D&E paper that he bought from HUD and other Loan Servicing accounts that these are people that have no money, probably won't have no money to get their houses back out of foreclosure. There are some that have equity which would help build your bonus structure,and that was at the Palm Beach Lake address.

.....

Q. While you were there, did Ocwen from time to time or folks who worked with customers from time to time doctor the comment history log?

A. Yes, we did. We changed the financials a lot.

Q. Explain it to these folks.

A. If the loan had, based on no equity, a lifeless loan, we would call it,we would change it to add more food, more electricity,any expense that would be for the home. If they put down cable,we would tell them we would erase it. That didn't count towards the affordability of their payment. So,we helped them with their financials based on the equity in the home, the amount of equity. That's what we did. 

Q. You mentioned some times you would call a customer how many times a day?

A. The dialer would call the customer. Automated dialer. Put headsets on, it would ring the phone six, seven times a day, because the program wasn't working correctly.  And got OTS complaints from the banking commission and the Attorney General and the consumer people because we harassed them too many times.

Listening to customers pays off

Charlotte advised Lego, 'I want you to make more Lego girl people and let them go on adventures': Company released toy set showing female scientists... and it sold out in three days!

Ocwen Altisource Employees - Whistleblower Assistance

Ocwen and Altisource exploited homeowners to earn commissions by force-placing insurance at inflated prices. The insurance company in turn paid commissions to Altisource. These borrowers were already struggling to make payments due to financial difficulties. By increasing their monthly repayments, not reporting their payments on time and adding late payment charges Ocwen effectively pushed them into delinquency, so Altisource could make more money. Then they foreclosed the homes and sold them on HUBZU to earn real estate commissions, escrow and title fees, property preservation fees, closing coordination fees, Buyer's Premium, Web Tech Fees and more.  Ocwen and Altisource share common ownership. They profit from others' misfortune.

Ocwen's Chairman William Erbey locates his companies abroad to evade taxes. Part of real estate commissions earned by selling foreclosed homes were routed to Ocwen subsidiaries headed by William Erbey, Ronald Faris etc. William Shepro has bought numerous properties in CT and FL with the money earned by exploiting homeowners, investors, employees and the government.

The victims have lost their homes. They have had to move. They miss their friends. Their children miss their old schools. Their credit history has been damaged. Life is not the same for them anymore.

Just a few days ago an Altisource vendor tried to lock my friend in her house.

To what extent will you participate in their criminal endeavors?

Act now! Contact whistleblower@cfpb.gov and help protect the vulnerable and assist the victims.

Friends Plant Seeds Of Love

Good friends plant seeds of love. We must water these seeds so one day they can manifest an enlightened community - Maitreya, the next Buddha, the Buddha of love. Maitreya comes from 'maitri'. The next Buddha is not a person but a community - all of us. A community that understands 'I am in you and you are in me'.

Work continues to pile up at Ocwen

Over 60000 homeowners were waiting for Ocwen to review their HAMP applications as of 05/31/2014.

Ocwen's lower earnings can lead to more problems

Ocwen shareholders and in particular, small investors, experienced significant losses yesterday as the Ocwen (OCN) stock hit a new 52 week low of $30.16 before closing at $30.17. The stock registered a decline of 12.95% in a single day! Small investors and traders who had invested in the OCN stock, in part due to recommendations from various analysts, were severely impacted by the fall.

The Altisource Asset Management Company (AAMC) stock shed 12.39%, Altisource Portfolio (ASPS) lost 8.69% while Altisource Residential (RESI) ended the day 5.73% lower.

The results have been in line with our expectations. We had advised that Altisource (ASPS) are beneficiaries of sweetened deals handed out to them by OCN and AAMC and in return provide poor service to OCN, AAMC, RESI and their customers. So no surprises, then, that ASPS profited at OCN, AAMC and RESI's expense.

Ocwen's slide appears to have only just begun. With lower working capital and higher interest costs, OCN could soon find itself facing newer challenges.

William Erbey rued the fact that Ocwen were being made to adhere to regulatory requirements and advised that this had increased the costs. Ronald Faris made a case for greater CFPB involvement by presenting various statistics that according to him indicated that more homeowners were able to keep their homes since CFPB began monitoring OCN's activities.

In the meanwhile, we are demanding action against William Erbey, Ronald Faris and William Shepro, in addition to other Ocwen and Altisource officials for consciously formulating and engaging in business practices that have adversely impacted homeowners, investors, shareholders, employees and the Government.

If you would like to help, please write to regulatory authorities like the CFPB, Department of Financial Services (New York), your state's Attorney General's office and lawmakers requesting immediate action against these individuals.