US Loan Auditors review: Company reviews 884

Out of all the research that I have done this company seems to be the most legit. They are members of the BBB, Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce and have donated thousands of dollars to local charities. Always do your own research but they look good to me.

Mike Thompson

I actually had the same skepticism, when I came across this company because I thought they were just another Loan mod company stealing money from people. I ended up doing further research and found no complaints against them, and also found out they were'nt doing Loan modifications at all. One of there Investigators gave me one of there websites to see the cases they filed in federal court www.uslegaladvisors.com. This company seems to do what they say they are doing, and at this point I don't have very many options. I still always do thourogh research on anyone that I intend to do business with, and i suggest you do the same. Check Licenseing, check bar information for the attorney's, and check to see if they are members of the BBB. I hope this helps and good luck..we all need it John McKay

I share the feelings expressed by the previous comments, we're reviewing our audit tomorrow and will more than likely go forward with the action, if you don't like the audit and don't wish to proceed you get all your money back, once you decide to go forward, it's like any other business deal, risks are involved, nothing is certain, do your due diligence like previous comments stated. So far, everything looks good with this company, thinking positive.

Read the California DRE website about "forensic audit companies" and the scam in taking money up front and asking you to stop your house payments? Why would anyone need $2, 000 per month in costs, thousands of dollars up front for a "forensic audit" if they know the law so well, and then also have you sign for attorneys fees, with no guarantee of a result? This is one of the scam companies preying on you. If they are so certain theywill win, why all the money up front and why the excessive monthly payment?

Remember, there may not yet be complaints against them since they only started in January 09 - read the DRE alerts, best bet

I am a client of this company. However, I too have many questions that are still unanswered. I guess in the times that many of us are facing today you tend to get into the mindset of "what do I have to lose". If any of my questions could be answered maybe I could sleep a little better tonight. In short, even as a client I too have the same unanswered questions as mentioned in the above blogs.

Shane Barker: Can you please tell me if your company has been successful at litigating or settling any of your cases? If you have been successful could you please share these examples and the exact outcome of the homeowner you helped?

Keena33: Two things you stated were of concern to me. Can you please elaborate?
First: you said that they have not won any local cases. How do you know this for sure? Also, do you know of anybody who has been taken by this company?
Second: HOw do you know Judges are saying: you signed the paperwork. period.? Are you assuming this is the outcome of rulings or do you know first hand?

I am curious on settling some of these questions further. If I am getting scammed then I want out now. I dont want to lose my house along with the moneys I am paying this company to litigate my case. Thank you in advance.

Shane Barker: I'll first start by saying that you should be very careful stating that your company never asks homeowners to not make their mortgage payments because that is simply not true. I say "my case" but in fact this is my parent's house I am trying to help them save. When the auditor met with my parents I sat in on the initial meeting. So to avoid them being scammed with yet another quick fix modification, I also video recorded this meeting. The auditor specifically says several times that my parents were NOT to make a mortgage payment during the course of litigation. In fact, the auditor (your agent) further states that the mortgage company is not allowed by law to take any monies from the homeowner during litigation because it would be in violation of court order. He continues to state that the loan is essentially frozen for a 12-month period and nothing happens to the home/loan during this time.

So...this is why I have some serious concerns with our case. The day before Christmas we recieved 10-notice of foreclosure statements from the mortgage company. When we attempted to contact US loan auditors by email they told us to contact our attorney. The attorney has yet to return our messages. I contacted my parents mortgage company and they notified us that there is absolutely NO record of being served with the Federal complaint. I have yet to recieve a copy of the Proof of Service so I can't validate if they are being truthful about not getting a copy of this or not. Regardless, I will be honest in my review here as to not needlessly slander any company based on unfare or meritless based opinions. I will only give an honest opinion of this company based on only facts that I know to be true.

Pros:
#1 They do prepare and file a very detailed and well precedented complaint with the Federal Court.
#2 They do in fact outsource an attorney to manage your case. I am still unsure if this attorney is one who makes appearances on your behalf or exactly what her/his role is with your case. All I know is our attorney is the one who signed the complaint that was filed in court.
#3 Federal court is not like civil/superior court in that they do not drag cases on for years and years unless there is absolute cause to do so. In most superior court cases settlement or trial could come 1-10 + years from the date you initiated the complaint. Federal court does very well at trying to stick to the one year timeline to resolve any case. Not always, but most times.

Cons:
#1 There is no proof that the complaint in my case has even been served on the defending parties. The complaint was filed in November. Which means that the mortgage companies/defendants may still not even know they are being sued.
#2 The attorney we were forwarded to has had two major reprimands from the Bar Association. Both of these cases against her she was found guilty on and they both had to do with her screwing her clients out of major $$$.
#3 There is no indication of wether or not my parents will be able to keep their house at least throughout litigation as initially promissed. This means that if foreclosure proceeds, they will be going through litigation to save a house that doesnt exist anymore?!?! The ironic part about it is they were not even delinquent prior to hiring this company to help them. They only became delinquent after this company told them not to make payments on their house anymore.
#4 As of yet there has been no real clear case plan set out for my parents. All they have assured is that a complaint was filed in court. My parents have not been notified on any future court or hearing dates, injunctive orders, restraining orders to sale, , , , , , nothing. So as of yet, there is just the complaint filed. Most attorneys will at least let a client know the "next step" in a case. This company/attorney has not!
#5 although they are very quick to reply to email correspondence, their responses are very cookie cutter and vague to say the least. They have no realy clear guidance or direction to give the client or at least not in our case. This is the cause for most of my fears. For example: When I emailed them letting them know of the foreclosure notices we recieved Their only response was "contact the attorney." So we did, , , , but still no response.

Here's the deal. My parent's toxic loan was going to reset within the next year anyways so foreclosure was inevitable. The mortgage company wont even consider a modification and every other option has gained unsuccessful. This is their only hope in saving their home of 20 years. I get that there are no guarantees when it comes to litigation. I too work in the legal field and although I dont have federal court experience, I know at least enough to know that there are missing pieces to this companies puzzle. Too many unanswered questions. I don't knock this company for being new. I can also understand that this type of business idea is also fairly new given the amount of homeowners who were sucked into these toxic loans. That is why I am not asking for a "guaranteed" outcome. I am only asking for some specifics of what will be taking place in our case and maybe a little guidance as far as what outcomes we could expect. At this point there has been none. These cases are fairly new to the courts or at least at this caliber or quantity and I am hopeful for a positive outcome based on major cases that have been won in other states given similar circumstances.

I would be more than willing to email a copy, redacted of course to protect my parent's identity, of the complaint that was filed on their behalf if anybody is interested in viewing that prior to making a decision to go with this company.

I have been with US Loan Auditors for 2 months now and the service has been stellar! I'm actually blown away by the comments I've read on this site, and how "keena33" and "Soleng" have made such accusations about this company. If this company was a scam or ripping people off they would be the dumbest criminals of all time. Why? Well because I'm a Federal Agent, and my job is investigation. I don't beleive this would be a smart choice on there end knowing my profession, and the fact I have the ability to get a company shut down.

I thoroughly researched Shane Barker, and every detail about this company before I involved myself and my properties. I'd suggest that you all do the same, and if you don't feel comfortable then move on. What it sounds like to me is people are bitter, and have nothing better to do then accuse others for their own insecurities. I can't stress it enough " Research, Research, Research" then if you find nothing but issues with a company, your words may have power.

John Mckay

My parents have been paying $1000/monthly to US Legal since June of 2009. They have NEVER met with their attorney personally. The only contact they recieve from their attorney is a generic monthly email and a letter. They have never recieved a status on how their case was progressing and they have never recieved any information regarding upcoming court dates, injunctive or restraining orders, or anything else for that matter. As far as we know the only thing that has been completed in their case is the filing of the Federal Complaint.

Foreclosure: My parents mortgage company started foreclosure proceedings on their home in December. They recieved notice the day after Christmas. So please do not assume that your house is safe if it is in litigation with US Legal because that is simply not the case. There is NO ATRO (automatic restraining order) in place with these cases and the judge assigned to your case MUST first make an order on this. There has been no such order rendered in our case as of yet.

$1000/monthly fee: In order to understand this process you must first understand how the wheels of justice turn. The monthly 1000 fee is supposed to cover your attorney fees and costs during the course of litigation. There is some belief that US Legal is a scam because they collect this monthly fee however this is technically a ligitimate cost that is ongoing and any legitimate attorney would collect a similar fee. HOwever, this fee does not makes sense if the attorney assigned to your case is not working your case appropriately and is dragging his/her feet like mine is.

Also, in the Federal complaint that is filed you will notice that there is a request for recovery of attorney fees and costs. The Judge or the Settlement Agreement must designate recovery of these fees and costs in order to gain from this. Not very often are attorney fees and costs recovered.

The reason this company is set apart from other attorneys is simply that most attorneys wont take these cases. Because of the recent increase in volume of these cases combined with the application of this type of law, most attorneys are not equipped and or knowleagable enough to take on these cases in court. This is why this company has the potential to really and truly make a great impact in the legal world. In short, this company has the potential to "shake things up" when it comes to this type of application of law. So it is unfare to say that this company does not have the right to make money off of their clever business idea. It is also unfair to assume that they would purposefully drag a case on to make an extra buck when essentially they have the potential to recover attorney costs and fees upon finality of proceedings.

HOWEVER, in saying that I will proceed with my original grievance in that the lack of action in my case specifically is beginning to become apauling and is wearing quite thin on my nerves. I understand the wheels of justice turn slowly but this is astonishing. I need and expect more from this company. The law is on their side and they genuinly have the potential to make a positive impact on the community and the people within. They seem to be the only company as of yet that has taken this ingenious idea to the courts. Other private sector attorneys wont and havent even attempted to try these cases in court. I just hope for the sake of my family and others alike that they will do right for their clients and for all of the homeowners in this mess. GOD HELP US ALL!

Thank you for your feedback Soleng. Yes it is very concerning that they have never met their attorney in person. Since June of 2009 I would approximate 3 emails and one letter from the attorney. Other then that there has been Nothing. The only way I know for a fact that the complaint was filed in Federal Court is because my parents were mailed a copy. It was not a file stamped copy and there was no POS attached so we are still unsure if it was ever served on the defendants in the case. I do know however that the complaint was filed in court because I checked the PACER website so I know it was filed, the docket number, and the judge that was assigned to the case. So basically the only information I have recieved was because of our own research. I absolutely have the tape that I recorded during the auditor's meeting with my parents. I originally recorded it so that I would have peace of mind that my parents were not being taken. Unfortunately it is starting to look like they have. I'm debating wether or not to mail this to Shane Barker as he has requested or to save it in case we need to file a complaint. I am trying to convince my parents that the gig might be up on this company but I am really working hard to try and give this company the benefit of the doubt. It looks like I might be emailing you sooner than later.

Good Afternoon!

Wow this information and comments are interesting to say the least! I would love to speak with anyone that has a positive story or a not so positive experience about this company please feel free to contact me at the number below. Thanks!

Thank you in advance,

Jarrod LaMar

[protected]-Cell

Wow...I was hoping to find some legitimate info regarding US Loan Auditors/US Legal Advisors and I stumble across a one-man internet tantrum!

I too have a parent that has been victimized by predatory lending and am looking at options for her. I was referred to US Loan Auditors by someone who recommended them as a LESS EXPENSIVE solution to hiring an attorney outright. The 3 attorneys I spoke to wanted retainers as low as $5k and as much as $10k up front + their hourly rate + expenses! Even then, there is no guarantee of winning in court...which I'm sure everyone is aware.

We initially tried negotiating a loan modification with the bank but they provided my mother with a 90-day "Pre Loan Modification" contract which lowered her payments by only 12%. We forwarded the document to an attorney who reviewed it and explained this all the money paid during that 90 day period was not going to go towards any principal, interest or fees...100% was going towards foreclosure costs! Supposedly at the end of 90 days the mortgage company would review and decide on making the Loan Modification permanent. However, the attorney recommended we do NOT sign the agreement as his legal opinion was we were basically pre-paying the foreclosure!

Since my mother does not have the type of money to pay thousands of dollars for a retainer plus hourly fees, we are looking into US Loan Auditors. So far, this is what we've found:

PROS
1) The cost to litigate a case in State and/or Federal courts is astounding. US Loan Auditors costs are much less expensive and with a guarantee
2) Upon review of the docs, if they don't find enough to win in court, we get 100% refund.
3) Once the docs are forwarded to an attorney in their network, if the attorney doesn't take the case we get 100% refund
4) US Loan Auditors isn't doing Loan Modifications, they are suing in court for damages. (There were apparently so many Loan Mod scams that a new law was put into place in California in 10/09 called SB 94...do a google search)
5) US Loan Auditors is registered with the BBB, local business groups and has been on TV several times. If they were a scam, wouldn't they want to stay out of the spotlight?

CONS
1) New company, new laws. There are not enough precedence to know how effective their approach will be.
2) There aren't enough court cases to determine whether judges are siding with consumers who have been victimized or with big corporations who pay to line the pockets of lobbying lawmakers.
3) Unfortunately winning a case in court isn't always about facts, it's about the attorney. If you don't like your attorney that was assigned, can you change them?

We have the below choices to make with the current loan:

1) Continue paying the loan per the agreement even though my mother was victimized by the bank, broker, lender and appraiser...all paid extra money for the type of loan she was steered into. Based on current loan programs and what she qualified for when she originally applied, she is spending almost $800/mo. more than she should be paying. Over the life of the loan (15 years) that works out to $144, 000 wasted on a predatory loan.
2) Stop paying the loan and let it foreclose
3) Hire a private attorney and sue at a cost of at least $10k with no guarantee
4) Go with US Loan Auditors and pay between $4k-$6k but with guarantees

It seems the only way to get out of a bad loan is to sue. Below is a link to a recent article in the Washington Post about government backed loan mod programs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/20/AR2010012004262.html

"Less than 9% of loans are being modified by more than 10%"

The last time I did the math, my family, neighbors and other loved ones would NOT be helped in any way by having a loan lowered by a mere 10%...or less!

From reading the above posts from Soleng, it looks like the program worked exactly as stated. By the time all the documents were gathered and forwarded to an attorney, you were provided with LEGAL ADVICE by the the attorney that you did not have a case and in turn are due a full refund. I don't understand the anger and personal attacks on one of the employees (founders?) for providing exactly what they promised?

Many years ago I made the same mistake as requesting money back from a merchant through my bank as well as asking to be refunded directly from the merchant. Once the bank has the request, the transaction must be investigated and found to be fraudulent. It took almost 2 months for the investigation to clear. The bank found that the transaction was NOT fraudulent (it wasn't...that wasn't my claim) and released the funds to the merchant. In turn the merchant had 30 days to return my guaranteed refund and I received it 2 weeks later. Unfortunately it sounds like this is what might be happening to Soleng.

Soleng: Now that you have received legal advice from one attorney that you do not have a case, who are you going to go to next to help with your situation? Have you found another attorney that will take your case?

From the above link:

" A genuine auditor will review findings, loan documents, signatures, parties and dates on the documents, and obtain a history from the homeowner. "

Looks like this is what US Loan Auditors does. However, they go quite a bit farther by actually DOING something with the information by referring to a qualified attorney to determine whether there is enough to merit court action.

I've found TONS of loan audit companies. However, an individual loan audit means nothing if it isn't reviewed and understood by a qualified attorney in conjunction with a lawsuit. Wouldn't you agree?

Soleng,

It sounds to me like US Loan Auditors delivered what they promised to you. The attorney reviewed your docs and deemed your case not winnable in court. Hence, you are due a full refund. I understand your frustration and anger at the amount of time it will take to get your money back though.

If in fact each case they take turns out like yours, I can't imagine they'd be in business very long anyway as refunding 100% of fees for every case doesn't make a solid business plan. I'm just sayin'...

"They (us loan) make a promise to view your loan doc's and then decide if you have a strong case, if u do, then and only then the case is presented to an outside Lawyer."

And if the lawyer provides you with "LEGAL ADVICE" and states you don't have a case, they refund the money. Sounds like that's what's happening to you. Again, totally understand your frustration at not getting your money back in a timely manner though.

BTW, attorneys don't like suing other attorneys...it's not nice...good luck though.

Evening!

Soleng,

Not sure why you responded to me the way that you did. I was just looking for information about the company. Good or bad. From what I can see you have not had a positive experience. My friends call me Jay and that is my screen name for a lot of websites I use.

Anyone else out there have anything to say about USLA? good bad or ugly? please feel free to call me, I would love to chat.

Jarrod

[protected]-Cell

This company appears to me to be another scam. My wife owns a home that she was fighting desperately to keep. She went to US Loan Auditors to seek some assistance.
In August, they performed an audit of her loan documents of which we paid $3, 00.00 for the process. The representative that we dealt with in the Rancho Cordova, Ca. office stated that we have a case
and if we wanted to pursue it further that it would cost $1, 00, 00 per month. My wife decided to proceed and has been paying $1, 00.00 per month. As of today, January 22, 2009, no attorney has been assigned the case nor has any Legal paperwork been filed with the courts. We have called and gone to the office to speak to a representative numerous times to find out why nothing seems to be done. The only people that we have been able to talk to is the receptionist, a bookkeeper who admitted that he could not help and the original account rep. that we first talked. to. Nothing happened, no results. We never received a copy of the audit, a statement listing what services they performed for the money we gave them, nothing. I called the Branch Manager and left a voicemail message asking for assistance. The Brach Manager never called back. A few moments ago I just called and a guy transferred me to voicemail. A few minutes after this I called back to talk to a person and no one answered. This company appears to take your money, not provide any real and documented service and ignore you. I will be contacting the appropriate California Offices as well as consumer advocate groups to file a formal complaint. We will be contacting Senator Boxer's office and I will be looking into file a legal law suit to recover mine and my wife's money. Too many companies like this one are cropping up and taking advantage of people's misfortunes.

George McLaughlin
Sacramento, California.

To the guy that states he is a Federal Agent and the company is great, you are so full of it. I have 4 Law Enforcement Agents in my family and one of them if a Federal Agent. They would never revile there name on the World Wide Web along with the state they are located in. Who are you trying to kid and or scam? This company is just another scam, don't waste you time paying them $1000 per month. Write your bank on your own, even if you have to write a letter per day. I did and I was able to get my loan rate reduced to 2% fixed for 25 years, the principle reduced by 30% and it cost me my time and energy. Well worth it.

Kim Turner
Oakland, CA

I would like to see a post or even better post's from people that have had great results in using your company.We aregetting ready to send our doc's in but now I am not sure after reading this blog.I am speaking with one of your associates in San Diego I live in San Jose and he says your company is in Rancho Cordoba this does not sell me on this program.This does not sound rite, and the person he names to talk to I dont even see in any of these statementes and I was told he is the owner. Please explain this to me?

Hello all: I was sent this complaints board by an existing client, and wanted to comment about what I've read. First off my real name is Gabriel Thomas, Sr. Fraud Investigator with US Loan Auditors. So where do I start? I would first like to say that, I back this company with my heart and soul. I have been with the company since it was founded, and I believe 100% in the service that we provide to homeowners who have been taken advantage of. To sit and read all the slander on here *shocks* me to say the least. It seems that some people have decided to make false assumptions about US Loan Auditors business model.

The first thing I’d like to point out is, anyone can post anything online true/false, so always consider the source. With that said, you can also bet that no company is perfect, but does that make them a scam? Let me answer that for you…No.

The second thing is it’s ridiculous that people here are saying that we’d drag out cases for the sake of doing it. The attorneys only get paid by the lender when the case settles, so it’s nonsense to say that we drag cases out. Let me also say that our cases are filed in State or Federal court and judges won’t accept frivolous cases or cases with no merit.

The third thing is if we perform a forensic loan audit, you decide to transition into legal and an attorney says there’s no case, we won’t file it and you will get a full refund (a full refund has only happened three times out of hundreds of clients). Does that make us dishonest? No it shows that even after the fact we still have honesty and integrity, and we’ll let the client know there’s no case. This seems to be what has happened here to Soleng, based on what he has said in this forum. I don’t feel this is in any way implies we are scamming people. Shane said it perfect “There are 2 sides to every story”.

If people only knew how far we go to help our clients it would change the whole face of this Complaints Board. To anyone considering our services in the future always remember to look at our BBB ratings (A-) and all the things that we do for the community.

Gabriel Thomas

Here is a testimonial from one of my clients (as requested per Keena33):

Karen Johnson's Video Testimonial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw6OvalhQmA

Karen's Written Testimonial:

Dear Shane,

I just want to take a moment from my busy day to let you know how grateful I am about how your company’s immediate intervention stopped the foreclosure proceedings on my home.

My nightmare began on March 25th 2006, almost three and a half years ago when my husband of five and a half years was tragically murdered outside a restaurant in Elk Grove while on our date night by a mad man on a shooting rampage because he had a vendetta against his wife.

Shortly after all the trauma I endured ranging from post traumatic stress due to the horrific experience of being their when my husband got shot, the shooter and the whole aftermath I was out of it mentally and emotionally for one year and I was under the care of a mental health therapist for approximately six months.

During this time my mortgage was out of control because my husband and I had refinanced our home two years prior, and now not only was I faced with being a widow I was taken advantage of by what I thought was a trusted friend who had over 12 years experience in the lending business who was handling my financial matters due to my mental state. She assured me I was in great hands; Long story short, she took advantage of me when I was at my lowest by putting me into a very substandard loan with a three year prepayment penalty. She also told me she wasn’t going to put any points on the loan because she owed me $2000 and she told me I would be in a fixed rate loan not clearly knowing she was putting me in one of the worse loans ever, an option arm, while she and the broker made over $26, 000 on this terrible transaction because she put four points on the back end of the loan.

When I confronted her, she said the servicing company made a mistake and she would take care of it. After four months of getting the run around from her, I went over her head straight to the broker. He could clearly see that she made a grave mistake and apologized and promised to redo the loan. Months went by still no new loan so I hired an attorney to get down to the bottom of it but the broker went out of business. In the mean time I was getting notices from my mortgage company. Because they wouldn’t help me out of the loan I stopped paying my mortgage. Long story short after three months of not paying my mortgage they started the foreclosure procedures. Not knowing where to turn, another trusted friend convinced me into short selling my house to keep from getting a foreclosure on my credit report. Still not satisfied with what was going on, stressed out, many sleepless nights I prayed and asked God for help.
God answered my prayers. It was the eleventh hour; the house was due to be sold within a couple of months when I received a notice in the mail from US LOAN AUDITORS telling me I might have been a victim of predatory lending. I knew this was God answering my prayers because when I responded, not only did they come to my house, but I knew Shane Barker, we were in the same networking group. Eager to hear what they had to say we immediately set up an appointment and when they saw my loan they told me my loan was one of the worst loans that I could be in.”
What I like most about the program is, this isn’t a loan modification and homeowners now have someone on their side to fight for them and you don’t have to pay a fortune for their services. It is a brilliant plan and why I sought their help is because they are fighting and protecting my rights under the laws of the land and in the end I will be able to keep my home and receive damages for all the violations.

Therefore, after US Loan Auditors did a very thorough audit of my loan I retained their attorney’s Jim Sandison and Jonathan Stein, from US Legal Advisors and all FORECLOSURE proceedings were immediately stopped from notices plastered on my door and in the mail box, to phone calls and rude people knocking at my door.
To date, my case is in the federal courts waiting to be heard by a judge, but I must say I can sleep at night. I don’t cringe when somebody knocks on my door nor do I hesitate to go to my mail box or the post office because I have another nasty notice waiting for me.

Shane, I just want to say you and Jeff are awesome and doing a great service for me and your fellow man by holding the banks, brokers etc. accountable for tricking people into these bogus loans.

Thank you very much for all your help!

Sincerely,
Karen R. Johnson

Actual Filing through US Legal Advisors:
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-caedce/case_no-2:2009cv00744/case_id-189563/

Karen's story (KCRA 3 News):
http://www.kcra.com/news/8301697/detail.html

Thanks!
Gabriel Thomas

The testimonial was written to Shane Barker since he is one of the Founders of US Loan Auditors, and originally met with Karen. Since then I have been working with Karen myself. Gabe

Keena33,
It is funny to me that I have given you a REAL client (filing information, video testimonial, written testimonial and the actual story from KCRA 3) and yet you are still so negative.

Let me clear up a few things:

1 It was her husband that was murdered, not her parents.
2. Your comment “That story has nothing to do with the rest of us”...that is a heartless statement. If it was your wife that got shot and killed,
you would not be saying that.

You can say what you want about US Loan Auditors but please don’t bad mouth our client that had her husband taken from her.

That is unfair to the Johnson family!

Gabe

I've been considering using this company as well, and have spoken to a representative in the past six months who pretty much stated the same promises I am reading in this blog. I have a few concerns:

1. I believe that Karen Johnson's testimonial may be true, but U.S. Loan Auditors gave her case special attention because of the noteriety they would receieve as a result. It is clear many customers do not receive the type of customer service they deserve because they are not as "high" a profile case.
2. I would like to see a list of satisfied clients that we can contact as references. If they have filed hundreds of cases, and have had few requests for refunds, why aren't these folks stepping forward with their testimonials?
3. Bad customer service, lack of returning phone calls, disconnected telephone numbers, being given the runaround are all signs of a bad business plan. You cannot sugar-coat things by belonging to the BBB and giving donations to a local charity. Those are things you do when you try to convince folks you are legitimate.

I believe the complaints in this blog are real, and the folks who have been mistreated are within their rights to complain and ask for refunds.

What I also find sleezy, is the fact that Shane Barker tries to represent himself as being fair and honest. However, if that were the case, your company's reputation would speak for itself - you wouldn't have to desparately try and defend yourself in this blog.

Mr. Barker,

I can assure you that most of the people responding on this blog can assure you they did not receive the treatment or attention that karen Johnson received, and I think that is somewhat obvious. Actually, I believe that is an insult to our intelligence.

Also, I do own a company, and my main concern is good, old fashioned, customer service. After all, your reputation is what defines you as a company, and you sir, have failed in this area. I am not trying to be overly critical, however, you appear to have a difficult time accepting criticism and admitting fault. I would have much more respect for you if you were to acknowledge some of the complaints that have been waged against you in this forum. Instead, you choose to argue every point, which makes you appear arrogant.

My suggestion to you is for you to stop spending all your time responding to these blogs, and start acknowledging these complaints as construction criticism. Pull your team together, and acknowledge you can do better in how you treat your clients. A little attention goes a long way, whether it be a phone call or even an email letting them know their status in the system.

Bottom line, your company is developing a very bad reputation, and people are feeling abused by your lack of response. You need to "man up" and take care of these folks.

I would highly encourage every person who is disgruntled by this company, to contact the BBB and file a complaint. Since this company relies on their perfect reputation with BBB, they will be forced to deal with your complaint in order to maintain their standing with that agency.

Mr. Barker, have a wonderful day!

I too was hesitant about getting involved with the program that US Loan Auditors offered because it was something that I knew very little about. However, after researching the company and reviewing my options, I determined it was my best chance for keeping my home. I have had nothing but a positive experience and they have kept me very well informed throughout the whole entire process. I will admit that the I was a little nervous giving them an upfront fee but they do offer a 100% money back guarantee if they can't do anything with my case and this route was way cheaper than trying to hire an attorney on my own. So far, I am overall really pleased with the way my case is being handled and I am feeling more confident about my situation than I have in months.

Jordan Henderson

I am in the middle of working with US Loan Auditors and while my case is still being reviewed or "audited, " I feel that I have made the right decision in hiring them. My broker took advantage of my wife and I and as a result, we were about to lose our home. I was about to do a loan modification when my wife saw US Loan Auditors on Sacramento & Co. She called and got the basic information and she set up an appointment. At the appointment (and this was a long appointment) we were walked through every aspect of the company (i.e, how they started, what they do, what they don't do, etc.). My wife was impressed but I was still hesitant. However, what US Loan Auditors was offering was more than what a loan modification could do for us, so we decided to go with them and so far, they have been doing everything that they said they would do. One thing that definitely made the decision to go with them a lot easier is that they have in house lawyers and paralegal helping manage the cases (multiple people on one case). They are truly experts regarding these issues and it definitely is a relief to know that they are truly working for me.

Brian Carleton

Jhender12 - From what I am hearing, most folks felt the same way when they first started the program. I would love to hear from you again in a few months once things have progressed. Do you think you can give us an update at that time?

Overall, we would like to be able to put our trust in this company, but are somewhat hesitant based on the negative feedback we've been reading. I sure you can understand our concerns, and I hope that all works well for you.

To be honest, I'm suspicious of any person in this blog who signs their full name, instead of just relying on their screen name. Most names appear bogus, and all their emails are positive, which leads me to believe that they are fake. What a shame.

tmerch7777 - This has been so helpful! Back in August 2009, I was contemplating using this company, and in looking at the documentation they provided to me, they have definately changed their contracts, especially when they now ask you to acknowledge that ..."no one employed by or associated with USLA has told me to stop making my monthly mortgage payment(s). I understand that doing so is solely at my discretion."

That line was not in their previous contracts, because, of course, all their reps were telling that to consumers. They told me that once you sent the money, they would file the order which would stop all activity on the mortgage loan, thus, there was no need to send a payment, and that it would just end up in "suspense" until the case was litigated. Therefore, instead of sending your monthly payment to your mortgage company, you would forward to USLA. The real tease was, since you were only paying them half the cost of your mortgage payment, you were saving money! Now they've reversed that, which doesn't make sense. Originally that made the whole process affordable, which is how they sucked so many people in. Now, with them reversing their stance, people not only have to continue making their monthly mortgage payments, they now have to also make a payment to USLA. Can people really afford that?

With the money you would spend paying USLA as the middle-man, you are better off hiring a good attorney and paying them the money.

This contract says it all. Thank you so much for sharing!

P.S. - I've noticed Mr. Barker has been strangely silent lately. Any specific reason? Maybe he's feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sharing of information? Keep up the good work, everyone! If we can keep people from getting scammed, and help people receive their refunds as due, it has been well worth it.

CASE UPDATE!
I will continue to comment here with updates regarding my parent's case with this company.

UPDATE: My parent's have recently been in contact with the Legal Department and have recieved some pretty helpful insite on where their case is at currently. The complaint was legitimately filed in Federal Court in November. All defendants must be served within 180 days. Yes, this is a long time but tough luck, that's just how Federal Court works and these are timelines not set by this company but by the court. Furthermore, my parents have been notified of the deadlines for the Response due by Defendants as well as a date set for the initial status conference and/or settlement conference. Shane Barker has also taken serious initiatives to bridge the communication gap that has previously plauged their case. He has reconciled the differences there and has taken measures to expedite status updates on their case. I can not speak for anybody else's situation. I can only give an honest update on what is happening with my parents. I hope and believe the lines of communication remain clear because things seem to (crossing my fingers) be going smoothly. So far my initial concerns have been clarified. I will continue however to periodically update as to the progress and status of my parent's situation. The initial status conference seems to be the most important part of the case because this is when both parties meet at court. It will be clearer at that point as to wether or not the mortgage company is going to choose to fight our claim. I will definately update a status here when that time approaches.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS Re: Previous posts

We are all in this mess together. Chances are, if you are on this site most likely you or somebody you care for are on the verge of losing their home and possibly everthing you/they have worked for their entire lives. I would just like to thank everybody here who has posted sooo many helpful resources, comments, and bits of information about this company. Good, bad, or indifferent, they have all helped in forming my opinions and all have helped aide in some of my questions and concerns.
The following are some previous comments and posts that I have some questions regarding. Any clarification on these would be appreciated.

1- Barker said: "if you don't include your real name you may be named in one of their lawsuits." I did not take this to mean that Barker was going to set out to sue anybody who voiced a negative opinion of his company. Did I read his comment wrong or am I missing a link somewhere? In the statement he made just prior to that he said that some of the comments on this site could possibly be from the mortgage holders (people named in their lawsuits). I took his comment to mean that the negative posts could potentially be people who are giving false identification here because they are being sued by his company and therefore retaliating. Maybe I misunderstood but that's what I personally read his comment to mean.

2- Paying or Not paying mortgage payments: It's abundantly clear that this company and or it's reps should not be telling people to not make a mortgage payment on their home. There is no ATRO in place once the lawsuit is under way and it's just flat out risky to not make a mortgage payment. Mortgage companies can and WILL foreclose on homes now if they are in default and they'll ask questions later. If you care at all about keeping your home then you will need to make a mortgage payment. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, a loan that is currently delinquent is even greater leverage in court and in the process of settling. Think about it...a home in foreclosure is a loss for the mortgage company. Additionally they stand even a greater loss if they lose during the course of litigation. It only makes sense that your legal case stands to gain additional leverage if it is in default. If your mortgage remains current during the course of litigation, there is no
incintive for the mortgage company to hurry and settle the lawsuit quickly because your mortgage is to date.

3-Attorney Fee Agreement and Costs: There are various ways an attorney will collect fees for a case. Not all the time will a client recieve a monthly billable hour breakdown and or a breakdown of monthly costs on a case.

4-Getting a refund if your case doesn't go forward (Tmerch777): Speaking only from my experience...we did not have to pay the monthly attorney costs of $1k until our case was with an attorney. Our attorney filed the complaint within two weeks of having recieved our file. You should not have to pay any fees for service until and unless your case is filed within Federal Court. You wouldn't be entitled to a refund at this point only because this fee supposedly covers the costs of litigation therefore, if it is done correctly, you are recieving an ongoing service in which you would not be entitled to a refund. This is the same concept of any attorney you would hire. Soleng is entitled to a refund because his/her case was never filed with Federal/Superior Court thus litigation was not pursued.
Soleng's refund should include the costs of the initial audit recieved as well as any attorney fees/costs paid while his case was in review by an attorney.

TOTAL_SCAM_BEWARE: You stated that you worked as an associate with this company. However, you said they have "not won any cases as far as you could tell." Wouldn't you know for sure if there were any cases won/settled if you worked as an attorney with this company? Maybe I missundertood what you were saying.

Also, is it still considered a modification if their entire argument set forth in the complaint is that the loan itself is completely illegal and the mortgage company has no authority to collect, foreclose, etc. on the loan? Not sure how this works but it seems very different then a modification. Does this law only apply to CA and not Federal? There was just a landmark case in NY citing similar violations as in my parent's case. The judge just awarded that the mortgage company forgive the entire debt owed on their home, all attorney's fees and costs, as well as reimbursement for interest. I believe the mortgage company was either Chase or Ocwen but the article can be found on www.foxnews.com. So if what your saying is true about "Settlement" being considered a form of "Modification", wouldn't this same law apply here?

I agree with Kena33. Once you have agreed to sign the contract, they ask for payment immediately. And, in a prior post, someone stated the process can take from 9-18 months. I was specifically told it would take no longer than 9 months because the mortgage companies like to settle these cases quickly. Are most of you finding this to go on longer than usual?

tmerch777,

I guess you read/hear what you want to hear. You are looking for ways this company can scam you and you choose to ignore things like the clear-as-day written guarantee YOU posted.

tmerch777 wrote, "You are not even guaranteed your refund should your case not go forward..."

In the contract that tmerch777 copied and pasted it states, "If the Audit fails to identify sufficient violations of State or Federal Law for an attorney to proceed with litigation then the Client shall receive a full refund of all fees paid within 30 days of conclusion of audit." This is where tmerch777 is dead wrong, but where Soleng is understandably upset. Soleng should have his money returned in a timely manner for sure.

The link that tmerch777 points us to regarding loan modification is interesting. However, USLA doesn't provide loan modification services. They provide legal support services IF there are predatory loan violations that can be potentially won in court. No where in the contract does it guarantee or elude to being able to modify a loan. I spoke to several predatory lending attorneys prior to being referred to USLA. We initially thought we would be suing only for a loan modification. Every attorney made it clear that a change to the loan could be only one out of several different settlement items: refund of points, clearing of bad credit history, monetary settlement, etc. The point is that each case, court and judge is unique and there are no guarantees of exactly what the outcome could be.

I found USLA through a friend who referred them after seeing them on local TV. I've done a lot of research and came up with the above. Maybe I'm the one looking for the "good" vs "bad"? All I know is that the contract above is pretty clear when it comes to the service and guarantee USLA offers.

Since the attorney is getting paid on a CONTINGENCY basis, it doesn't make sense for them to draw out the lawsuit. Also, I don't know of any attorney that will refund their retainer or billable hours if they don't win a case.

TOTAL_SCAM_BEWARE is correct that only an attorney can provide legal advice or attorney referral services. However, USLA is NOT providing either. Through US Loan Auditors they provide FORENSIC LOAN AUDIT SERVICES, much like the many you can find via a simple Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHNG_enUS328US330&q=forensic+loan+audit+services&aq=f&aqi=&oq=

IF they feel there is a case, an attorney in their network reviews and accepts the case, then and ONLY then are you referred to US Legal Advisors that provides LEGAL SUPPORT SERVICES, much like the many you can also find via a simple Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHNG_enUS328US330&q=legal+support+services&aq=f&aqi=g-c1&oq=

The Attorney that accepts your case is YOUR attorney and provides you with all LEGAL ADVICE. US Legal Advisors provides the legal support services and acts at YOUR attorneys direction only. The monthly fee you pay USLA covers all the costs typically associated with a case. Below is an excerpt I received from one of the attorneys in their network who provided a positive reference for their services. This is from one of the docs he received from USLA prior to joining (he said he was also very skeptical at first):

"We will draft and file the complaints in Federal Court, pay the filing fees, draft or respond to any motions, draft or respond to discovery requests, write the letters and calender all of the attorney’s events. This will allow you to be an attorney. The client pays us directly for this paralegal support service.

The attorney will be responsible for synchronize their calendars with ours so that we are aware of any conflicts and double check dates, to review and approve all motions, discovery and correspondence relating to each of the cases, attend all hearings and/or depositions, and if necessary, try the case before a judge or jury. For that, the attorney will receive ALL attorney fees generated in the case. We will provide the billings and support documentation necessary for the court to award attorney fees and we will require the client to protect the attorney’s fees in any settlement."

So why am I pinning my hopes that USLA comes through for my family? The cost for a private attorney is potentially thousands more than USLA and absolutely 10's of thousands more if the case goes to court. We tried going directly to the bank and negotiating a loan mod but were refused because there is no "financial hardship". In other words, we have the money to pay their fraudulent loan so they won't modify it.

You can try negotiating directly with the bank. You can hire a Loan Modification company to do it for you (just don't pay up front...it's illegal to pay up front for Loan Mod services per new law Senate Bill 94 effective October '09!...also, these companies can still bill you AFTER even if they can't get you a loan mod!), hire an outside Attorney (probably the BEST solution, if not the most expensive...except for the following), continue to pay on your predatory loan or let your home foreclose.

Bottom line, USLA isn't going to be for everyone. So far I've gathered from this blog that Soleng is the only one who has a legit beef with not getting his refund in time.

Wow. This has been really informative and scarry. Like everyone else, many, many concerns and questions. We are almost ready to sign on with USLA, with reservations. We have tried everything else within our means. Being of the working class, we don't stand a chance against the banks and lenders. We have been turned down 4 times for a loan modification, turned out over 7 times for refinance. Even the mortgage company advised me to default on my loan so then we would be placed in a difference ratio bracket and maybe MAYBE we would qualify for a loan modification. Right now everything seems to be a scam. The current housing situation and banking/lending situation has the middle working class people locked down, cornered and gasping for fresh air.

keena33

I didn't respond to cody's comments because I'm not an attorney. Doing an admittedly quick search on the internet I found no posts about the legal aspects of what is considered a loan modification and what is not. That's up to the courts to decide.

With that said, I do know that each attorney I spoke to would not pursue in court any action for loan modification only. My understanding is that USLA provides the legal support services under the direction of the attorney. I would ask your attorney if your lawsuit is going to include a request to change your loan.

And what "b guy"? I'm not defending anyone, just posting what I found here on this blog, talking to USLA reps, internet research and speaking to various attorneys who practice in predatory lending.

As far as when payment starts, it takes quite a while to do all the research paperwork and preparing of legal filings before they get in the hands of the attorney. The attorneys I spoke to charge on average $300/hr. If USLA is charging $1k/mo, that's only a little over 3 hours of work for an independent attorney.

Again, this looks like a CHEAPER alternative. If we had all the money in the world to pay for a top attorney, we probably wouldn't even have a home loan!

VFO

We are right there with you...tried every means possible from our side. Looks like litigation is our only choice. Since we can't afford an independent attorney, USLA looks to be a good choice.

BTW - I received several emails from others on this board claiming I was "Barker" or some other entity with USLA. I also received an email from "Shane Barker". I did not and will not respond to these.

We are a family that looks out for each other and protects our privacy. We are honest and will provide those on this site with insight to our progress as best we can without disclosing who we are. We want to have a common experience...not one that is handled with kid gloves by USLA just to get a good referral.