Granite Law Wants to Charge Me to Modify My Mortgage. – John

“Dear Steve,

I have a fixed rate mortgage at 6.8% on my home I live in. The amount owed is more than the value. $380K vs. $300?K. A radio ad here in the Chicago market recently stated a company could assist home owners who were under water to get a lower payment. Mine is currently sitting at $3100 including T&I.

I called the number and it is for a California Law firm called Granite Law LLC. www.granite-law.com After reviewing my situation they are promising to be able to lower my interest rate to a low 3 or maybe the high 2’s and be able to save me hundreds in my monthly payment. My loan is with Acqura (servicing compayny). Granite law wants to charge me $1700 to do this.

Can you tell me if you have heard of Granite Law and what you think of what they are offering? I really hate to dish out the money if they can’t do anything. Thanks for your guidance. BTW – My wife and I owned a business that went under in 2008 and using your advice we have now paid off 17 credit cards. More to go but we can see day light now.

John”

Dear John,

Welcome back.

These outfits are a dime a dozen and seemingly never deliver but charge and advance fee without a guarantee. In fact the Federal Trade Commission has rules against charging advance fees called the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule.

For free help with mortgage modification, talk to a HUD Housing Counselor.

What you heard was an advertisement for you to call so probably a salesperson could close you.

I took a look at Granite Law for you. Here is what I found.

The website says, “Granite Law, an industry leading national law firm.” – Source

They also say they are located at 7545 Irvine Center Drive, Suite​ 200, Irvine, California 92618. – Source

That address is actually a virtual office space with Regus. – Source

You would naturally think a leading national law firm would not operate out of a rented virtual office.

The Granite Law website is granite-law.com. They hide their domain ownership and that’s certainly not the hallmark of a leading law firm. The domain name was registered on June 24, 2011.

Granite Law says that the Irvine address is their corporate address.

A LinkedIn profile for a John VU says they are actually located in FullertonIrvine, California. – Source

There is no corporation registered in California under the name Granite Law.

The only company with a similar name is Granite Law Group, LLC which is located in Utah but did not register with the state until April 11, 2012.

The Granite Law website says the company name is actually Granite Law California LLP. I still could not find anything under that name.

The BBB says the business is an attorney advertising company and not a law firm. They have only been a member since October 16, 2012. – Source

I did find the following statement on their website:

PAID ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT: This website is a group advertisement. It is not a lawyer referral service or prepaid legal services plan. Granite Law does not endorse or recommend any lawyer or law firm who participates in the network. It does not make any representation and has not made any judgment as to the qualifications, expertise or credentials of any participating lawyer. All case evaluations are performed by participating and licensed attorneys. An attorney responsible for the content of this Site is Adam J Gerard, Esq., licensed in California with offices at 7545 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 200, Irvine, California 92618. To see the attorney in your area who is responsible for this advertisement, please click here [NEED LINK] If you live in Alabama, Florida, Missouri, New York or Wyoming, please click here for additional information. Granite Law and the attorneys and/or law firms promoted through this website are federally designated Debt Relief Agencies. They help people file for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. – Source

The website lists the following attorneys as “partners”: – Source

o Richard Charles Frier – Alabama
o Jeffrey Wells – Arkansas
o James Andrews – Arizona
o Robert Larson – Arizona
o Adam Gerard – California
o Loren Castro – California
o Allan Calomino – California
o Jamilla Moore – California
o John Dougherty – Colorado
o Joseph J. Pfeuffer – Connecticut
o Sheron A. Barton – District of Columbia
o Catherine Di Lorenzo – Delaware
o Andrew Steele – Florida
o Brad Bader – Florida
o Gary Carpenter – Florida
o Robert Dwyer – Florida
o Alvin Albert – Georgia
o Everett Walton – Hawaii
o Greg Dunn – Hawaii
o William Mitchell – Idaho
o Rusty Reinoehl – Illinois
o Eric Bohnet – Indiana
o Camron Hoorfar – Kansas
o James Hayes Lawson – Kentucky
o Julia Whisenant – Louisiana
o Amber Kovach – Massachusetts
o Daniel Ruggiero – Massachusetts
o Sheron A. Barton – Maryland
o Jeremey Miller – Maine
o Donald McGuigan – Michigan
o Jeffrey Cojocar – Michigan
o Howard Kleyman – Montana
o Camron Hoorfar – Missouri
o Stephen Cofin – Missouri
o John Windsor – Mississippi
o Keith Trader – North Dakota
o Matt Jenkins – Nebraska
o Jeremey Miller – New Hampshire
o Ivan Raevski – New Jersey
o Suzanne M. Carter – New Jersey
o Jennifer Tsai – Nevada
o Michael Terry – Nevada
o Ivan Raevski – New York
o Daniel Ruggiero – New York
o Lasheyl Stroud – Ohio
o Steven F. Stulhbarg – Ohio
o Ron Brown – Oklahoma
o Michael Sterner – Oregon
o Michael Siddons – Pennsylvania
​o Daniel Ruggiero – Rhode Island
o James Steve Bruce – South Carolina
o Andy Oostdyk – Texas
o Barry Broughton – Texas
o Jack Walsh – Texas
o Jeff Wells – Texas
o David Hester – Utah
o Andrew Chen – Virginia
o Donald Park – Virginia
o Jeremey Miller – Vermont
o Christopher J. Mercado – Washington
o Richard Symmes – Washington
o Greg Straub – Wisconsin

Thanks for letting me know you live in Illinois.

Since you are located in Illinois the attorney that Granite Law lists as a partner in Illinois is:

Rusty Keith Reinoehl
Reinoehl Law Offices, LLC
119 W. Walnut Street P.O. Box 698
Robinson, IL 62454-2147
(618) 469-1000

Please feel free to do your own checking up on them also.

I would recommend that anyone considering using such a company should read the following fee guides.

1. The Ultimate Consumer Guide to Checking Out a Debt Relief Company Before You Sign On the Line
2. 10 Must Do Steps to Find the Best Credit Counseling or Debt Settlement Company for You
3. How to Check Out a Business or Company to Avoid Getting Scammed or Ripped Off

Please post your responses and follow-up messages to me on this in the comments section below.

Sincerely,


You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.

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Steve Rhode is the Get Out of Debt Guy and has been helping good people with bad debt problems since 1994. You can learn more about Steve, here.

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