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Tenants Take Gripes To Landlords’ Bank

By JORDAN BESEK

Bronx tenants fed up with their landlords’ lack of action in addressing poor building conditions went over their heads on Nov. 7 to the bank that loans the owners money.

Residents organized by Housing Here and Now, a citywide umbrella group of housing organizations, went to protest outside a Madison Avenue building where New York Community Bancorps CEO Joseph Ficalora was speaking about the bank’s expansion.

“We want the bank to agree to a series of lending practices that would ensure that any bad buildings currently in their portfolio are fixed and future loans are for property in good condition and to responsible borrowers,” said Chloe Tribich, lead organizer for Housing Here and Now.

Housing Here and Now has compiled a list of New York City’s top 10 worst landlords, available online at http://nycworstlandlords.com/nycwl/.   NYCB loans money to three of these landlords, according to Housing Here and Now — Moshe Piller, Nicholas Haros and Emmanuel Ku. The city’s housing agency considers Piller and Haros, who own several Bronx buildings to be “major problem owners.” Over the summer, the Norwood News covered a visit by former mayoral candidates Fernando Ferrer and Anthony Weiner to one of Piller’s buildings, 2654 Valentine Ave., to highlight the serious housing code violations there.

Ilene Angarola, an NYCB spokesperson, took issue with Housing Here and Now’s charges that the bank lends to slumlords. “[That is] at odds and inconsistent with our performance as a multi-family lender and the quality of our portfolio on the whole,” she said. “Historically, the buildings we lend to are well maintained and because of this they are buildings people want to live in.”

Angarola was not initially familiar with the group’s specific building complaints, but in a second telephone interview, she said, “We will certainly take the information [about the buildings] that [the Norwood News] has shared with us, and based on the facts and circumstances we will decide how to proceed.”

Meanwhile, Housing Here and Now is seeking a meeting with Ficalora.

“This is an opportunity for them to come forward and say that they are going to turn around their lending practices and become a model for other multi-family lenders in terms of ensuring their program properties are properly maintained,” Tribich said.

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