“I don’t know how it could have gotten that far when I did everything they told me to,’’ she said.
In October, a judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the auction. The case is still pending.
Mack’s suit is one of more than 100 cases filed in Massachusetts superior and federal district courts since 2005 against Harmon Law Offices, by far the state’s largest legal firm specializing in foreclosures. In Boston alone last year, it handled 40 percent of all home foreclosures - about one a day, according to a Globe review of public records. Statewide, the company has advertised more than 15,600 foreclosure auctions scheduled between January 2010 and September of this year.
With a law office, title firm, and auction company under his umbrella, Harmon has assembled a network that can slice through the complexities of a foreclosure faster than most stand-alone legal firms - it’s a one-stop shopping center for banks and mortgage companies. A reputation for speed and efficiency has attracted major clients such as Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase - in addition to Wells Fargo - which hire Harmon Law to process thousands of cases annually. It is also one of just five Massachusetts law firms on a list that mortgage giant Fannie Mae uses to farm out business.
Critics - including consumer advocates, attorneys, and foreclosure law specialists - say the firm’s size and scope allow it to sometimes act like a bully, steamrolling over people’s rights to maximize profits. Among their allegations: Harmon Law has unfairly foreclosed upon homeowners who were in the process of renegotiating their loans, charged exorbitant fees, and used inaccurate or falsified paperwork.
Harmon Law also has defenders who say its attorneys do their best to perform work that can often be unpleasant.
