LA area Pagan saves her home from Grinch bank

It took over a year, but local Pagan, magician, performer, and reader Marguerite Kusuhara and her husband Art managed to get a mortgage modification so they could afford their payments. “Our mortgage was upside down and we were running out of money,” she says. “We applied for modification, but were given a hard time.”

The economy is in such a tailspin partly because of the housing crisis. About 2.5 million homes have been repossessed nationally since 2005 and there are more than 6 million in the foreclosure process. Marguerite says if you may be facing foreclosure, don’t wait for there to be a problem, be proactive. She and her husband started the process while they were still current on their payments. It was a process that took over a year and left Marguerite burned out from stress. It was only this month that she believed the bank was really going to give them the 40-year modification. This month the first payment came out.

When Chase bank started giving them a hard time Marguerite went to her congress woman, Maxine Waters. “People in Maxine’s office fought for us.” A constituent advocate in Waters’ office proved a valuable ally in trying to get the bank to do things right and keep its promises, she says. The bank “wanted new paperwork every time we turned around. Every time the bank called us, we called the advocate.” Eventually they also dealt with a sole contact at Chase. “He told us, ‘Don’t call anybody else at the bank, because they won’t know what’s going on.’ ” Marguerite also called upon all her metaphysical friends and she and her husband worked hard. “I focused all my energy on getting what I wanted. I was the strategist, he was the record keeper. I did a lot of praying.”

It also was hard to save their house because Art is 72, legally blind, and hard of hearing and Marguerite’s health was suffering from the stress of the situation. “It took over a year. These people are evil,” Marguerite says, her frustration and anger still close to the surface. She says there is no way she could have done this if she had a 9 to 5 job. It took all her time. As a performer her work hours are in the evening and on the weekend. This left her with bank hours to fight Chase. In retrospect she says, “We should have asked them first where our note was. If they don’t know they don’t own it (the house) either.”  

Magick was a big part of Marguerite’s strategy. “I used a lot of wards and charged items all over my house.” She has a 3rd degree in the O.T.O. , worked with Ed Fitch, and is a Tibetan Buddhist. “I have become a more formidable person. I finally had a place to aim it.”

Marguerite advises people to “share their long sad story.” Too often she says, “people in the community kept this kind of information quiet. But this makes us complicit. Do not sit down and be quiet.” The fire comes through again. “I am not only a Pagan, but I’m not a very nice Pagan when people f ___ with me.” She also warns to be careful how much you share with the bank. Don’t let them know how much information you have and keep notes so you can create a deposition, if needed. Her last piece of advice when it comes to the banks, “Do not behave. Get out there and kick some ass!”

Marguerite is willing to give some advice on saving your home. You can contact her at: marguerite@gypsymagic.com

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