SunTrust has come through for the family of the first soldier to be killed in combat in the Iraq war from the state of Georgia. The family, who is raising the son of their slain son, was to be foreclosed upon and evicted this coming Monday.
SunTrust Bank told the family that they would indefinitely postpone the foreclosure of the home and rework the mortgage in the coming months.
The mother of Georgia’s first soldier killed in combat in the Iraq war was in danger of losing the condo where she and her mother Constance Walcott raised the child of her slain son, Jamaal Addison.
But the family got a reprieve Friday from the Aug. 2 deadline by which they had to move out, Roberts told WSB Radio.
“I do not have to worry about being put out in the street,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about the Monday deadline.”She said attorneys from SunTrust Bank worked out an indefinite reprieve. via the AJC
From a publicity perspective this is the right move for SunTrust, and it is a heartwarming story. Our soldiers are giving their lives to protect ours and our way of life and should be held in the highest esteem.
However there is something nagging at me at the same time. The family lost this soldier many years ago. They are doing the noble thing by raising their grandchild and should be commended for their sacrifice and their dedication to their family.
Yet the use of their plight to avoid losing their home seems like they are pushing that line right to the edge of propriety, if not over it. We all have tragedy touch us. To take the absurd point of view, does this make a precedent for banks to never foreclose on homes owned by dead service people or their immediate families?
If that is the case, we may hear about service men and woman having a harder time getting a loan. Actuarially the odds of dying in the service is not high thanks to the efforts of our leadership. But they are worse than the average citizen in times of war.
Banks have to protect their self interests to remain in business so if they have to worry about writing off loans in this instance they may just avoid writing them.
Again, I applaud SunTrust for trying to work out an arrangement for this family. It seems that it is the right thing to do. I just hope this does not open the door to the “Law of Unintended Consequences”.
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The bank is a bank and they must calculated their risks with every loan; pilot, policeman, soldier, what ever they working with..
Glad to hear that there are still some decent people out there with hearts. Granted everyone has a story and they can't be letting stuff slide all the time, but this was a great gesture.