Jump to content

90 year old woman shot herself over losing home


The Rover

Recommended Posts

Addie Polk, 90, of Akron, Ohio, became a symbol of the nation's home mortgage crisis when she was hospitalized after shooting herself at least twice in the upper body Wednesday afternoon.

On Friday, Fannie Mae spokesman Brian Faith said the mortgage association had decided to halt action against Polk and sign the property "outright" to her.

"We're going to forgive whatever outstanding balance she had on the loan and give her the house," Faith said. "Given the circumstances, we think it's appropriate."

Residents of Akron have rallied behind Polk, who is being treated at Akron General Medical Center. She was listed in critical condition Friday afternoon, according to Akron City Council President Marco Sommerville.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, mentioned Polk on the House floor Friday during debate over the latest economic rescue proposal.

"This bill does nothing for the Addie Polks of the world," Kucinich said after telling her story. "This bill fails to address the fact that millions of homeowners are facing foreclosure, are facing the loss of their home. This bill will take care of Wall Street, and the market may go up for a few days, but democracy is going downhill."

Neighbor Robert Dillon, 62, used a ladder to enter a second-story bathroom window of Polk's home after he and the deputies heard loud noises inside, Dillon said.

"I was calling her name as I went in, and she wasn't responding," he said.

He found her lying on a bed, and he could see she was breathing. He also noticed a long-barreled handgun on the bed, but thought she just had it there for protection. He touched her on the shoulder.

"Then she kind of moved toward me a little and I saw that blood, and I said, 'Oh, no. Miss Polk musta done shot herself,' " Dillon said.

He hurried downstairs and let the deputies in. He said they told him they found Polk's car keys, pocketbook and life insurance policy laid out neatly where they could be found, suggesting that she intended to kill herself.

"There's a lot of people like Miss Polk right now. That's the sad thing about it," said Sommerville, who had met Polk before and rushed to the scene when contacted by police. "They might not be as old as her, some could be as old as her. This is just a major problem."

In 2004, Polk took out a 30-year, 6.375 percent mortgage for $45,620 with a Countrywide Home Loan office in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The same day, she also took out an $11,380 line of credit.

Over the next couple of years, Polk missed payments on the 101-year-old home that she and her late husband purchased in 1970. In 2007, Fannie Mae assumed the mortgage and later filed for foreclosure.

Deputies had tried to serve Polk's eviction notice more than 30 times before Wednesday's incident, Sommerville said. She never came to the door, but the notes the deputies left would always disappear, so they knew she was inside and ambulatory, he said.

The city is creating programs to help people keep their homes, Sommerville said. "But what do you do when there's just so many people out there and the economy is in the shape that it's in?"

Many businesses and individuals have called since Wednesday offering to help Polk, Sommerville said.

"We're going to do an evaluation to see what's best for her," he said. "If she's strong enough and can go home, I think we should work with her to where she goes back home. If not, we need to find another place for her to live where she won't have to worry about this ever again."

For his part, Dillon hopes his neighbor of 38 years can return to her home.

"She loves that house," he said. "I hope they can get her back in. That would make me feel better because I don't know what they're going to put in there once she leaves."

He said the neighborhood is declining because so many people have lost their homes.

"There's a lot of vacant houses around here. ... Now I'm going to have a house on my left and a house on my right, vacant," he said. "That don't make me feel good, because we were good neighbors, we trusted each other, and we looked out for each other.

"This neighborhood is shot, to me, from what it used to be," he added.

"When I moved here, if it were like it is now, I would have never moved here. But it was a nice neighborhood. ...

"I'll just tough it out. I'm too old to start thinking about buying another house."

Sommerville said that by the time people call for help with an impending foreclosure, it's usually too late.

"I'm glad it's not too late for Miss Polk, because she could have taken her life," Sommerville said. "Miss Polk will probably end up on her feet. But I'm not sure if anybody else will."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Woody Guthrie said it best:

"As I've rambled round this country

I've seen lots of funny men;

Some will rob you with a six-gun,

and some with a fountain pen.

But as through this world you travel

And as through this world you roam

You won't never see an outlaw

Drive a family from their home."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Addie Polk, 90, of Akron, Ohio, became a symbol of the nation's home mortgage crisis when she was hospitalized after shooting herself at least twice in the upper body Wednesday afternoon.

On Friday, Fannie Mae spokesman Brian Faith said the mortgage association had decided to halt action against Polk and sign the property "outright" to her.

"We're going to forgive whatever outstanding balance she had on the loan and give her the house," Faith said. "Given the circumstances, we think it's appropriate."

Yeah, anyone who can shoot themselves twice in the chest and keep on ticking is probably someone you don't want to mess with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"She loves that house," he said. "I hope they can get her back in. That would make me feel better because I don't know what they're going to put in there once she leaves."

Well, the house holds so many cherished memories for her now...the tea parties, the

grandkids frolicking in the yard, the 30 eviction notices, the gun shots in the night

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neighbor Robert Dillon, 62, used a ladder to enter a second-story bathroom window of Polk's home after he and the deputies heard loud noises inside, Dillon said.

"I was calling her name as I went in, and she wasn't responding," he said.

He found her lying on a bed, and he could see she was breathing. He also noticed a long-barreled handgun on the bed, but thought she just had it there for protection. He touched her on the shoulder.

"Then she kind of moved toward me a little and I saw that blood, and I said, 'Oh, no. Miss Polk musta done shot herself,' " Dillon said.

Sounds like a neigborhood full of brilliant people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What sort of a moronic asshole would give a 30 year mortgage to an 86 year old in the 1st place.... no wonder everything is a mess.............the mind boggles.

Age discrimination, if she qualified for the loan, may be illegal. Anyway, i bet if you reach that age you will feel differently if rights/privleges are taken away from you. Just like with any loan, if she can't pay it off, the bank will take the property (or maybe her family will inherit the debt). This is not the reason for the current state of horror Bush got our country into.

Now i do beleive stringent re-evaluations of driving ability needs to be made into law everywhere at a certain age.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rover... seeing some of your posts, and subsequently, not agreeing with a single one of them, really, I mean really, makes me want to start a rover vs. docron thread for just us two to get into it... I think it will be the next big hit on the Led Zeppelin board... you in?

I'm guess not, seeing as I've poked major holes in every one of the political-based posts you've made in the past couple days...

But let me know either way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty confident that anyone who talks like this:

"Oh, no. Miss Polk musta done shot herself"

... not only is an Obama supporter --- But probably shares some relatives as well.

I'm pretty sure you are wrong. Actually, i'm VERY sure, lol. Maybe you need to get out and see more of America.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Age discrimination, if she qualified for the loan, may be illegal. Anyway, i bet if you reach that age you will feel differently if rights/privleges are taken away from you. Just like with any loan, if she can't pay it off, the bank will take the property (or maybe her family will inherit the debt). This is not the reason for the current state of horror Bush got our country into.

Now i do beleive stringent re-evaluations of driving ability needs to be made into law everywhere at a certain age.

Age dicrimination should not come into it. It ought to be about common sense. One would think that giving a THIRTY YEAR mortgage to an EIGHTY SIX year old lacks any sense whatsoever, regardless of the fact that the womans assets upon death would clear the outstanding debt on the loan. anyhow what sort of an income did this lady have ? No doubt she lives on her pension, it would have to be quite a sizeable figure to meet the monthly payments.. Oh and thn there is the insurance on top.... like i said before, the mind boggles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Age dicrimination should not come into it. It ought to be about common sense. One would think that giving a THIRTY YEAR mortgage to an EIGHTY SIX year old lacks any sense whatsoever, regardless of the fact that the womans assets upon death would clear the outstanding debt on the loan. anyhow what sort of an income did this lady have ? No doubt she lives on her pension, it would have to be quite a sizeable figure to meet the monthly payments.. Oh and thn there is the insurance on top.... like i said before, the mind boggles.

I said "if she qualifies" for the loan. I don't know about this particular case, but in general, i do not feel age should be a factor. 86 year olds need to live somewhere, too. George W. Bush and his administration allowing so much deregulation, allowing everyone to run wild and ruin this country boggles the mind more.

EDIT: if discrimination is allowed to people who "qualify" financially, then how do you feel about people with chronic illness? Should they be investigated prior to approval in the event they may have a condition that could cause them to die before the mortgage is paid off?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said "if she qualifies" for the loan. I don't know about this particular case, but in general, i do not feel age should be a factor. 86 year olds need to live somewhere, too. George W. Bush and his administration allowing so much deregulation, allowing everyone to run wild and ruin this country boggles the mind more.

Well there you go then, the sort of deregulation that allowed all kinds of bad risk loans. An 86 year old nearly 60,000 dollars in loans just one small example.. ... also, it's not like she was homeless to start with.................... But in reality anyone who has said yes to that offer of a credit card that they can't really afford or that seemingly easy payment big screen tv or a car or whatever. Then when they need money for an emergency, they've got none so they have to borrow more. They are implicit in the ruination of world finance, They are part of the problem... After all it's only money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the house holds so many cherished memories for her now...the tea parties, the

grandkids frolicking in the yard, the 30 eviction notices, the gun shots in the night

How could you say something like that? Do you no compassion? No conscience?

I think it's terrible that they were going to take away that lady's house. But I find it even worse that she was going to shoot herself over such a matter. Don't people have any kindness left? It's horrible that the world is coming to what it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's terrible that they were going to take away that lady's house. But I find it even worse that she was going to shoot herself over such a matter. Don't people have any kindness left? It's horrible that the world is coming to what it is.

If someone is not paying their mortgage payments (and why a 90 year old woman has any mortgage is a big question for me), do you think they should automatically have their debts payed off for them?

I have compassion too. But where is my free stuff? I've done everything right in my life. My mortgage is on track to be paid off before I am 55 years old... or if I wanted to write a check for the balance due at anytime.

Chances are that if you look into this matter there is probably some family member who took advantage of this woman and the equity she had in her home, by refinancing this loan and using the money for something else. Chances are that there is a person close to this woman who had the least compassion of anyone.

So how to you prevent that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How could you say something like that? Do you no compassion? No conscience?

Just saying she may no longer wish to reside there, despite her neighbor hoping she will eventually return to do so and the bank releasing her from her mortgage commitments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something that is a HUGE sign of the times:

Mortgage companies don't want to foreclose on your properties, people! They lose money and income!

Just a small piece of advice to anyone who may be facing a money issue and possible foreclosure: call your mortgage company if you're behind---BEFORE they serve papers on you! With this economy and the real estate slump, they really don't want an empty house on their list of assets. Especially a house they won't be selling anytime soon...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something that is a HUGE sign of the times:

Mortgage companies don't want to foreclose on your properties, people! They lose money and income!

Just a small piece of advice to anyone who may be facing a money issue and possible foreclosure: call your mortgage company if you're behind---BEFORE they serve papers on you! With this economy and the real estate slump, they really don't want an empty house on their list of assets. Especially a house they won't be selling anytime soon...

Why even bother calling their mortgage companies when many American taxpayers -- most of whom have done everything right and made good decisions-- will be stepping in and bailing them out anyway?

I say that anyone who is getting bailed out of a mortgage should have to take on renters who are already receiving welfare checks and that way at least the taxpayer will get something of value back.

:whistling:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...