Paralegal
p: 202-380-9355
bjacobson@gowenrhoades.com
Elizabeth (Beth) Jacobson joined the firm in May 2016. Specializing in foreclosure defense, Ms. Jacobson works with Peter Silva in assisting homeowners in sustaining home ownership via mediation, loan modification and litigation support. Ms. Jacobson utilizes her years as a paralegal and as a former Wells Fargo employee (and whistle-blower) to successfully negotiate modifications. She also provides support in aggressively litigating foreclosure actions as well as other consumer protection arenas.
Ms. Jacobson maintains certification from the Nation Association of Mortgage Underwriters as a Forensic Loan Auditor and Certified Bank Foreclosure Examiner. Ms. Jacobson has been admitted as a Court-qualified Expert Witness by multiple Circuit Courts in Maryland in HAMP, loan modification, loan origination, bank/servicer compliance to consent orders/judgments and the securitization process.
Ms. Jacobson served as the Foreclosure Prevention Coordinator for Mid Shore Pro-Bono in Easton, Maryland. She has also received Special U.S. Congressional Recognition in 2009 for providing specialized assistance to Maryland homeowners in modifying the terms of their mortgage loans. Ms. Jacobson was tapped for participation as a panel member for Federal Banking Regulation Panel Discussion held at Georgetown University in November 2012 and 2013. Since 2011, Ms. Jacobson has been a member of The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s (SIFMA’s) Compliance and Legal Society (SIFMA is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA)).
Ms. Jacobson has been called upon by the FBI and the Maryland Attorney General Office to provide information on the inner workings of the mortgage industry-specifically on subprime loan origination, reverse redlining and the securitization process. She has been interviewed by CNN, the BBC, Democracy Now, The New York Times, and the Washington Post, on the ‘mortgage meltdown’.
Michael Moore enlisted her as a consultant to his docudrama Capitalism: A Love Story. Ms. Jacobson authored an article, “I Have a Dream House”, published by Harper’s Magazine in September 2009.
Ms. Jacobson provided an Affidavit of Wells Fargo’s predatory lending practices to the Department of Justice that was utilized in a reverse redlining settlement that cost Wells Fargo $175 million. Ms. Jacobson’s Affidavit was cited to Congress via “MORTGAGE LENDING DISCRIMINATION AND ITS ROLE IN THE SUBPRIME LENDING CRISIS” Testimony to the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Protecting the American Dream Part II: Combating Predatory Lending Under The Fair Housing Act April 29, 2010.
In her spare time, Beth enjoys hiking, playing USTA tennis and running 5Ks with her daughters as well as enjoying life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
