Buffalo: 'Shame campaign' prods bank to remedy blight'

shame on you bank of america.........from buffalonews.......

"A "shame campaign" that aims to prod some banks to fix blighted homes that are in foreclosure produced speedy results in one of the more flagrant cases.

Bank of America brought in a contractor this week to perform extensive maintenance and repairs to a long-vacant dilapidated home on an otherwise picturesque South Buffalo street. The property at 44 Arbour Lane was the focus of a front page article Monday in The Buffalo News.

Hundreds of Buffalo properties are in foreclosure proceedings initiated by banks, including dozens that have fallen into disrepair and are the target of neighborhood complaints.

For about a year, city officials and housing advocates had tried unsuccessfully to get Bank of America, the nation's largest bank, to fix up the property.

This week, crews hired by the bank cut the grass, trimmed bushes and even did some bricks-and-mortar repairs. A California-based vice president of the bank informed city officials that crews also plan to repair gutters, windows and a fence, replace broken doors and remove a decaying deck in the back of the property.

Earlier this month, Arbour Lane resident Robert J. Roberts stood outside the property with a sign that blamed Bank of America for creating slumlike conditions on a street where the average home is assessed at $113,000"...............READ MORE