Matilde “Mati” Marquez Cuesta has been fighting against “Deutsche Bank” in Madrid for years. Her daughter had taken out a loan there, but was no longer able to pay it due to massive jumps in interest rates and unemployment. The bank then seized the daughter’s house – and Marquez Cuesta’s house, which had already been paid off. The apartments were then sold to a real estate speculator, the two women are in front of the Vloss of their abode. – An interview about Deutsche Bank’s actions in Spain and the solidarity that Mati has experienced so far.
In Spain, only 24 percent of the population rents and 76 percent of people live in owner-occupied housing – including many workers. So did Matilde “Mati” Marquez Cuesta. The daughter of Andalusian emigrants who came to Madrid fleeing large estates and poverty, she began working in a small sewing workshop the day she turned 14. According to a report by the neighborhood union Assamblea de Carabanchel: “All her life she worked in such a hard and badly paid sector as the cleaning industry, all her life she worked at home and took care of her whole family. This willingness to care led to her owning the purchase of her own daughter’s house.” In the interview, Mati tells the story of how it came about that both she and her daughter are now facing the loss of their home. This story even served as inspiration for the feature film “En los Margenes”. A spokesman for Deutsche Bank told perspective onlinenot to comment on the case. Basically you search in the event of default, “always the conversation to find solutions with the customer”. Mati has been fighting for such a solution for several years now.
Please describe your dispute with Deutsche Bank. How did it come about?
The conflict with Deutsche Bank began when my daughter and her husband applied for a mortgage loan from that bank in 2006 to buy a house. The bank asked for a guarantee and I, as a mother, guaranteed 20% with my own house. I had already paid that off and it was free of any mortgages. I never thought I could lose it.
At the start of the mortgage, they paid 700 euros a month, which they were comfortable paying as they both had jobs. The truth is that when you sign a mortgage, you’re not always aware of all the ramifications. With what we know today, we would certainly have acted very differently.
The interest rate was variable and increased dramatically every 6 months until eventually my daughter had to pay 1,600 euros per month. We were in great need to pay this mortgage, I helped them monthly with 500 euros from my salary and I was left with almost nothing for the whole month.
My daughter became unemployed and she and her husband eventually divorced because of the many problems. At some point we could no longer afford to pay Deutsche Bank and we had to make the fatal decision to stop making payments. Deutsche Bank quickly auctioned off the two houses, I don’t think they even waited until we hadn’t paid three installments. Because of this, we won an early foreclosure lawsuit that was an unfair term.
What is the current status of your case?
The current situation is that Deutsche Bank has sold the two houses in a loan portfolio to an investment fund called “Menorca Debt Holdings Dac”. We call these “Fondo buitre” (“Vulture Fund”, editor’s note).
As I said, we won a case and they proved us right. The judge closed our case. I thought they would give us another chance, but far from it – the fund opened the case in another court and they let it go.
The laws here only apply to the fittest, and they won. Now they want us to hand over both houses – my daughter’s house and my own, which I gave as a guarantee but is paid off in full. I totally refuse, my daughter says she’d give the house over but let me have mine. They don’t even want to give me a social rent. But we still live in the apartments.
What is your political and moral assessment of the behavior and role of Deutsche Bank in your case?
Deutsche Bank has no morals at all. They never wanted to just let me pay the 20% I vouched for because they only wanted the houses. I begged them, I cried I don’t know how many times, I have a recognized disability from the severe depression I got when they took my house and they didn’t give a damn.
What did you do in this situation, who supported you and what are your demands?
With such a heartbreaking situation and depression that has become chronic, I have to take medication for life. But I never gave up. At first my daughter and I went to the bank alone, but they ignored us until a neighbor told me about the local union in Carabanchel. That’s when I found the help I needed, there were more people like me, I wasn’t alone anymore, the support I had then and still have gives you the strength to keep going.
I’ve been fighting for 11 years now, surrounded by wonderful people who support me. From time to time we go to Deutsche Bank, they are always there, I’m never alone.
This bank is responsible for what happened to me and although a fund owns our homes, they are the ones that ruined my life.
They shouldn’t have just sold my house to a fund like they did, I’m sure. I want Deutsche Bank to take responsibility for what they did to me. They themselves admitted that the 20% I guaranteed was almost paid, but unfortunately the house has been sold, that’s what they told me when we last met.
How can people and organizations in Germany support you?
I want the people and organizations in Germany to know what irreparable damage this bank has caused me and many other families.
Now the case is before the Constitutional Court and that’s the last thing that can be done, that’s what the lawyer told me. I just hope the person taking the case has a little more time. Thank you very much for everything.
2023-07-07 09:32:24
#Deutsche #Bank #responsibility
