Reach Out and #%$ Somebody

Wells Fargo recently foreclosed on a Southern California house that had no mortgage, trashing everything the homeowners had in the process. (Story by the local CBS affiliate.)

The bank says it is going to "reach out" to the couple to "resolve this unfortunate situation." There's no amount they can cough up that will restore the older couple's possessions, of course, but they'll pay them off, and probably the more publicity it gets the more they'll pay.

All of this leaves unasked one important question: Even if the bank had the right to foreclose on the house, why did its minions trash the couple's possessions? Is this their standard practice?

On top of the whole vile mess, I have to say I hate that phrase "reach out." Large corporations have to be careful when they reach, because it's easy for them to smash everything in their way.

Via Boing Boing