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Why am I not surprised that an industry like this has such awesome people working in it? Once word got out how much easy and quick money was to be made in the field, tons of bottom feeders came out from under the rocks and got in on it.
Why am I not surprised that an industry like this has such awesome people working in it? Once word got out how much easy and quick money was to be made in the field, tons of bottom feeders came out from under the rocks and got in on it.
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Whoa, a comment preview option? Where did that come from?
It doesn't work. Bummer...
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Should have fined him 10x that or stuck him in a cell. That might have gotten him to clean up his words a ltitle mre.
Was there anybody running a bank that said to himself, \"This is so stupid, I'm not going to do this?\" other than \"Everybody's doing it, it must be ok\"
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You'll retire when I'm done.
So even he admits there going to win a boatload of money in this case.
@speedwell: It does, it's just the normal preview we have where we can see as we're typing what it looks like. If you uncheck it that goes away.
@speedwell: OK, it doesn't come back if you uncheck it and then recheck it. If you recheck it you have to refresh.
Yeah, that preview thing's been around for forever, it just wasn't optional before (least I don't remember the checkbox).
Maturity and decorum has gone by the wayside in this country. Who acts like this? Don't you have any self-respect? Bah, I sound like I'm 80, not 29.
I love their website. How would any professional oganization go to that website and decide to use these people. Waving gif flags and putrid colors. My favorite part is the scrolling quote at the botton.
\"SURPASSED PERFORMANCE - UNBEATABLE VALUE - HTFC, THE PIONEER OF INNOVATION\"
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. What the hell does that gibberish mean? Pioneer of innovation. They invented the concept of innovation. shit. i always thought that was Ben Franklin or some shit.
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using that language is hurting his case. Although, I think he has the right to use it. Is that fine for the curse words? Thats stupid. It's a word. Free speech.
@ClayS: ... for EACH offensive word spoken. Can someone back up a trailer full of LifeBoy? Or should we make it Lava soap?
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@Bladefist: Not in court, so people wouldn't interrupt proceedings by cursing, instead of answering questions. (Basically delaying procedures).
I would imagine the fine is for both the offensive languange and his attitute and the combination effect it had on happening the proceedings, thereby interfering with the legal process.
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Heh, I have to agree...their website is almost as funny as his testimony. I like the dollar bill stack that flips on the right...also the fact they are apparently legit loan sharks. \"We specialize in loans to illegal aliens, deadbeats living with other people, immigrants with 5 families living in one dwelling, and people with no credit or bad credit!
I work w/ a guy that drops about 3 F-bombs per sentence. I dont even think he realizes it. He does it in everyday talk, and you definitely have to get used to it. I wonder what would happen if he was in a diposition
Judging from just those snippets, I could tell that:
1. He's got something to hide.
2. This CEO's likelihood of getting shackled is pretty high
So is the guy's name Wider or Wilder? You use both spellings multiple times in your article.
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@SmellyGatto: Yeah, I'm pretty sure the template for that website is called \"Show 'Em You're A Scammer!\"
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%!*$ł@!! Can't we %§?*ing get a full $&§*^ing transcript?
Hit that §\"$*ing Clown!
Wow. That company is more sketchy than some of the mortgage brokers we had during the boom. There were mortgage companies set up in every run down storefront in town. Just about any crook off the street could start a mortgage brokerage business.
Anyone notice they don't even list a physical address anywhere?
I would have LOVED to have been the stenographer on that... geeze, I probably would have lost my job from laughing so hard.
@arch05: Ah there we go. I couldn't start doing my daily work until someone on consumerist called me dumb. Thanks I can get to work now.
Wait, only $29k in fines? Jesus, they should change venue. Here in South Carolina, most judges would hit with a $5k fine for contempt per utterance of vulgarity and obscenity. Minimum $365k fine for each party.
\"So even he admits there going to win a boatload of money in this case\"
I think what he means is that he's going to run up the other side's legal fees by lengthening the process, thereby making the other side's lawyer rich.
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@arch05: They obviously weren't in court. It was a deposition. A witness to be deposed, a stenographer, and a bunch of lawyers sit in a room. None of them hasn't heard potty language before. I am hoping the fines are for other obstruction because using bad words in a depo should never, ever cause for court sanctions.
Am I the only one who visualizes this guy as Harvey Keitel?
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How about a little blame for GM and their decision to get into bed financially with that putz? Why no blame for GM being so willing to get involved in the bad loans business with someone they couldn't be bothered to vet?
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@SmellyGatto: WOW. The only thing they are missing in their awesome website is the envelope flying into the mailbox! They have the spinning Earth graphic (they're international!! WORLD-WIDE even!!), the waving flags (they're national!! ALL 50 STATES + D.C.!!), the stock ticker! (money!), the flipping money!! (money money!!).
OK, I clicked on the 'links' and a java error just about crashed my browser.
@arch05: Looked at your comment history, it appears your 'role' here is you just go around calling everyone idiots, and you never add any real value to any of the debates. You seem like a really cool guy. Keyboard Warrior!
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$29K? For that mess? I'd fine AND throw 'em in jail until he calmed down or was attended to by mental professionals (aka not a Scientologist).
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Free Speech. There's a thought! It's one thing to post your thoughts on the internet, but I would expect some civility in court. It sounds to me someone rattled his nerves a bit.
for entertainment do yourself a favor, take a look at what this guy is accused of doing.....
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Since Ronald Reagan first appeared there has become this national philosophy that the \"free market\" will solve all problems. At the same time the government has taken away or limited almost all controls and regulations aimed at preventing corruption or fraud. So if one complains that a hospital is charging you $100,000 to fix a broken arm, then you're accused of wanting European socialism. If you complain that food companies are advertising junk food non-stop to your 6-year old, then you're accused of being a \"food Nazi.\" If you complain that private contractors in Iraq are being paid 10X what it would cost the US Military to do the same thing, then you're accused of wanting government to solve all the problems. Obviously the mortgage industry attracted a lot of bad eggs and there appeared to be nothing to stop them from lying, cheating, and deceiving both the recipients of these loans and the banks that approved them. And, yet, I'm sure if anyone complained about them, then we would be told repeatedly that an unfettered free market will fix the problems.
@Bladefist: I'm glad you care enough about me to take the time to look at my history. I love you! Wanna spoon? Dumbfuck.
I know it's awful but I laughed. I think I will use this in my next meeting:
Open it up and find it. I'm not your fucking bitch.
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My ex-boss in real estate was literally a potty-mouthed stand-up comic who took the advise \"don't quit your day job\" seriously.
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@Bladefist: in a court of law, a judge would most likely warn the witness to control their language. if he continued, he would be held in contempt.
the sanction was probably as much for his unwillingness to answer the questions during the deposition as it was for his language. even though depositions occur outside of the courtroom, they still follow basic rules of law.
this guy is digging his own grave. by making things more difficult for opposing counsel, they are less likely to settle out of court. let's see him re-enact this display in a courtroom.
I agree with a previous poster. How in the world could ANYONE, company or private individual, look at that website and still decide to do business with them? That site was obviously put together by a high school student gamer. It just screams \"flashy shoddy high-pressure pitchman here.\" I hope no epileptics saw that piece of crap.
Dosen't anyone here see that the lawyer was also being a jerk? He's trying to get this guy to open an envelope, take out the paper and read the occupation on it, its all theatrics to make the guy look 'stupid' for not knowing the occupation of someone he ripped off. Yes, he sucks and deserves far worse, but courtroom dramatics are not helping anyone prosecute him.
Lawyers or Investment Bankers, take your pick
@Greg P: We ought to get together and write a guide for people of culture and taste who want to go into commercial real estate. How's this for a first draft:
Don't.
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There's banning in them thar hills!
@Bladefist: So does that mean I can exercise your retarded idea that freedom of speech applies in all situations? If so, then fuck you!
A quick look at the Wayback Machine shows that they've had almost the exact same website since 2002 -- same spinning globe and all.
Of course, the website would have still about five years out-of-date in 2002...
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They should have thrown him in prison for a month so he could learn the meaning of the word \"bitch\".
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@halloweenjack: I'm thinking either Al Pacino as the blind guy from \"Scent of a Woman\" or Jack Nicholson in \"A Few Good Men.\"
I'D TAKE A FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE!
@Bladefist: Free speech is such a misunderstood right. It is not an absolute right, meaning you cannot say whatever you want to say wherever and whenever you want. It specifically protects the right to voice your opinions, though not necessarily the words you might use to express said opinion. The right to freedom of speech was meant specifically to protect those who were in the political minority. So that it could not be made illegal to discuss and promote dissenting political views.
sniff sniff.... I smell a banning too.
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@halloweenjack: Nope. Me too. HK all the way.
Or, if you wanted it to be a Richard Cheese-style satire, you could cast it with, like, David Attenborough and his plummy British accent. \"I'm not your bitch, old chap.\"
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I think somebody needs a nap.... *looks at arch05 and bladefist*
and it's me! *stretch and yawn, curl up on the window sill*
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Instead of incurring fines while being a moronic douchebag during a deposition, Mr. Wider might want to conisider putting his money towards updating HTFC's super-tubular-mega-gnar-gnar 1983 website, complete with frames, java, animated gifs, and awesome porno soundtrack.
I'm surprised this thing isn't hosted on f'n Geocities.
Dear lord, how much blow did that guy do to design that site. From his performance in front of the judge, I'm guessing it's a whole lot. There are Myspace pages that are better designed and less irritating. I never thought I'd say that, an average Myspace page is less irritating than just about any other page.
Whoa, that's like Hitler saying \"dang man, you are kinda being a jerk to those people.\"
After all the comments about how eye-straining HTFC's site is, I had to look.
Whoa. Momma. Nothing says Class like Smooth Jazz that's forcibly downloaded then played.
Caught this on the top of their About page:
As an Independent Mortgage Investor, we are extremely proud to report record earnings for the period ending Apr. 30, 2002.
So I guess that HTFC's expecting annual 15% home price appreciation until 2012?
I'm thinking of \"Glengarry Glen Ross\"--the David Mamet movie about realestate salesmen. Was it Alec Baldwin who played the foul-mouthed manager sent to fire the lower-selling members of the office?
Great movie, but hard to watch.
Seems like a better movie after reading something like this about REAL people who act that way.
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Several years ago, I was the office manager for four high-pressure, low-impulse-control, volatile creeps of commercial real estate brokers specializing in class A office properties. They fought in the office while I was on the telephone. Actually hit each other on a couple occasions. In more jovial moods, they would swear up a blue streak on the phone to customers. This is exactly the kind of behavior I would expect of those out-of-control head cases.