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OWNERSHIP.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT
CAUSED NEVADA'S HOUSING CRISIS -
FORGED SIGNATURES ON MORTGAGE
DOCUMENTS MAY BE ONE OF THEM.
STATE LEADERS TAKE A NEAR
UNANIMOUS STAND AGAINST IT.
BUT ONE NEVADA POLITICIAN MAY BE
VOTING ONE WAY, WHILE PROFITING
ANOTHER WAY.
THE I-TEAM'S NATHAN BACA DIGS
FOR CLEAR ANSWERS FOR WHAT SIDE
THIS STATE SENATOR IS ON.
THIS IS WHERE STATE SENATOR GREG
BROWER COMES IN.
HE JOINED A NEAR UNANIMOUS VOTE
LAST YEAR IN A HIGH-PROFILE BILL
COMBATTING ROBO-SIGNING.
THE RENO-AREA REPUBLICAN IS IN
ONE OF THE MOST COMPETETIVE
RACES IN THE STATE.
THE POWER BALANCE AT THE STATE
CAPITAL IS AT STAKE.
BUT PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT, A
CLEAR ANSWER FROM BROWER ON THE
QUESTION: IS ROBO-SIGNING GOOD
OR BAD?
(( ))
THERE ARE NEVADANS WHO DON'T
KNOW IF THEY OWN THEIR OWN
HOMES.
BILL CAMPBELL IS ONE OF THEM -
BILL CAMPBELL / NO CLEAR TITLE
ON HOME: "I DON'T OWN THE HOME I
BOUGHT 3 YEARS AGO.
I MADE PAYMENTS FAITHFULLY AND
ON TIME UNTIL JUST RECENTLY WHEN
IT WAS CONFIRMED I DON'T OWN THE
HOUSE I BOUGHT." TANYA
BUTTERFIELD ALSO CONSIDERS
HERSELF A VICTIM OF ROBOSIGNING.
SHE COULDN'T SHORT SELL THE
FAMILY HOME BECAUSE THERE WAS NO
CLEAR TITLE.
THEY DECLARED BANKRUPTCY
INSTEAD.
TANYA BUTTERFIELD / NO CLEAR
TITLE ON HOME: "IT'S MY HUSBAND
AND I'S FIRST HOME (TEARS)
SORRY.
AND THEN IT'S WHERE MY SON, WE
BROUGHT HIM HOME THERE.
IT WAS HIS FIRST HOME." GREG
BROWER IS NEVADA'S FORMER U-S
ATTORNEY.
HE'S NOW A PARTNER AT A PRIVATE
LAW FIRM PAID TO REPRESENT
LENDER PROCESSING SERVICES.
NEVADA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL SUED
THAT COMPANY FOR WHAT THE STATE
CALLS THE LARGEST CASE OF
ILLEGAL ROBO- SIGNING.
BROWER'S FELLOW ATTORNEYS FILED
THIS COURT PAPER.
IT SAYS ROBO- SIGNING IS NOT
ILLEGAL, IS EXPRESSLY PERMITTED,
AND IS NOT FORGERY.
WE WANTED TO SEE IF GREG BROWER
HIMSELF SUPPORTS ROBO- SIGNING.
AT FIRST, HE TOLD US ON THE
PHONE HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
THE HIGH- PROFILE ROBO- SIGNING
CASE.
WE WANTED BROWER TO EXPLAIN HIS
POSITION.
HIS OFFICE CANCELLED ONE
INTERVIEW AND POSTPONED SEVERAL
TIMES.
WE APPROACHED GREG BROWER AT A
LAS VEGAS LEGISLATIVE HEARING --
AT THE END OF THE LUNCH BREAK.
BACA: YOU HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT
WHATSOEVER? BROWER: NO.
BUT I'M NOT - WE'RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF A HEARING.
LOOK, YOU DON'T NEED TO DO
ANYTHING.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
LEGISLATIVE HEARING.
IF YOU WANT TO TALK AT SOME
POINT, LETS MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO
DO THAT.
BUT YOU COAN'T INTURRPUT A
HEARING.
BACA: BUT THE HEARING ISN'T
GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
BROWER: WE'RE ABOUT TO START.
THE CHAIRMAN'S ABOUT TO GAVEL
IN.
SO BACA: CAN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT
THIS AND EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?
BROWER: I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS
IS.
BACA: IT'S A LETTER FROM YOU.
IN THE LETTER TO THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL'S OFFICE, BROWER SAYS HE
REPRESENTS L-P-S AND ALL
QUESTIONS SHOULD GO THROUGH HIM.
BROWER: WELL, THIS IS A LETTER
THAT I SENT TO JOHN KELLEHER
QUITE SOME TIME AGO IN
ANTICIPATION OF SOME MEETING
THAT I FACILITATED BETWEEN LPS
AND HIS OFFICE.
LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT INVOLVED IN
BOTTOM LINE: IS GREG BROWER, A
ITICAL MEMBER OF THE STATE
OWER: WELL, THAT'S A LEGALG
ESTION THAT I'D BE HAPPY TO
T INTO IN SOME OTHER CONTEXT.
YOUR QUESTION IS AND I JUSTF
DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING
WITH THIS.
SHEILA LESLIE / (D) RUNNING
AGAINST BROWER: "I THINK IT'S
REALLY SHAMEFUL FORMER STATE
SENATOR SHEILA LESLIE IS RUNNING
AGAINST BROWER.
ON A SNOWY RENO DAY, LESLIE
EXPLAINS WHO SHE BELIEVES
NEVADA'S LEADERS SHOULD BE
FIGHTING FOR.
LESLIE: "SOME OF THE BANKS AND
THESE MORTGAGE PROCESSING FIRMS
HAVE ADDED TO THE MISERY THAT SO
MANY HARD WORKING NEVADANS HAVE
FACED, STRUGGLING FAMILIES THAT
HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES." REAL
ESTATE ATTORNEYS SAY THAT 9 OUT
OF 10 HOMES PURCHASED AFTER
FORECLOSURE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH
THEIR TITLES.
ROBO-SIGNING MAY SOUND
IMPERSONAL BY IT'S VERY TITLE,
BUT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
NEVADANS FEEL ITS IMPACT
PERSONALLY.
SOME LEFT THEIR HOMES, UNCERTAIN
IF THEY HAD TO.
OTHERS BOUGHT HOUSES NOT KNOWING
IF THEIR HOMES ARE TRULY THEIRS
TO BE CLEAR: THERE IS A LEGAL
DEFENSE OF ROBO-SIGNING THAT
WILL BE HEARD IN DISTRICT COURT
MAY 10TH.
LENDER PROCESSING SERVICES SAYS
IT HAS NOT DONE ANY ILLEGAL ACT
AND THAT HAVING EMPLOYEES SIGN
MORTGAGE DOCUMENTS IN THEIR
BOSSES NAME IS NOT FORGERY.
AFTER OUR INTERVIEW, GRRG BROWER
CONTACTED US SAYING HIS LAW FIRM
NO LONGER REPRESENT L-P-S.
HE SAYS IT IS "DIFFICULT FOR HIM
TO DISCUSS ROBO-SIGNING IN THE
ABSTRACT."
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