Banks Breaking Into Occupied Homes In Foreclosure To Change Locks

Banks Breaking Into Occupied Homes In Foreclosure To Change Locks: "Sarasota's Herald Tribune reports similar cases: Renters in a Florida home apparently in foreclosure came home from the beach to find the locks changed -- and some of their possessions stolen. And a Sarasota landlord, the Herald Tribune reports, said Bank of America tried to change the locks on her condominium three times, even though she said the building wasn't even in foreclosure -- an often lengthy process that usually involves a default notice, a scheduled auction and, finally, a bank repossession.

As the Herald Tribune notes, the legal action against lock-changers has been civil, not criminal, because lawyers cannot establish that the banks have criminal intent. Still, it appears that the banks' agents take illegal liberties: In the rented Florida home, lock-changers reportedly stole a laptop, an mp3 player and six bottles of wine.
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Bank representatives sometimes change locks even before foreclosure proceedings begin, Florida's Sun-Sentinel reports. Since banks hire local companies to change locks, the paper notes, it's often difficult to figure out who has actually done the lock-changing and on whose authority."