A class action lawsuit accuses debt servicer Specialized Loan Servicing LLC of illegally contacting people in foreclosure about their unpaid mortgages, even though SLS allegedly knew those people were represented by attorneys.
In 2005, the plaintiffs, Chai Roongseang and Jintana Roongseang secured a loan with a mortgage lien on their property in north suburban Wilmette, according to a complaint filed Oct. 17 in Cook Circuit Court.
After defaulting on the loan, Deutsche Bank, the mortgage lien holder, filed a foreclosure action in Cook County Circuit Court.
The plaintiffs hired the Law Office of Jeffrey Strange & Associates in February 2013 to represent them. Despite legal representation, the foreclosure case has been pending since then.
During the case, the loan servicing was transferred from Bank of America to SLS in November 2012, according to the suit.
In August, SLS sent two letters directly to the plaintiffs. The first letter demanded a payment of $628,166 by Sept. 1.
The second letter labeled the plaintiffs' mortgage account as "delinquent" and encouraged them to explore loss mitigation options, stating that SLS was a debt collector.
An independent field inspector taped a letter to the plaintiffs' door, allegedly advising them to contact their mortgage servicer without explicitly mentioning it was from a debt collector on Oct. 2.
The foreclosure case remains unresolved, with the plaintiffs facing financial pressure and the potential loss of their property, according to the suit.
The plaintiffs are seeking actual damages. They are represented by attorney Arthur C. Czaja, of Niles.