[Occupymendocino] Fwd: Re: notes from Boonville meeting with Supes

[agnes at mcn.org]

Here are my notes from the meeting:from Robin Sunbeam

Occupy Public Bank Meeting 2/6/13

Present: Dan Hamburg, Ellen Rosser, Robin Sunbeam, Jed Davis, Dan Jourdy,
Peter Good, Steve Scalmanini, Agnes Woolsey, Bart Kaplan, C.J. Holmes, Tom
Davenport, Mike Krauss from the Public Banking Institutie (via Skype), Ann
Whittaker, Jesse Van Sant.

Agenda:
1. Keep local money local
2. Steps to move forward to creating a Public Bank on the North Dakota model
3. Combat the ongoing forged foreclosure scam by the big commercial banks
4. Consider the tactic of using 'eminent domain" for the Public Bank to
buy up foreclosed properties and sell them back to the original owners on
better terms

Minutes:
C.J. Holmes (HOFJ.org) is a real estate professional who is morally
outraged by the mortgage and foreclosure scam promulgated by the big
commercial banks. She described the MERS (mortgage electronic registration
system) which is a shell database designed to facilitate the theft of
properties from homeowners by transforming tangible properties into
intangible properties. This process bypasses the usual county recorder's
records, and enables the mortgage notes to be bundled into mortgage-backed
securities. The whole scam dates back to 1913 when the Federal Reserve was
established to manage the nation's wealth.

Tangible properties are regulated under Article 3 statutes, which protects
them from being bundled and sold as securities. Intangible properties are
regulated under a different set of statutes, which enables the bundling
and reselling as mortgage-backed securities.

B.J. described how the banks would rather leave foreclosed properties
empty with a plan to bundle them into intangible securities for trading in
the stock market. The government is permitted to buy back properties by
Eminent Domain. If we establish a Public Bank in Mendocino County, the
bank could buy up all these foreclosed houses and sell them back to the
owners on renegociated loan terms.

Mike Krauss spoke from PA via Skype. He reviewed a lot of what we already
know about public banking. He said we must begin by asking several
questions: 1) What is our mission?; 2) What funds will be deposited into
the public bank?; 3) Who will manage the PB?; and 4) What structure will
we use?

Mike mentioned an example of a PB he facilitated in PA which deposits only
a portion of the funds in each established local bank, and that way the
local banks each partner with the government and don't feel cut out of the
process. He implored us to check out his FAQ's at
www.PApublicbankproject.org. There is more info also at the Public Banking
Institute website. Mike also mentioned that we will need an investment
pool of $180M - $260M in order to buy back the foreclosed properties.

Peter Good eloquently summarized our mission:
1) The mitigation of the economic damage of home foreclosures
2) The issuance of municipal bonds for public works projects
3) Partner with local banks for retail loans

We discussed the legality issues of recording tangible properties in the
MERS database as opposed to the traditional recording at the county
recorder's office. Some places have sued the County Recorder for aiding
and abetting the recording of forged documents. It was concluded that the
recorder's role is just to record every document that comes in, not to
judge if they are forged or not. Some are suing the notary publics who
notorized the forged documents. This is having more success.

Occupy Ukiah approached Susan Ranocheck a year ago about the forged
foreclosure documents. She said that there are most likely some, but it
would take an audit to find out. Audits in other municipalities have
discovered as high as 80% of foreclosures, and 100% in the MERS system
were forged. Susan said the county doesn't have the $18,000 (poss $36,000
- can't remember exactly) cash to pay for an audit. Dan Hamburg said that
isn't much money and the county could afford it now. Occupy Ukiah
volunteered to do the audits for free. Susan said we would first need to
be trained. The last we heard, it got sent to the state level to prepare a
manual for volunteer auditors. B.J. said that some professional auditors
will do it for free. B.J. said that she will look into finding an auditor
that will do it for free or at a discount.

What happens once we expose the forged documents with the audit? We can
make notary complaints and send them to the DA, Attorney General, and the
county notary authority. Phil Ting of SF is in the State Recorder's Assn
and he did an audit in SF which exposed shockingly high levels of fraud.
We can also submit Affadvits of Authority for each fraudulent foreclosure.
Occupy Mendocino is planning to send a letter to every current owner in
foreclosure to participate in this process. SP900 passed last summer and
took effect January 1 essentially admits culpability on the part of the
big commercial banks.

Dan Hamburg mentioned that there was a meeting of the EDFC (Economic
Development & Financing Corporation) with special guest John Courrie the
end of last September in which the issue of a public bank was discussed.
The report of that meeting will be presented to the BOS this coming
Tuesday. The agenda will be posted online by Friday. It is currently
listed as agenda item 6C. Dan will make sure the issue of public banking
is on the agenda.

The next step is to appeal to the local retail banks and get them to buy
into the idea of a PB. Without the support of local retail banks, it will
never happen. B.J. will make a list of benefits to local retail banks and
post it on her website, which we can use to try to get the cooperation of
the local banks. We should also try to get the buy-in of the local Chamber
of Commerce. On Sunday, Occupy Ukiah will compose a pamphlet to begin to
educate the public about the benefits of a county PB.

Robin and Ellen will go to SBMC later in February to appeal to them with
the benefits of a PB.


> Dear Robin, Peter and Charlie et al,
> Steve sent me a few notes from the Wed.meeting. I took a few re
> advice from Mike Krauss of PBI.org on skype to all to go to
> www.publicbanking.org and look at FAQs.Please come Tuesday and
> speak to the issue when you sign up to speak to the subject:
> Economic Development Finance Corporation.
>
> Dan Hamburg said he was going to request that a Public Banking task force
> be included in the EDFC funding request.At that time he would appreciate
> people speaking to the need for Public Banking (to bring a stream of
> income to this strapped county). Please go to the above website for FAQs.
>
> You may sign up anytime before the agendized item which will be publicized
> on Monday. Steve will do a telephone call to let you know of the timed
> item. Occupy Mendocino will be coming for Wednesday to support Jed Davis
> at the Recorder's office at 2:00 and I hope to see many of you there
> because Supervisor Carrie Brown has notified Jed that she will be there
> with the DA also.
>
> Cheers for the two Dans,
> Agnes



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