One bank is forcing a dying woman choose between medical bills and her home.
North Carolina residents Kirk and Cindi Davis say their lender, Wells Fargo, has threatened them with foreclosure unless they can make their monthly $873 mortgage payments, WCNC reports. That would be fine, the Davises insist, if the couple didn't owe more than $1,000 in medical bills every month for Cindi's now-terminal breast cancer.
Despite requests for reprieve from her doctors, who have told Wells Fargo that losing her home would be detrimental to her health, the bank has been unmoved. In a letter to WCNC, Wells Fargo stated:
“We understand that many of our customers may face challenges beyond their mortgage payment, so we often work with local housing counselors and other non profits that can help determine if any other assistance may be available. It’s important for customers to continue to work with their servicers and advise them of any changes in their situation. In assisting customers we must follow investor guidelines. These guidelines determine the kind and amount of assistance a borrower may receive. We work hard to help our customers maintain homeownership and view foreclosure as a last resort.”
Cindi is not the only cancer patient being financially squeezed, though. Earlier this year, North Carolina resident Rachel Flohr was in a similar situation with her landlord after she failed to make a rent payment, WWAY reports. She tried explaining that she was low on funds because she was receiving treatment for her recently diagnosed thyroid cancer. In May, after WWAY made inquiries with the landlords, the eviction order was rescinded.
One Seattle cancer survivor also narrowly escaped foreclosure last year. Dixie Mitchell asked her lender for a loan modification multiple times after both she and her husband had to spend much of their savings on medical bills when they were diagnosed with cancer, according to Komo News.