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OSO MUDSLIDE
Lenders not always in the loop The mortgage industry is often unaware when homes are destroyed in natural disasters. By Dan Catchpole Herald Writer
OSO — Last year’s devastating mudslide grabbed the country’s attention. Legions of disaster responders swarmed the Stillaguamish Valley, and millions of dollars in relief money poured in. The charitable departments of several large banks, including Wells Fargo and JPMorgan
Chase, even sent donations to help. Their residential lending offices, however, seemed to have not known until much later about the March 22, 2014, mudslide that killed 43 people and wiped out dozens of homes. Many home loans for properties there are still on their books and unresolved. The mammoth mortgage industry is not alerted when a
home is destroyed during a natural disaster. But it does notice when a home’s insurance policy is canceled or mortgage payments cease. One company even foreclosed on a dead man’s nonexistent Oso house. Lenders buy and sell home loans to each other all the time, and a few loans, for homes that no longer existed, even changed hands after the slide, which was the deadliest natural disaster in the country last year. Some banks imposed expensive insurance policies to meet loan requirements, not realizing
that insurance had been canceled because the houses didn’t exist anymore. “I just talked to one of the largest national creditors, who said, ‘We didn’t even know about this disaster,’ ” said Randy Lowell, the compliance director at Parkview Services in Shoreline. The non-profit housing services group has been working with mudslide survivors and victim families to resolve outstanding mortgages. State-based lenders were See LENDERS, Page A2
A quest for closure
Tim Thomas, with his wife, Linda (right), and daughter, Brynnelle, recounts the events that led to son Jarom‘s death in December.
KEVIN CLARK / THE HERALD
A Lake Stevens family seeks answers in son’s death Herald Writer
LAKE STEVENS — Jarom Luke Thomas was eager to figure life out on his own. As a toddler he walked just one day before he decided to run. He didn’t care for naps. There was too much to do and learn. He taught himself to swim and ride a bicycle. He may have overestimated
his ability and know-how when it came to fixing cars and computers, but that didn’t stop him. The 18-year-old was up at 6 a.m. on weekends, ready to take on the day. His years with Boy Scout Troop 187 led him to grand adventures in the outdoors — campouts, kayaking and hiking. He asked tough questions and was comfortable explaining how he felt and what he thought in
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ways that seemed beyond his age, Tim Thomas said of his son. Linda Thomas recalled fondly the four years her youngest was home-schooled and their talks about art, science, literature and history. He was a sensitive and generous child. “He was like a warm blanket to a lot of people,” she said. For the past three months Linda and Tim Thomas have been trying to make sense of
We are driven One-finger control: A self-driving Audi Q5, outfitted with radar, cameras and laser sensors, recently completed its 3,400-mile, 15-state journey, with a human driver in control only 1 percent of the time. The only problems occurred when the car, which stuck to the Dear Abby . . . D5 Horoscope . . . B4
their son’s death, given what they know about his life. Jarom Thomas died Dec. 21 after he was punched in the face and hit his head on pavement outside a party near Lake Roesiger. Another teen eventually dropped him off at the Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s emergency
speed limit, angered other drivers who had to drive around it and subjected passengers to “a few hateful gestures” (Page A11). To correct the problem, engineers will install a robotic arm that can return the “gestures.” Check the spam folder: The state Auditor’s Office
Lottery . . . . . . A2 Obituaries . . . A8
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See QUEST, back page, this section
says it has found no emails between Auditor Troy Kelley and a former business associate and part-time employee related to an ongoing FBI investigation of Kelley’s closed escrow business (Page A8). Kelley, D-Accounting for Dummies, blamed the lack of relevant emails on his use of Hillary Clinton’s email server. Sports . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . A12
Thefts a growing numbers problem Snohomish County has its fair share of property crimes and arrests in a state that leads the nation in such crimes. By Eric Stevick Herald Writer
MARYSVILLE — Burglars and thieves keep plenty busy in Snohomish County. On an average day, they’ll pull off nearly 50 property crimes, and those are the ones that actually get reported to police. Yet, when compared with the state, things don’t seem quite so bad. Snohomish County accounts for 7 percent of the state’s property crimes but 11 percent of the population. It also has 11 percent of the state’s arrests for various ways of stealing, according to researchers who examined property crimes in Washington state. The report grabbed headlines in January because it found that Washington has the nation’s highest rate for property crimes. Washington averages 3,710 property crimes per 100,000 people. The national average is 2,730. The numbers are based on 2013 FBI statistics. They include burglaries, auto theft, car break-ins, identity theft and other crimes. State lawmakers continue to debate what should be done, including whether it makes sense to shorten sentences but increase community supervision to keep better tabs on felons when they are released. One bill passed through the Senate; another remains in the House. In 2013, there were 17,655 reports of property crime in the county. Statewide the total exceeded a quarter million. Police in Snohomish County made 3,002 property crime arrests during that time. Statewide, more than two thirds of property crimes were committed by people with felony convictions. That doesn’t surprise Marysville Police Department Sgt. James Maples, who leads a multi-agency group of detectives investigating property crimes in north Snohomish County. Many of its arrests have involved repeat offenders and career criminals, he said. Some have been major players on the black market in the business of selling off stolen loot. “It’s either that’s what they know, or heroin, and they have to supply their demand,” he said. See THEFTS, Page A2
A rock pioneer: Gary Ross Dahl, the creator of the huge Pet Rock fad in the 1970s, which sold stones in cardboard boxes for $4 each, has died at his Oregon home. He was 78 (Page D6). He is survived by his wife of 40 years, two hunks of granite and numerous pebbles and gneisses.
—Jon Bauer, Herald staff
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