Mortgage Relief Law Center - Law Offices Of Brian J. Colombana LOAN MODIFICATIONS RIPOFF - DON'T USE THEM!! ASK FOR A REFUND NOW! Irvine California

The truth was told and this company is no longer in business.  There was a court case regarding the alleged defamation and Kristina Briscoe won the case.  A link for you to get status of company:

http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Loan-Modifications/Brian-Colombana-Attorney-at-Law-in-Ontario-CA-100078220

The bottom line is that this was a shady operation and Ms. Briscoe was brave enough to warn consumers.

I thought I had made a good decision with this company to help me with my loan modification. My "sales rep" answered all my questions quickly via email and phone at all times of the day. I was told to send all my documentation and retainer fee via FedEx. I did, and on July 8th I was notified via email that I would be receiving a call from a legal assistant to receive my user name and password to their website to follow my loan modification process. On July 9th, after my email inquiry, I was advised my package had been received and that I would receive a call the following day. On July 10 my check had already been cashed but no phone calls or emails anymore.....

I tried getting a hold of my sales rep last week, and as of today, still no response.

So now I guess I just wait and pray I'm not the next rip off vicitim.

I thought I had made a good decision with this company to help me with my loan modification. My "sales rep" answered all my questions quickly via email and phone at all times of the day. I was told to send all my documentation and retainer fee via FedEx. I did, and on July 8th I was notified via email that I would be receiving a call from a legal assistant to receive my user name and password to their website to follow my loan modification process. On July 9th, after my email inquiry, I was advised my package had been received and that I would receive a call the following day. On July 10 my check had already been cashed but no phone calls or emails anymore.....

I tried getting a hold of my sales rep last week, and as of today, still no response.

So now I guess I just wait and pray I'm not the next rip off vicitim.

I thought I had made a good decision with this company to help me with my loan modification. My "sales rep" answered all my questions quickly via email and phone at all times of the day. I was told to send all my documentation and retainer fee via FedEx. I did, and on July 8th I was notified via email that I would be receiving a call from a legal assistant to receive my user name and password to their website to follow my loan modification process. On July 9th, after my email inquiry, I was advised my package had been received and that I would receive a call the following day. On July 10 my check had already been cashed but no phone calls or emails anymore.....

I tried getting a hold of my sales rep last week, and as of today, still no response.

So now I guess I just wait and pray I'm not the next rip off vicitim.

I thought I had made a good decision with this company to help me with my loan modification. My "sales rep" answered all my questions quickly via email and phone at all times of the day. I was told to send all my documentation and retainer fee via FedEx. I did, and on July 8th I was notified via email that I would be receiving a call from a legal assistant to receive my user name and password to their website to follow my loan modification process. On July 9th, after my email inquiry, I was advised my package had been received and that I would receive a call the following day. On July 10 my check had already been cashed but no phone calls or emails anymore.....

I tried getting a hold of my sales rep last week, and as of today, still no response.

So now I guess I just wait and pray I'm not the next rip off vicitim.

Hello just wanted to let all the consumers out there to know that Mortgage Relief Law Center is great do not listen to whoever this ex-employee is that is all I had to say.

Hello everyone I just wanted to responded to these false rumors by the first person. This law firm was very professional and kind and saved my home to going to foreclosure. Without there quick response and work I would not be leaving in my home today thanks Brian J. Colombana

Hello everyone just wanted to say that this ex-employee was only with us for two days. She is giving false information about our law firm and the employee that work here. We work hard and we very ethical to our clients. The company is owned by Brian J. Colombana and the processing team are all Brian's employees. We do not use an out source company for our processing, they are located on the second floor of the building. In here claim of seeing two foreclosures happen in one weeks time is a total lie. This employee only worked with this law firm for two days. Furthermore, she was fired due to not responding to the guidelines which were set for her. When it comes to drinking beer during work hours that is also false. Yes of course we have a dog there it is part of the family. Please do not take her posting seriously thanks.

Hello every one just wanted to say that this law firm was great. I wanted just to respond and say that who ever this this ex-employee is writing false statements about the company. I had a meeting with one of there case manager Terrance England and he was very nice and very helpful. The office was very professional also and I was very impressed. I met Brian J.Colombana and the underwriter team and they had everything running very smoothly. They have great looking office and I recommend this law firm to everybody that feels that they might loose there home.

Effective May 1, 2009, a website entitled "Freehelploanmod" will be established by Kristina Briscoe to help homeowners who are experiencing a hardship. Kristina Briscoe has provided foreclosure prevention solutions to homeowners for several years. She was a top producing negotiator and can help you by teaching you how to do it yourself. There is no charge. The website will be up and running effective May 1.

Jessica, I don't know if you understand this, but your post is considered libel if you were in fact an ex-employee seeking defamation of this law office. This is a serious tort as it puts consumers into question about the legitimacy of this company and they can and should take legal action against you for damages. What damages you ask? They can actually estimate the amount of business they did not receive because of your report and make you accountable for it. Being an ITT specialist as well as an impending lawyer, i can tell you that the source of your post can be traced and as soon as you are proven to be an ex-employee, you will be taken to court and found guilty (without a doubt).

I think you should seriously consider a formal apology.

Ripoffreport, you guys need to seriously consider pulling down this post if the company provides hard evidence of customer satisfaction.

I just wanted to comment on how happy I am that this company saved my home. My whole experience has been really easy. I am usually pretty hard to please. The transaction was smooth,and my case manager was always honest with me. he didn't always tell me what I wanted to hear,but he was at least honest. the only thing that matters is he saved my house. I could care less that they have a dog on the premis,I never even stepped one foot on the location. I can sleep peacefully at night,and for that I owe this company my life. Thank you so much and I reccommend them to anyone.

Consumers, I would like to make it clear that my posting was not a retaliation attempt. I was not TERMINATED. I prefer not to air out the details of pending litigation and a pending government investigation, however, since the attorney initiated it and it appears he wanted to make sure that he reveals a name, I will respond. I also will be limited in what I can say, due to the litigation and government investigation. I have no reason to lie about anything I reported. There is no gain for me in any manner. I'm not getting paid to tell you what was told to me by one of the other owners, R.J. Jones, and also Bruno Lopez, who was my manager and what I experienced and witnessed. However, I can tell you that the rebuttal does have the impact of retaliating against me for reporting what I witnessed. I worked for this company for less than one week, because I RESIGNED after being asked to work for the alleged 3rd party, LANDLORD. Based upon the information I have, the alleged unethical set-up with the LANDLORD made me uncomfortable. Based upon regulations established by the California State Bar, the company didn't appear to be in compliance. When I refused to work for the LANDLORD, I was offered another opportunity with the company because they said I was a hard worker, and they didn't want to lose me. After careful consideration and other details of which I'm not at liberty to type here, I decided not to move forward with that opportunity. Now that is the truth. I guess Brian Colombana has a different truth?? If I wanted to, I could be emotional and report all the details that support my assertions, but that would be a disservice to pending litigation and the government investigation. I can honestly state that this whole experience feels like that movie called The Firm where you accept a job in good faith, you work hard and then you are set-up and lied about. On that point, I received a threatening email from Brian Colombana, and I also received an email from one of the employees who tried to set me up and even used the words GOD BLESS YOU. Brian Colombana took the opportunity to tell you a name, because if his reputation is being damaged, he would like to take someone down with him. You are more than welcome to follow the pending litigation, and also you may check with the California Department of Real Estate and California State Bar regarding any investigations. I never expected this to turn so ugly. I'm not going to get into this unproductive energy of going back and forth with responses to Brian Colombana's rebuttal(s). I just advise you to follow your gut, and most importantly save your home. I advise you to try to get it resolved by talking to your lender yourself. Regarding my attempt to help you the consumer by posting this report, let the chips fall where they may. Brian Colombana may know the law and how to find ways to sue people, but I have peace of mind each night, because I treat others in the same manner in which I want to be treated.

Our company recently hired a processor, Kristina Briscoe, which we had to release due to poor job performance. Her immature attempt to retaliate with this post only further validates our decision to release her. Regarding her post, some of the comments are true, and some of them are false. I will address them in turn below.

[Regarding Kristina Briscoe's update, we are in the process of suing her for publishing false and defamatory statements on a public forum. That is a punishable offense called libel. We will post the case number on this forum for anybody interested in following the action.]

WE ARE SET UP LEGALLY AND FULLY COMPLY WITH STATE BAR REGULATIONS AND RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

I have personally contacted the state bar on several occasions to confirm that we comply will all state bar regulations. We are a law firm set up in the State of California as A Professional Corporation; hence, the APC in The Law Offices of Brian J. Colombana, APC.

YES, OUR SALES REPRESENTATIVES TAKE INBOUND CALLS

Her comment is correct. We do have sales representatives, or case managers, that take inbound calls. It is more efficient for me to spend my time working on the actual cases and negotiations with the lenders. If I took every inbound call, I would not have the time to actually work on our client's cases.

THE FILE IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERRED TO THE CLERK BECAUSE THEY MUST RUN IT BY ME BEFOREHAND

Once our senior case manager takes a potential clients information or specific scenario, they run it by me for approval. If I feel like we can help them, the further discuss options with the client. If the client desires to proceed, they collect standard information that we will require to process their file. Once they receive that information, I review the file again to make sure all the information we received falls in line with what was discussed over the phone. Before we run the client's payment, I want to again make sure we can help them. If after reviewing the client documentation, I feel we can still help the client, the file is transferred to our clerk for payment processing.

YES, WE HAVE A CLERK THAT PROCESSES OUR PAYMENTS

Again, I cannot do everything. I have administrative assistants who help me with tasks such as payroll and payment processing. This is authorized and allowed by the State Bar.

THE FILES NEVER GO TO A THIRD PARTY

This aspect of the post is most upsetting to me and we are already proceeding with legal action against the above named individual for this defamatory statement. We process and manage all of our cases in house; actually under the same roof. If anyone would like to see and confirm this, they can visit or I'll even take photos. My underwriters, processors, and processing assistants are all W2 assistants and work for the company.

By keeping the entire process in house, I can manage the file to assure it is being handled diligently. Any client who has ever contacted me regarding their file knows that I am in constant supervision through every phase of the process.

YES, ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES ALSO HAPPENS TO OWN THE BUILDING WE WORK IN

I came across our current business location when I looked to hire the owner of the building as an underwriter. She has over 20 years experience in the business and knows what lenders look for in loan modification applications. Our building has over 5,000 square feet and holds a prime location in Irvine, California. The lease agreement I have with her is completely separate to her employment agreement with my company.

WE HAVE INCREDIBLE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO SAVE A HOUSE

This company has unbelievable employees. Anybody here would do whatever it takes to save a home. On a few occasions, we were contacted the day before a foreclosure sale and our employees came to work at 4:00 in the morning to contact the lender's east coast office and we were able to stop the sales. All of our current employees are more than willing to work 16 hour days, even weekends, if needed.

YES, MY EMPLOYEES REFER LEGAL CASES SUCH AS BANKRUPTCIES TO OUR OFFICE

I don't understand the point she is trying to make here but all of our employees refer their friends and family to our office. We do great work and they all entrust their friends and family to our firm. This is a compliment.

THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IS LITTERED WITH ERRORS

Kristina did not last here for one week. We got rid of her after 2 days. She did not witness 2 foreclosures. As mentioned above, we were contacted by one client the day prior to a foreclosure sale, but we were able to stop the sale and save the house.

If we really had a problem handling our cases, our clients would be directing posts to Ripoff Report, not a disgruntled ex-processor. We have approximately 600-800 clients at any given time so there is plenty of opportunity. I take it personally that each and every one of our clients is satisfied with our service.

I NEVER USE MY INITIALS, THE COMPANY CARRIES MY FULL NAME

I have always used my full name. Not because of the inappropriate connotation my first and middle initial would have, but because I am not trying to hide anything. Yes, we do have some employees who choose to go by nicknames or initials but that is because they prefer it. We respect that.

The irony lies in the fact that Kristina made this post under the phony name Beware instead of using her real name. She is the one with something to hide. I only make her name public here so that any other company that wishes to hire her may check with us for a reference.

WE DO HAVE A GOOD TIME IN OUR OFFICE

We order in lunch for our employees, we always keep Gatorade, soda, and snacks on hand. And not the type where you have to pay the vending machine; it is all free. We are in a very stressful industry so we always try to make sure our office is as comforting as possible. Also because we are so busy that several employees don't have the time to go out for an hour lunch. So we accommodate them.

YES, WE DO HAVE A PET IN THE OFFICE

Our staff does include a 7 year old poodle named Sam. He is as much a part of our office as any other employee. He is harmless and often lightens the mood. We support that.

WE DO NOT DRINK BEER DURING WORKING HOURS

I have not seen anyone drinking beer in our office during working hours. If employees want to go have a beer with lunch, I cannot stop them. There are some employees who enjoy the occasional beer after hours; even I do. After writing this 3 page response I may even need one (just to keep me sane). This is an extremely stressful business. People put their homes in our hands like they put their lives in a doctor's hands. With that trust comes great responsibility on our part. Lenders do not make our job any easier. They are often vicious and unmerciful. We have to fight for every case. I lose sleep on a daily basis because of this. So I don't blame my employee's if they want to have a beer after hours.

YES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET A LOAN MODIFICATION ON YOUR OWN

It is also possible to represent yourself in court, buy and sell real estate on your own, and if you're brave, you could even perform medical operations on yourself. It would be risky for a borrower to try this on their own because their home is at stake. When it comes down to it, the lenders are not working for a borrower's best interests. They don't want to help you save your home, they want to get as much money out of you as they can before they take your home. They are debt collectors and they only work for their bottom line.

In order to qualify for a loan modification, you have to meet their qualification guidelines. They won't tell you what these guidelines are but we know them. So anyone can apply on their own, but if they don't meet those internal guidelines, they will get denied. Once a borrower has been declined for a loan modification, it is very difficult to reverse this and get them approved. The lender already recorded all their phone conversations and kept all their documentation on file. We would have to go back to the lender and try to convince them that what the borrower said before wasn't the case. This doesn't always work.

So to all my current and prospective clients, I am always available to speak. If anyone's interested, we have several references from actual clients and hundreds of loan modification agreements we've helped our clients achieve. If anyone wants further clarification on any of these issues, they can contact me through our office. I won't put my direct number on this post, but my current client's all have it and my prospective clients can ask their case managers for it.

Very truly yours,

Brian J. Colombana, Esq.

The attorney/owner sent me a threatening email stating he is going to sue me if I don't remove this report.

I advised him that I reported facts that was either given to me by another owner and/or I saw it myself.

I wasn't expecting this and prefer not to have this type of experience.