Day: February 15, 2012

INTERESTING: Attack at the Heart Attack Grill

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101399/Customer-suffers-cardiac-arrest-eating-
Triple-Bypass-Burger-restaurant-called-Heart-Attack-Grill.html

Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill
* Paramedics wheel man in his 40s out of restaurant’s Las Vegas branch   
* He was eating a 6,000-calorie burger when he suffered a heart attack   
* Triple Bypass Burger contains three slabs of meat, 12 bacon rashes, cheese, red onion, sliced tomato and ‘unique special sauce’
By Graham Smith
Last updated at 11:10 AM on 15th February 2012

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There’s something “funny” about the guy having a heart attack at the Heart Attack Grill.

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RANT: CSFB stupid “security theater”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

OBVIOUS STUPIDITY!

Call up to find out where my pension check is.

Called, went through all the automated questions, and then the operator comes on after a short wait and asks me for my password.

What password?

(Ignores the concept that a “password” is a shared secret. If I knew and told her, then it’s no longer a secret. And, a static password! Please. Even Google two factor authentication is better.)

So we can do anything without them mailing me a new temporary password.

Now envision that I sent them in all my paperwork by certified mail and suggest that number as an authenticator. Or that they call me back. Or that they send me a fax or an email.

Argh!

And, who says that US Mail is secure, unless it’s sent certified mail. (We know they won’t do that because it costs more.)

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RANT: Cleaning the “housing” stable

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/02/a-modern-pecora-commission-could-right-wall-street-wrongs/

A modern Pecora Commission could right Wall Street wrongsEmail this post Print this post
By Barry Ritholtz – February 5th, 2012, 8:00AM

*** begin quote ***

• MERS: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems was created by banks without any authority or enabling legislation. 
• Origination fraud: Why did lenders accept “stated income” loans? Why did they abandon traditional standards? 
• RMBS: Wall Street’s securitized mortgage pools (residential mortgage-backed securities) contained a broad variety of flaws, some so egregious that they amounted to fraud. 
• Insurance fraud: Look at a bank tactic in which legitimate home insurance is canceled and new insurance provided at a substantially higher fee through a subsidiary or affiliate of the bank mortgage holder. 
• “Pyramid” servicing fees: An illegal practice in which current payments are applied to past late fees, generating more late fees and additional interest owed and creating a delinquency where none existed. 
• Lost mortgage notes: How is it possible that the most important part of the mortgage contract — the promissory note — was consistently lost or misplaced by banks? 
•Document fraud for sale: There were many examples of alleged document fraud, but the one crying out for investigation involves Lender Processing Services’ DOCX subsidiary. 
•False affidavits, perjury (robo-signing): We do not know who ordered the robo-signing of foreclosure documents, the false notarizations, fraudulent written statements to courts and perjury. 
• Foreclosure mills, process servers: Law firms engaged in rampant fraud that corrupted the foreclosure process. 
• Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act: Federal law protects active-duty service members from foreclosure and eviction.

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It would seem that these are easy to find, easy to investigate, and easy to get a conviction on.

As a notary, I’m insulted by most of these items.

There’s no excuse for prosecutors at all levels for them not doing their jobs!

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