There isn’t really a great way to make it up to homeowners that don’t even hold a mortgage when you’ve sent a crew to break into their house and take everything out of it, but we suppose “sorry” is an okay, if lackluster, start. A California couple says Wells Fargo made a huge mistake by trying to take their home and now they’re not being very helpful in getting the family’s belongings back to them.

Alvin built the home with his father when he was a teenager, reports CBS Los Angeles, and has a lifetime of memories invested in the house. Not to mention all of his family’s possessions, many of which are lost or broken after a crew hired by Wells Fargo broke in and took everything away. They shouldn’t have done that, as the home doesn’t even have a mortgage. It was all a big mistake, says the bank.

A spokesman for the bank released a statement apologizing, saying:

“We are deeply sorry for the very personal losses the [redacted] family suffered as a result of their home being mistakenly secured and entered by a contractor hired to address a different nearby property. We moved quickly and have been in contact with the Tjosaas family to resolve this unfortunate situation and right this wrong.”

That’s not really enough for Alvin and his wife, he says, but they’re trying to move on despite the upheaval in their lives.

“When you put your heart into something…it makes me real sad. I’m just glad I have my sweetheart. We’ve been together a long time,” he said.

Sending a notice of foreclosure to the wrong home? Sure, that could happen. But actively hiring a crew to go to the entirely wrong address and break into the home is a new level of horrible.

*Thanks for the tip, Ed!

Owners Lose Possessions After Home Near Twentynine Palms Is Mistakenly Foreclosed [CBS Los Angeles]

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