Saturday, January 27, 2007

Why Bother?


Interesting topic. Over at IAFF "SacRealtor" suggests:

Robert Coté: You must know by now that Casey does not listen to a single thing you say.

He tries to listen but the story isn't about Casey and hasn't been for a long time. I don't post or blog for any one person's benefit. I post for an understanding of the surrounding issues. Since Casey started blogging 16 subprime mortgage brokers have closed. Countrywide has reduced their workforce in my county by 1400 and is in rescue talks with BofA. Gee, you think that housing prices in my area down 5.9% y-o-y and 1400 white collar layoffs are related? You think Countrywide and the bad loans Casey used with them are related? You think? I knew backin Sept what the macroresults of Young Casey's adveenture would be. I don't stop speaking truth just because those who could benefit most don't like the answer. Likewise justice delayed is justice denied so I'll be posting this same comment elsewhere and have 30 good observations in anyone interesting manages a the replies before Young Casey gets around to approval. And by the time someone posts a reply in the next round of moderation the realtime discussion will have moved on four more posts.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed that this kid hasn't been arrested yet.

First post! ;-)

astrid said...

Casey Serin is a wonderful trainwreck to follow. Casey's ADD/Bi-polar self alternates between frustrating and hilarious. The richness and range of secondary characters goes beyond anything available via reality TV.

The resonation with greater societal issues (Gen-Y ethics, housing bubble, web-realism, religion, etc) is just icing on the cake.

I predict that Casey's "success" will spur more copycat trainwreck blogging.

Anonymous said...

Is this the same Erin Morgan?

PR Link

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

I wonder what that contract looks like.

Anonymous said...

I was not quite sure how to categorize The Unabomber Manifesto on Shelfari, so I settled on "the casey serin of the 90s". Now, I’m wondering what else might fall under that tag...

Anonymous said...

Newt Gingritch?
Bill Clinton?

Hmmm.

Anonymous said...

Rob Dawg,
I agree with you. At this point, the interest isn’t so much in Casey per se, but the bizarre fiscal disaster he symbolizes – that will affect all of us, not just Californians, not just Americans, etc., etc.

Anonymous said...

P.S. L’il Casey is to financial disaster as the Unabomber was to environmental disaster. While they have different tactics, talents, etc., they both embody our fears and concerns. Essentially, they are living symbols of the issues that will be biting us in the @ss far a very long time due to so many years of complete irresponsibility among our supposed “leaders” who I never voted for (and I do vote, btw).

Anonymous said...

Completely off topic, but I found this amusing video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pYJpzoyzuU
I had no idea there was a pilot. Anyone know where to get the complete version? It was my favorite book as a kid.

Anonymous said...

Like Our Hero, I am a bit out of touch on some thingas. I had no idea CW was in bad shape. I have 4 mortgages with them. Why you may ask? Because they kept all my mortgages & didn't pass them around every 6 months like other lenders. (Seriously, one property is resulting in 4 1099s this year!) Should i be trying to refi with them - are they striking deals?

Rob Dawg said...

Just guessing but CFC is not going to deal and turn four aged out loans into one fresh loan with high balance. The whole thing stinks. There was a lot of short interest wiped out by the BofA talk. The company shouldn't get a free stock boost like this giving the rats another chunk of cheese.

incessant_din said...

CFC circling the drain? I thought the genius Mozilo was being proactive, and had moved to secure the company's future before the music stopped. I guess it's like being at a baseball stadium, where you don't know the music stopped for some length of time. Kind of like thunder. If you hear the warning, it wasn't a danger to you.

Timing markets is tough. Casey guessed wrong. Mozilo seems to have guessed wrong. Bob Toll guessed right (personally).

Rob Dawg said...

Din,
Go to insidercow.com type in CFC and sort by Mozillo. "He" guessed right.

http://tinyurl.com/24m3po

This was all obvious to many of us two years ago. They'll blame it on the Fed. Truth is their business model doesn't work in a flat rate curve. It could work but they were greedy. After the mess disintermediation will fix the efficiency issue.

Anonymous said...

Rob Dawg,
If my stock portfolio looked like you’re site meter chart, I’d be a very happy camper. However, money doesn’t seem to mean a damn thing any longer - unless one has very vast supplies of it. Something is disturbingly out of order with the economy. It’s quite puzzling these days.

Anonymous said...

Latest classic Serin comment:
• 189. Casey Serin
January 28th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Man.. I am reading throug the comments more closely and am realizing I let through way too much inappropriate stuff about the ladies. Trying to keep pase with moderation sometimes I let stuff through - I am not great with details remember.
On the other hand I try to keep things pretty organic around here and not filter too much to encourage free speech. That’s what makes this blog what it is. But now looking at all these hater comments I am feeling kind of sorry for the ladies. Some of this is going too far.
Gonna have to clean up some of this stuff when I get back to my laptop.
I told Joy on the phone that this might happen if I post the contract with her full name. I really didn’t want to take this step. But she wouldn’t listen and told me she doesn’t care if I use her name on the blog. She said her reputation wouldn’t be affected in any way. She pretty much told me to “bring it on”.
I don’t think she realized the power of Google and a PR5 blog with a viciouse community.
Guys… I hate to fight in this way but I was getting tired of being bullied around. Keep in mind I was giving these ladies the benefit of the doubt the entire time. I really did buy their lies that they care for me as a person and want to see me “win”.
If they truly wanted to help me, why would they not let me change my mind about this contract 10 minutes after signing?? Especially since no services have been performed on either side. Robert K meeting doesn’t count because it was never part of the deal.
And why did they continue ignoring my repeated requests to cancel/settle this contract for the last several months? (Even if the contract is crap I wanted to settle it peacefully)
The thing is that I trusted them and continued to see them as basically good people until the end. I kept blaming myself for the fallout. And I continued to write good things about them on this blog as you can see from my older posts.
Well after I just recently become convinced that it has always been about the money for these people I realized that I need to be more careful with trusting people. And when I am being taken advantage of I need to stand up for it. I am usually a pretty passive guy and sometimes let people walk all over me. No more of that ladies!

subsonic22 said...

I read the Wikipedia article about CS yesterday. According to the IP address records, the FBI, state law enforcement, and the lenders he screwed over have visited his website. They must be just biding their time. If they give him enough time, he will cough up those who enabled him to buy all the properties he couldn't afford. Someone had to show him the way to put him in this predicament. This guy still wants to be a real estate speculator. Jail would actually be a good thing not only for his well being, but our financial system as well.

He did tell the truth about one thing. This guy does have magic around him, black magic. He brings down everybody he comes in contact with. Lenders, the NLL, Chris, G, Utah buyers, Amy, property values, are just some of the few who are now worse off after direct dealings with Casey. Duane is just the next victim waiting to happen.

Miguel said...

Relations with Duane seem fine for now, but how convinced is he that Casey won't do the same thing to him that he did to the NLL?

I mean, the last few days have been enormously entertaining for anyone without a personal stake in all this - but surely no-one sane is ever going to want to do business with Casey ever again?

What can they do, if he blithely ignores NDAs and other legitimate methods of protecting business confidentiality - and in violating said NDAs, exposes them to massive amounts of negative and defamatory publicity on a site that he also hosts?

I suspect the only sensible answer is not to get involved in the first place. Either that or require him to hand over a large cash deposit (nothing else will do, as paper promises are clearly worthless), making it clear that it's subject to forfeit if Casey breaches the terms of any future legal agreement that he signs.

There's never been much doubt that at some point in 2007 Casey would be on the receiving end of a hefty lawsuit. The only question marks concern who brings it, and when - and whether this will finally open Casey's eyes to exactly how much trouble he's in.

Lou Minatti said...

"There's never been much doubt that at some point in 2007 Casey would be on the receiving end of a hefty lawsuit."

It doesn't make sense to spend $20-$30k (at least) to sue Casey and get a judgement when he has no money.

Casey is destined to see the inside of a courtroom this year, I think, but not as a defendant in a civil suit.

Anonymous said...

Robert

Sac Realtor had a reply to me in the same post! She/he? suggested my point in posting about Duane's failed audition to be one of the slimy flippers on "Flip This House" was I "wanted to be as popular as Casey". I'm not even sure how to interpret that comment. As popular as Casey? Please God, don't ever let that happen to me. I don't want to go to prison.

I just wanted people to know Duane has a history as a slimeball who looks for every chance he sees, that requires no work from him, to drum up business for his various real estate scams.

Anonymous said...

I've started calling CFC and Countrywide bank since I have a mortgage there and CD's at the bank.

They claimed they'd never heard of IAFF so I suggested they check it out.

I told them I was really concerned to have my mortgage and CD's with a bank that loaned money to con men and scammers. I hope the more bad publicity they get about young Mr. Serin, the sooner we move on to the prison phase.

Rob Dawg said...

Heidi,
Not to worry. I've logged visits by homestore.com (Countrywide) and a few minutes later Pinkerton's. Similar visits are all over our Young Nega-Hero's increasingly irrellevant site.

I imagine the next plot twist will be Utah. The wrap will not hold and selling real estate on does not own is big no no.

N.B. When Isay plot I refer (and care) only for the story. The noconsiderationladies is/wasjust another shiny object to distract our little Magpie. Such will be when dad falls ill, Galina "has an announcment," mysterious dark omens over siblings, yada yada inevitably arise. Cripes the guy's whole life in every aspect is setup for single point critical path failure. Even a flat tire would send him off for days. He was stupid enough to get expensive low profile rims. He can't afford a new tire.

Anonymous said...

Heidi - you make me laugh (in a good way).

I wonder if anyone ever told Wells-Fargo to look at the site, especially after our little hero closed his accounts to prevent them from getting back some of their money. "They stole 1000 from me" ha!

Or if the Sacremento Bee was inundated with editorials after he was made to be the "poor little investor" in their article instead of "poor little con man." Is the Bee a real paper or the sort of thing you get next to penny saver? just curious.

Anonymous said...

Astrid-
One lesson I've learned from Casey is that you can always count on the next generation to suck worse than yours did.

Robert-
You've got to be pleased with that sitemeter chart! It's pretty apparent what effect the lack of moderation combined with the site dropping is having on IAFF. That's what got me coming over here. I wonder if the other sites had the same effect. Everyone laughs all the way to the bank except Casey. I love it!

Anonymous said...

Anony-Mouse

I'm glad I make someone laugh. SacRealtor apparently not as amused by me.

Why didn't I think of Wells Fargo? I have an account there as well, so I'll give them a ring, an email and a letter.

It's very hard for banks or mortgage companies to ignore customers who complain and include their account numbers. They can see just how much money you have and how well you pay your mortgage compared to our "Nega" hero Mr. Serin. I can take my money somewhere untainted by CS's "dirty pennies".

Bad publicity for them right now is just piling on the hoodoo. More "black" magic for CS. I love it.

If anyone else cares to participate with Robert and I, the phone numbers, email and physical addresses are on their websites.

Rob Dawg said...

Mouse,
The Bee has good but predictably biased political reporting. They are slow to pick up on the bubble but they are ahead of most MSM orgs.

Tw lurker,
The sitemeter makes me laugh. Heck last night this was also the #6 ranked blog as well. It isn't just minimal moderation (I think I'm up to 3 posts deleted) but the subtle self moderation I've cultivated. This can all blow up in an hour. I've seen it happen so enjoy for now. I'm not even covering the cost of the fish heads I've put out for Sputnik at this point. Googles says I may get something in a month or so but I've already announced that will go to Girl Scout cookies for the troops overseas. The only thing of value in this whole thing is ownership of caseyserin.info Maybe it will be worth something like the Enron sign. Chances are I'll end up donating it to some future class action fight or some such.

Anonymous said...

@Heidi 8:54

Interesting, interesting thought! I have a my mortgage with WF. Maybe I should call them ....

Thanks for the thought.

(I'm such a looser - I have one house, live in it, work at a JOB to pay for it, and make my payments on time.)

Anonymous said...

Willysp,

I give credit to Anony-Mouse.

Here is what I say in my letters and emails.

"My account(s)/home loan #********** are held by your institution.

I am concerned and upset that (institution name) has a customer named Casey Serin in Sacramento, California who admits on his public blog, iamfacingforeclosure.com that he scams and cons (institution name) and other financial entities for a living.

He details all of his illegal activity concerning your institution from liar loans to plans to bankrupt out of his debt with said institutions on this blog which has received publicity in USA Today, San Franciso Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, etc.

Please inform me why (institution name) would risk their integrity and good name by allowing Mr. Serin to commit said illegal activity and post about this enterprise using your name in his blog.

You make contact me by email, phone or at my physical address.

Thank you, a paying customer."

I don't know if it helps but the reaction I've gotten on the phone calls tells me they freak when they get info like this.

Anonymous said...

Heidi - I have already sent far less thoughtful emails to WF & CW. I sent them under questions for my accounts. What other institutions has he scammed? I might have accounts there too.

Anonymous said...

Casey is definitely making the comments one sided now. I see many more complaints about comments not getting through.

Anonymous said...

Bemused

Good for your. 1 a day from many people might bring them to their senses.

To the best of my knowledge, Countrywide and Wells Fargo are Casey's biggest fools.

They had 1st's on Muncy and Larchmont. The 2nd on Muncy was with Citibank.

The 1st on Burdett was with First Franklin.

Aurora, which is a sub prime subsidiary of GMAC, holds the 1st's and 2nd's on the property in New Mexico and also the property in Utah.

I'm not sure if Aurora is aware he has wrapped the Utah house. Central Bank of Utah may have done the wrap with First American Title doing the title work on the wrap.
Harvey & Robyn Christofferson were the agents who arranged the wrap.

I don't have any business with First Franklin, they are a subsidiary of Merrill Lynch and they aren't my brokerage. But my brother works for Merrill as a commodities trader.

I have no business with GMAC or Aurora either but they still might like to know about the blog.

Hope that helped.

John McKee said...

Casey is definitely making the comments one sided now. I see many more complaints about comments not getting through.

I noticed the same thing. I was wondering lately how many cheerleaders he has now, I was shocked thinking how many "haters" had either left the site (Although I mostly) have and cheerleaders have converted or joined. It hit me thought that now he is just letting the cheerleaders though.

Oh well, I hope this saga will be over soon. Like I said on IAFF, really all the prosecutor needs to do is hand Casey a signed admission of guilt and tell him that he really needs Casey to sign it so he can help him out. Oh, and maybe hint at Jamba Juice being at the courthouse when he comes to sign it.

Anonymous said...

Heidi - good information. FYI, the one thing that kills me is the amount of paperwork I have always had to provide for my loans, even when getting multiples from the same institution. So I added something that might drive this home to your boilerplate.
"I am equally confused how I, a well-paid professional with high credit scores, had to provide extensive documentation while your institution and others loaned an unemployed 24 year old over 2.2 million dollars."

Anonymous said...

Bemused

Great. I will add it. I too have been put through the wringer with banks and I am a well-paid professional with high credit scores.

I couldn't believe the proctologic inspection we went through to get a merchants account when we went internet with our sales.

The genius' at Citibank had no idea there was such a "new-fangled" invention as a RFID inventory system.

Anonymous said...

awaiting approval on IAFF

@DL

Ok. let's recap your positions over the last week.

1. I am only paying Casey more than this but less than that in return for clickthroughsand that's it

2. I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs and that's it.

3. I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs, and he showed me the NLL contract, and I have been talking to him for months,and I told him to violate the NDA and post it online, and the NLL are *%*#), and that's it.

4.I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs, and he showed me the NLL contract, and I have been talking to him for months,and I talked to the NLL but not one lender, realtor, broker, bank, or the Utah buyers, and I told him to violate the NDA and post it online, and the NLL are *%*#), and that's it.

4.I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs, and he showed me the NLL contract, and I have been talking to him for months,and I talked to the NLL but not one lender, realtor, broker, bank, or the Utah buyers, and I told him to violate the NDA and post it online, and the NLL are *%*#), and I know he is working "behind the scenes" with his lenders,and that's it.

5.I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs, and he showed me the NLL contract, and I have been talking to him for months,and I talked to the NLL but not one lender, realtor, broker, bank, or the Utah buyers, and I told him to violate the NDA and post it online, and the NLL are *%*#), and I know he is working "behind the scenes" with his lenders, and allowed Casey to use my website, my company resources, and helped him get IAFF back up, and that's it.

6.I am only paying Casey $750 upfront and $750 next month in return for clickthroughs, and he showed me the NLL contract, and I have been talking to him for months,and I talked to the NLL but not one lender, realtor, broker, bank, or the Utah buyers, and I told him to violate the NDA and post it online, and the NLL are *%*#),, and I know he is working "behind the scenes" with his lenders and allowed Casey to use my website, my company resources, and helped him get IAFF back up, briefly discussed with Casey the possibility of me buying the website.. Announcing the purchase.. Flush the NLL out of there hole… let them try and do something about it if they were truly going to…. me bust there contract…then giving Casey an option to buy the site back at any time for any reason for a penny. That was only discussed after I spoke with Erin and Joy… and it was only discussed once,the fact that we have discussed him working (GASP>> WHAT??) yes working for me.. contract employee… to do some site work I need..Casey needs money. I need stuff done. and that's it.



Seems like your position has changed in as many days as you have appeared on the scene. It appears that for once Casey was telling the truth, and you were lying about the depths of your relationship. I trust nothing you say sir. You failed to disclose upfront your true intent and only when backed into a corner do you come clean. I for one, ain't buyin what you're sellin.

Anonymous said...

Other than transferring the only asset Casey has out of his possession to an unrelated third party in the event of a judgment, lien, or bankruptcy, what possible reason could there be for DL to buy IAFF with giving CS an option to buy back IAFF for $1?

Anonymous said...

Mouse - the Sac Bee is a reasonable "real" daily, not a freebie throwaway paper. I was quoick to send a letter to the editor via the website saying the writer left out the not insignificant fact that CS admitted fraud on all the loans and that the audience were made up in part of honest real estate investors/professionals who'd like to see the fraudster convicted.

Heidi et al - I like the notes ot your lenders. Frankly, though, Countrywide have been so terrible to several of my clietns that I see this as karma. So much fun to go to a closing and find the rate on the 2nd trust mysteriously rose up to 2% overnight with no explanation and a requirement of my clietns to prove that the margin ont he second had been locked. Not good lenders.

Re. the paperwork you did vs. Mr Liar Loan's? I would hope your rate was a whole lot lower than a no-doc or stated income loan would have offered. You pay for the lack of documentation with higher rates.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Bubbles said...
Other than transferring the only asset Casey has out of his possession to an unrelated third party in the event of a judgment, lien, or bankruptcy, what possible reason could there be for DL to buy IAFF with giving CS an option to buy back IAFF for $1


Maybe his intent is to take control of the site and then not sell it back to Casey for $1. Casey is in no financial position to fight to have the contract enforced on his behalf, once he has given up control. My personal feeling is that the only people that Casey is "attracting" are those just like him, only more polished in their skills to con.

Anonymous said...

@Robert Cote'

"Not to worry. I've logged visits by homestore.com (Countrywide) and a few minutes later Pinkerton's. Similar visits are all over our Young Nega-Hero's increasingly irrellevant site. "

Homestore.com is not associated in any way with Countrywide.

I happen to work for Homestore (which actually has changed its name to Move, Inc.), and am an avid bubble watcher and therefore frequently visit your outstanding blog, as well as Casey's and many others.

Just because an IP from Homestore.com (or other real estate related sites) pops up, don't assume they're checking up on Casey. It could just be me and my co-workers doing a little educational reading on our lunches!!!