The stable family of Mohamed Sultan enjoying a modest income living in their own house with clear title, having no savings but no debts either has been ensnared into a foreclosure trap by Countrywide; the latter was later taken over by Bank of America.

With breaks Mohammed has been a student of petroleum engineering ending up at Missouri University of Science and Technology. While working he hoped to graduate after taking loans on two houses. His first house was too small for his growing family. On the guidance of advisers of Countrywide he mortgaged it to buy another house and do some repairs so as to rent out the first one.

But one after another troubles compelled him to give up studying. In 2004 his mother came down with cancer. He remained back to care for her till her death in 2007. In early 2008 he himself fell ill and got cut off from student loans that he was making use of to continue with mortgage dues.

In 2009 he was found to be suffering from kidney cancer but even then he resumed classes; but when the foreclosure notice was served on him for his first house in Columbia he dropped out unable to cope with the stress. The day the family was served with the foreclosure notice their son aged eleven went missing. At around midnight they located him in the park crying, “I have no home to go back to”.

Hesitating to file for bankruptcy Mohamed engaged a local attorney dealing with consumer protection. In 2010 cancer symptoms vanished but his financial anxieties continued to increase and press down on him. Later in October of that year he had a heart attack. In December his son-in-law died.

The Sultans do not deny that they have no idea about the process involved in buying a house. Mohamed assumed that the bank would not ignore what was good for the client. Although none forced them to contract the two toxic loans it is seen that the Sultans were never eligible for the loan.

The bank was well aware of the fact. In 2007 Countrywide hurried Mohamed and his wife through the loan by making them sign a pile of papers without explaining anything It was only after hiring their attorney Wilson, that the Sultans realized what they had committed themselves to.

Karen Anne, has been working on ForeclosureListings.com studying the foreclosures market, helping buyers on the finer points of foreclosures. Try to visit ForeclosureListings.com and search foreclosure listings.