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Mailings upset Hillsborough's tax collector

Hillsborough's Doug Belden says his office is not associated with a company soliciting residents with unpaid taxes.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published December 3, 2005

TAMPA - Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden is not happy that his name and address were used in a mortgage company's direct mail solicitation urging taxpayers to refinance their homes to pay delinquent taxes.

He sent out an alert Friday telling residents to be wary of what he called a misleading solicitation from Manhattan Mortgage Group Ltd., an Ohio mortgage company with offices in Tampa.

The solicitations, originally mailed in the early summer, personally address residents and include detailed information obtained through public records about outstanding tax debts. The bottom of the letter reads "This is NOT a bill, and Manhattan Mortgage Group is NOT attempting to collect a debt."

Belden said that while the solicitation apparently breaks no Florida law, the official appearance of the envelope and the solicitation is misleading, and that the tax collector does not endorse any mortgage or loan companies.

"I want to assure the taxpayers we are in no way involved in this," Belden said. "We do not endorse any mortgage or loan companies, and we urge taxpayers to investigate closely before taking any action."

On July 15, Charlotte Luke, the director of tax and license services, sent a letter to the company asking it to to remove Belden's name and address from the solicitations, and the company agreed. But Belden came across a solicitation on Nov. 15 that still included his information under the statement and explanation of the debt.

Manhattan Mortgage Group president and chief executive officer Michael Matalka said the solicitations, which were originally mailed to fewer than 5,000 people, were not intended to mislead taxpayers, but meant to help them pay their taxes. He said the solicitations have worked in other counties, and have garnered praise from county tax collectors.

"We've actually gotten a lot of praise from counties saying "Thank you for helping consumers pay their taxes,"' Matalka said.

He said his company discontinued the mailing after receiving Luke's letter in July, and blames the resurgence of solicitations on disgruntled ex-employees, who he says have stolen files and marketing pieces, and have played vengeful pranks on current employees, like ordering 20 pizzas to the office.

"This is not the type of company that Manhattan is," Matalka said. "This is embarrassing."

Matalka has contracted the Williams Schifino law firm to investigate.

"Right now, we're as concerned as Mr. Belden's office would be," said Ken Turkel, an attorney with the firm. "We're investigating the source and number of these mailings that would've gone out and trying to confirm the source of them and exactly where they would've gone to."

Belden's office will conduct its own investigation with the help of consumer fraud agencies.

In June, a similar solicitation went out from Cranbrook Mortgage, but the company mistakenly sent the solicitation to homeowners who were not delinquent, Belden said. Matalka said one of the principal employees of Cranbrook is a former Manhattan employee.

According to the alert, each year, the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office mails out about 395,000 tax bills, and on average, about 26,000 become delinquent. The debts are sold to investors, who pay the bill and then collect principal and interest on them. If the taxpayer does not pay the principal and interest within 22 months, the property must be auctioned to repay the investor. Belden said if taxpayers are unsure whether their taxes are paid, they can view their tax bills online at www.hillstax.org or call 813-635-5200.

--Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813-226-3354 or at azayas@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 3, 2005, 01:21:14]