Sandy Victims Facing Hurdles Claiming Insurance Funds

Michael and Devorah Merwitz lost their entire first floor to flooding due to Superstorm Sandy, but still, they say, they are fortunate.

The Cedarhurst residents said they’re fortunate because, unlike many Long Islanders dealing with the issue of rebuilding their homes, the Merwitzes had the funds saved up to immediately start doing repairs. They have flood insurance and received a check, but have not been able to receive the funds — almost two months later — due to the back and forth with their mortgage company, Bank of America.

“It’s a rude surprise if you haven’t had the resources, and now they’re going to have to wait weeks until Bank of America pulls their finger up,” Michael Merwitz said. “I’ve heard other banks that have endorsed checks right away.”

Many Long Island residents are struggling to rebuild their homes after the devastating storm, but those with mortgages have an extra hurdle to clear before being compensated by their insurance companies because the mortgage company must sign off on the check. Some mortgage companies have even asked for repairs to be done before the funds are released, which clashes with the fact that many contractors ask for payments in advance of doing work.

“...the bank must be listed on the check,” Christina Shaw of the The Christina Shaw Agency wrote on Bellmore Patch’s Facebook page. “If the check is above a certain amount some mortgage companies will require their own property inspection to insure the work was completed.”

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) said practices such as this have “resulted in a hardship for many families who lack the resources to pay for repairs pending reimbursement. It has also slowed the overall recovery process in my assembly district,” he wrote in a December letter. Weisenberg recently told Patch that banks and insurance companies “acknowledge the problem, but that doesn’t solve my problem.”

The Merwitzes’ loan is held by Fannie Mae, and is a larger amount than Bank of America can endorse at one of its locations, according to Bank of America Spokesperson Laura Hunter. Their check had to be sent to California to be processed, but was again delayed because it lacked the endorsement of the “second lien servicer.”

Michael Merwitz said he met with a Bank of America representative that was sent to New York to deal with Sandy issues, who then handled the paperwork. He said any delay caused by the paperwork is an error on the bank’s part.

Joanna Bernardini's says her experience has been easier than the
Merwitzes’.

"I have JP Morgan Chase as my mortgage holder," she wrote on the Bellmore Patch Facebook page. "It has been easy because I just go to a Chase Bank. Some mortgage companies do not have a local bank and that would be more difficult to get the check cashed."

Still, Merwitz was reassured to at least get a response from Bank of America after weeks of silence.

“It looks like b****ing and moaning makes a difference,” he said.

Story by Stephen Bronner.