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Dear Friends,

This World War II poster is the backdrop for the values that have made America the stalwart defender of liberty. Today our thoughts, praise and gratitude are for those soldiers in uniform, fighting for our liberty in 2 wars and by their presence as peacekeepers throughout the world. The challenges and the sacrifices of the military in today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, are considered by many as a factor in determining the destiny of the region and the fight to end the great scourge of terrorism.

America's involvement also signifies the commitment to end extremist elements in a dangerous philosophy focused on despotic acts of terrorism. Whether the motives of these insurgents originate in either a political or of a religious nature, the acts of debilitating violence towards Western civilization is a brutal reality in which Americans continue to live and be reminded of every day.

The cause and effect of the main terrorist attacks on American soil on 9/11/01, continues to harbor the detrimental effects on our freedom. Government intelligence measures to prevent acts of terrorism is an ongoing exercise and is required to prevent the loss of life. Unfortunately, last week in Ft. Hood, America was reminded once again of the evil component in a war where innocent lives are yet sacrificed for unchecked religious fanaticism. While these events provides the jolt to end any thoughts or actions of complacency in our battle to conquer the evil within our borders, we are also aware of the pain and suffering many of our soldiers live by, after the journey in the combat zone has ended. 

Horrific nightmares continue to traumatize our troops as many suffer the effects of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, bouts of depression and suicide from a conflict which continues to inflict its damage, months and years after a soldier's discharge. Mental illness and the rise in all of these afflictions is the painfully sad aftermath of one's patriotism and love of country. Americans need to help all veterans as they've fought and continue to fight for our lives! We need to contribute generously to programs geared to help and guide those in need of assistance. Regrettably, the loss of life, limbs, homelessness and a soldier's mental health are the visual sacrifices and impairments suffered by our armed forces. We need to be reminded the attainment of freedom is never free and the work for freedom never ends.

Thanks Again  

Dear Friends,

The clock is ticking. Today, is Monday and we're back to work! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. December is less than 5 hours away and our office will be working overtime to accommodate those that need to close their refinance or purchase transactions this month.

Soon It Will Be Christmas Day!

It's true! Very soon it will be Christmas Day where we can celebrate the exciting meaning of a most joyous Holiday. From today until the 22nd, MoneyTeam is pulling all stops to help others during this wonderful Season of Giving!

Extended Office Hours

Due to a rise in loan originations, our office hours have been extended. We are now open from 9:30AM through 6:00PM Monday through Thursday. We close at 5:00PM on Fridays. We will also be open on Saturdays from 9:00AM until 12 Noon. This schedule is in effect until Tuesday, December 22nd.

Mortgage Rates

Interest Rates are amazingly low! Now is the best time for you to either refinance or purchase your dream home. Please check our current rates as MoneyTeam is offering a 30 year fixed rate at 4.375% and a 15 year fixed at 4.00%. Both rates quoted are at a 1 Point cost. Please call our office for HIGH BALANCE or SUPER JUMBO rates. As always, MoneyTeam will do its best to either meet or beat any advertised conforming fixed rate loan! Please call our office at 323-936-3232 for more details.

Team Tot Toy Drive

MoneyTeam's 10th Annual Team Tot Toy Drive is happening now! We are requesting donations of any unwrapped toy to be delivered to underprivileged children in the Los Angeles are. Especially this year, as we have so many families struggling to provide toys for their children, we seek your heartfelt gifts. Please call our office at 323-936-3232 at anytime until Tuesday, December 22nd to arrange delivery of your toy before Christmas Day. 

Loan Modifications

The President has mentioned his patience is wearing thin towards the slow and haphazard response of financial institutions regarding loan modification requests from homeowners. The foreclosure avalanche continues while a worthwhile permanent solution is to have loan workout options, for those in need of such measures to help end mortgage delinquencies.

Our office has worked on loan modifications this year. MoneyTeam has been successful in processing and negotiating modifications for several of our clients. The work has been extremely time consuming, as the banks continuously request the same documentation over and over again. The incompetence level of these institutions is alarming. We hope this coming month there will be a concerted effort to streamline the process, so those struggling to pay their mortgage can finally find relief.      

Thanks Again

Dear Friends,

At the outset, I want to wish all of my friends in the mortgage industry and my beloved clients throughout the years a warm and Happy Thanksgiving!

MoneyTeam is celebrating its 20th year in business and I am truly grateful for the support many of you have given me by your patronage and recommending our mortgage services to friends and other members of your family. Affectionately, I consider many of you personal friends even though we may not have spoken in some time. Surely, there's no need to refinance every year just to meet each other again, as this would be an expensive proposition! Perhaps our respectful and sucessful business interactions in the past is the comfort we indeed recognize today.   

As Americans celebrate this time honored tradition of giving thanks to the Lord for the blessings bestowed on our families, friends, our great nation and ourselves, this Thanksgiving is different and in ways similar to ones celebrated in the past. Collectively as a nation, many of us can remember the tragic events in Dallas during Thanksgiving weekend in 1963 and we also grieve for the many lives lost during the 11th day of September, 2001. There will be times that a loved one will no longer be sitting at the dinner table due to one's sacrifice on the battlefield, the passing of a beloved friend or family member from natural causes or from domestic violence. Unfortunately this year, the financial turmoil has taken its toll on many families this Thanksgiving Day. The continued threat of losing one's home through foreclosure due to unemployment and lengthy delays in loan modifications, devised to help solve or alleviate the stress from unaffordable monthly mortgage payments, has elevated a sense of despair and disillusionment among many Americans.

I am invited to Thanksgiving dinner today from a client that I have known since March of this year. On Saturday, she received a certified letter stating her property will go to sale on December 22nd unless arrangements are made to pay the delinquency or to devise other avenues to solve the problem. I am aware of her predicament and confident the loan modification which has been submitted several months ago, will be approved before such drastic measures can occur. This same scenario is a cause for concern for many of us this Thanksgiving. Some are wondering if this will be the last Thanksgiving dinner to be served in the house many call home. Truly the 'stranger has arrived' in many circumstances this year as the incredulity of others in government, business and in journalism has caused harm to the sense of stability and the soul of numerous Americans.

To think of receiving a foreclosure notice during the Holidays is disturbing and fosters the anger and anxiety of many suffering homeowners. These financial institutions have become a disgrace. There should be a delay of such efforts during this time, only to show the nation there's still a modicum of decency which guides business decisions.    

I have always had an optimistic outlook about most matters. You can hear my disposition in my voice or the way I come across in person. There are times that I've noticed a sadness or feelings of melancholy. Such visits are rare and I do my best to rid this 'stranger' from my thoughts by helping others. Many of us are alike as we come from humble beginnings. We hope that in our futures the good Lord will provide us the wisdom we seek in order to fulfill our destinies. While this 'stranger' continues to rein havoc, all of us instinctively know this is temporary as we are learning a valuable and long delayed lesson in the fortunes of our beloved nation and the ones we seek for ourselves.

May You, Your Family & Friends Have A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanks Again    

Dear Friends,

Earlier this week I was reminded of my love for Pumpkins and Pumpkin Pie! From Halloween until Thanksgiving pumpkins of all kinds will be noticed as an attraction on front doorsteps, balconies and porches. We will also see them across town sold at makeshift farmers markets in parking lots where in a few weeks we'll be seeing a healthy display of Christmas trees for sale. Many of these pumpkins will be transformed into soups, cookies and pies! Pumpkin Pie is my favorite and I certainly have never met a pumpkin I didn't like! This wholesome Pumpkin Logic wherein we as youngsters believed as Linus and Charlie Brown in the invincibility of the Great Pumpkin, such innocent thoughts has materialized into a scattered and disconcerting reality no adult would be willing to imagine. 

As I write this edition of the Teamblog this 32nd Sunday In Ordinary Time, I'm reminded of the numerous events which many Americans have shared this past week. Since Halloween last Saturday, to the end of Daylight Savings Time, the Yankees victory in the World Series to the loss of life in Ft. Hood and the passage of a Health Care Bill yesterday in the House, Americans of diverse backgrounds and interests are pondering the effects of such outcomes on a most personal level. The change we experience as a result of an extra hour of sleep, the appreciation of a baseball team's 27th World Series victory, the realization evil continues to exist and the anxiousness many Americans have towards government health care solutions are all events which denotes the continual passage of time towards our 'slice of life' and our 'time throughout the year'. We as observers and participants in a much larger community weigh the effects of these events as they trickle through our daily lives.

We also witnessed the outcomes of 2 Gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey where the Republican candidate claimed victory. One surmises Americans have not rubber stamped the policies of the current government office holders and a shift of allegiance is underway. In less than 12 months the changing winds will ultimately be revealed. Both of these elections has stirred the electorate in such a manner as to reenforce the strong perception, that government and finance are intertwined and masquerading their secret desires, so Americans unwittingly can do their bidding. When we hear major Wall Street corporations are in receipt of substantial doses of the H1N1 vaccine compared to hospitals where the supply is considered bare or nonexistent, we succumb to the belief there is a deliberate attempt at collusion or complete incompetence among decision makers.

The perception of hubris and insincerity continues as Americans are advised the Unemployment Rate of 10.2% was expected and this statistic is considered the 'new normal' which will be in effect throughout 2010. On Friday the Labor Department mentioned there was a loss of 190,000 jobs in the US during the month of October. The rate went up from 9.8% in September. It has been 26 years since America had such a dismal employment figure. A disconnect has occurred. Wall Street continues to pay its employees billions in bonuses while the Dow has reached its milestone of over 10,000. Unfortunately, the high times of those that have misappropriated the funds of hard working, law abiding, tax paying Americans has been overshadowed by the daily and prolonged tragedy of suffering by its citizens. Millions are out of work unable to feed their families or losing their homes through foreclosure. We are old enough to know life is unfair, but to be reminded daily of the capricious and repugnant escapades of greed and intolerance by those in government and in business, the cauldron is building momentum and will have its scheduled denouement come November 2010.

Certainly 12 months is a lifetime from now in political terms, as events can change and the disconsolate lives of so many can finally see the 'light at the end of the tunnel', so to speak. All Americans seek a favorable resolution to the current financial nightmare. There's no need to be reminded the same cast of characters in both political parties with Wall Street cheerleaders in gear, are at the helm once again tinkering with the abacus forging a conclusion to the mess they created.

While I noticed in my missal today that Catholics are in the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, this liturgical calendar where the mysteries of Christ are explored, I can safely say my trust in the Lord is the only sustenance I require or seek during these challenging times. My trust in the Divine offers deliverance from the perpetual bondage of miscreants unable to fully comprehend the workings of this nations' Founding Fathers and their pursuit of higher ideals and biblical principles. When greed, corruption, incompetence and the lack of moral perspective is the philosophy of those we've entrusted our lives in representing our interests, the die has been cast.

20th Anniversary Sale

Our Anniversary Sale has been extended! Please check our website for more details. This Wednesday I will be out in the field throughout Los Angeles meeting with Realtors for the entire day! I hope to meet with you and discuss the issues revolving the newest underwriting guidelines for FHA and Conventional financing. Take advantage of our last sale of the year! Please call our office at 323-936-3232 for more information.

Tax Credit Extension

The President on Friday, signed into law an extension of the $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers until the end of April 2010. If you are in a bonafide purchase or refinance transaction before the day the credit expires, you will have until June to complete the transaction. Also, there will be a $6500 Tax Credit awarded to existing homeowners seeking to purchase another house. The property owner must have lived in their home for at least 5 years. The same deadlines apply. Certainly this is welcomed news and we applaud those responsible for its passage.

Mortgage Rates

Interest Rates are going up again! MoneyTeam offers up 60 day rate locks. Please call our office at 323-936-3232 for more details.

Thanks Again