A group of about 50 protesters Thursday overwhelmed security, jumped turnstiles and briefly commandeered the corporate headquarters of OneWest Bank.
Members of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and Service Employees International Union set up tents and blocked the narrow corridor in front of the employee elevators for several minutes as they chanted loudly in support of Rose Gudiel, who is on the brink of being evicted from her La Puente home.
“I’m here because they refuse to meet with me,” Gudiel said. “I believe I qualify for a loan modification, and they refuse to explain to me why I do not.”
Seven Pasadena police officers showed up to deal with the animated protesters, who ignored several requests to leave the private property. No arrests were made.
The group finally agreed to leave when Vice President Brandon Latman agreed to meet with Gudiel and her family.
Latman came to the front lobby, where he listened briefly to Gudiel’s story before asking one of his colleagues to set up a room with his laptop.
Protesters moved to picket the entrance to the building, while Gudiel met privately with Latman for nearly 20 minutes.
Gudiel said Latman would not tell her if he had the authority to authorize a loan modification. He scheduled a meeting this morning between Gudiel and “people with more authority,” she said.
“We asked him if he could postpone the eviction until the paperwork can be reviewed,” she said. “He said no.”
Latman and other bank officials declined to comment.
Gudiel, a state employee, has been attempting to get the bank to modify her loan for almost two years. The request came after her brother was gunned down in La Puente in 2009, causing the household income to drop, she said.
Although the income has long since recovered, the bank has consistently refused to give them a loan modification, she said.
OneWest Bank, which took over embattled Indymac bank two years ago, has been under criticism from consumer rights groups and others for its aggressive foreclosure practices on Indymac loans.
