New York Foreclosure Firm Apologizes for Poking Fun at the Homeless

Halloween is a fun time and people like to the opportunity to dress up, but sometimes it can be taken too far, and that is exactly what the employees of the Steven J. Baum Law Firm did. Sparking a controversy over their insensitivity to people victimized by the foreclosure crisis and homelessness. On Wednesday, the head of the firm formally apologized for the insensitivity of the costumes.

Last week, photos taken at a Halloween party from 2010, showed employees of the Baum firm, New York State’s largest foreclosure mill, dressed as homeless people. Part of the office was decorated to look like a row of houses and tarp was set up to look like a make-shift tent, reminiscent of a shanty town. For the people, who could not save their homes with the assistance of a foreclosure attorney, homelessness is no joke.

The Steven J. Baum Law firm processed 40 percent of over 45,000 foreclosures in New York State, according to the Washington Post, which got the statistics from the New York Law Journal.

The Baum firm was investigated for their foreclosure practices and had to pay a $2 million settlement and change its foreclosure practices. Many banks and foreclosure mills have been accused of using faulty documents to seize homes; many of the people, who faced wrongful eviction, have been able to fight along with a foreclosure lawyer.

Losing a home is a frightening prospect and some of the people, who have lost their homes, have been unable to afford a new home or rent an apartment. Foreclosure attorneys have been able to help thousands of homeowners avoid eviction, but others face the prospect of becoming homeless.