Strategy for GW letter?

[Onwards]

Hi,

I'm considering sending a GW letter to the bank that holds my home equity LOC. I was forced to declare bankruptcy a year and a half ago to prevent foreclosure. My primary mortgage lender foreclosed precipitously in what my lawyer indicated was a possibly-illegal procedure. Their attorneys refused to return calls and emails from mine. They are truly evil and there are horror stories about them all over the Internet. When I went to court, the judge really slammed the attorney for the primary lender, telling her that her client had behaved "unconscionably." 

Anyhow, it's done now, and I'm up to date, but I have a derog on my report from the home equity LOC, and I want to write to that bank, ask them please to remove it. They were actually really good to deal with during this time, and I would in all honestly love to refinance the whole thing with them, if I was able to refinance.

So...my question is, how much do I get into all this in the GW letter? My instinct is not to slam the primary lender, but the fact is they behaved really terribly, and it was only their extreme aggression that forced me into bankruptcy. I had paid off all my credit cards prior, and was able to get up to date with the two banks immediately. 

I'd appreciate any guidance you could offer here.

Thanks!

[MBOhio2]

For your GW letter, I would be very honest, explaining why all of this was so difficult, but try very hard not to be nasty or angry toward the primary mortgage lender. It's good to explain that you were treatly unfairly, but coming across angry won't help you when a person opens up your letter and reads it. Also be careful about taking the "not my fault" approach. Clearly accept responsibility, but also explain that some factors were beyond your control and that you were doing your best under tough circumstances. Be personal, be candid. 

Try to get the facts in, but don't tell a long, confusing yarn. Keep it simple with as much important info as possible. Think, "what do these people care about?"

For one of my GW successes, I actually received a phone call from the CC company and the lady explained that she "understands it hard to share personal information about hard times" but they appreciated my honesty. I'm not sure most lenders care about this, but it helps to pull at the heart strings a little. I felt a little pathetic writing my letters, but I had to remind myself, none of my friends or family members are going to see this!

Good luck!