OccupyMN rallies against foreclosure policies
About 50 OccupyMN protesters today rallied to call attention to the plight of people facing foreclosure by marching outside US Bank plaza in downtown Minneapolis.
At the demonstration, Ruth Murman of Plymouth said US Bank is foreclosing on her home. Murman owns a pet boarding service and said her business hit hard times when the economy began to tank in 2007.
"Our income went down and I had 35 employees. I now am down to 25 employees because we haven't been able to rehire," Murman said. "I haven't taken a paycheck in three years. We struggle every month to pay the bills."
Murman said US Bank granted her a two-week extension on her move-out date after OccupyMN publicized her situation.
In a response to MPR News, a spokesperson for US Bank said Murman's loan is serviced by GMAC and referred questions to the mortgage company. GMAC spokesperson Gina Proia said the company services the loan on behalf of an investor group. Proia said GMAC makes every effort it can to keep borrowers in their homes. However, because of the company's privacy policy, Proia declined to comment on Murman's claim that OccupyMN helped get her more time in her home.
"OccupyMN came and talked to me last Friday when they heard what had happened. And they did an interview with me which they put up on their website, and it came out yesterday," Proia said. "Then yesterday afternoon, my phone rang off the hook."
Murman, who lives with her elderly father, said she plans to sell her company and leave the country because her credit rating is ruined. Her plan: rent a home in Belize.
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