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Story Proved Powerful
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(Editor’s note: The letter writer is referring to a story written by Leader reporter Kim Van Meter regarding one family’s battle to keep their home, a fight being waged by many in the community.)

 

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to thank The Oakdale Leader again for the article. I wanted to keep you in the loop as to where I was at in this whole nightmare. Wells Fargo finally admitted fault and purchased the home back from the investor. I received keys in the middle of August and the girls will be moving back home at the end of the month. Our lawyer is finalizing the terms currently but we should be putting this all behind us very soon. It is amazing that Wells Fargo would even go as far as buying a home back to correct an error.

I want to thank you for writing the article because it served as a background in presenting this situation to Senator Boxer’s office, the Treasury Department and Wells Fargo’s CEO to name a few. In light of what is going on now with the foreclosure scandals, I think we were a situation that fought long and hard to get a positive resolution. And I believe it was in part due to this article. I really feel sorry for those that are losing their homes and have less ammunition to fight the big banks. Thousands of families lost their homes because banks weren’t following the rules.

I have had several people ask my why, how, what did I do to get my home back and I lead that I had someone listen to my story and actually get me some exposure that I could lead my charge with. So please accept our gratitude for your work and listening. I know The Oakdale Leader is a small paper but it gets more exposure than some would think. And the story made it easier for me to communicate “all” that was happening at the time.

Your work made a difference,

The Swarthout Family