Hamburg Passes Law to Seize Vacant Buildings to House Refugees

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2015 As hundreds of refugees and other migrants flow into the German city of Hamburg each day, a new law will allow for the seizure of empty commercial buildings to house the newcomers. Some have had to sleep outdoors, an increasingly precarious situation as temperatures drop. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Police Have Taken Over $2.5 Billion in Cash From Civilians Who Weren’t Even Charged With a Crime

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Oct 6, 2014 Sunday, John Oliver dedicated his main story on HBO's "Last Week Tonight" to explaining civil forfeiture, a "shady process" that police departments across the country have been using to seize property with little justification. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California City Votes to Seize Underwater Mortgages

BLANK Sep 12, 2013 Richmond plans to use eminent domain powers to seize bad mortgages and resell them at property value to new mortgage holders, helping its residents get out from under massive debt. Whether it will work is a big question mark. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Banks Can’t Be Bothered With Foreclosure Paperwork

Staff / Truthdig Sep 29, 2010 You know how financial institutions have a way of wielding fine print like a weapon? Well it turns out that when it comes to foreclosures, many of the nation's lenders are either willfully ignoring procedure or are woefully incompetent at paperwork. Take your pick. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mrs. Madoff Heading to Palm Beach

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2009 While her husband is entering a decidedly less lavish living arrangement, it appears that Ruth Madoff is getting ready to live the Palm Beach life in her $9.4 million spread in Florida -- a state known for property laws that protect owners from losing their homes even when other assets are seized. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Madoff’s Businesses Worth $10M, Tops

Staff / Truthdig Mar 17, 2009 Although $10 million is a lot of money, it's not much compared with $50 billion in lost investments. The $10 million figure represents the upper limit of the current value of Bernard Madoff's businesses, which Madoff had valued at $826 million before his proverbial fall. It doesn't look good for his defrauded investors' chances of reclaiming much of their missing funds. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Nationwide Foreclosure Rate Shoots Up 81% in 2008

Staff / Truthdig Jan 16, 2009 We knew this news was bound to be bad, but we didn't think it would be quite this grim: The number of American homeowners who faced foreclosure proceedings in 2008 passed the 2.3 million mark, an 81 percent increase over the previous year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )