Engagement Reporter
Byard Duncan is an engagement reporter based in Oakland, California. Before joining ProPublica, he spent seven years at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. There, he and a team of other reporters were named Pulitzer Prize finalists in 2019 for their work investigating Amazon’s high rate of worker injuries. He is the recipient of two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Headliner Award and an Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award.
A dozen states that pursued Santander Consumer USA for its high-interest loans have failed to address scores of complaints alleging nearly identical behavior at Exeter Finance. The same team of executives ran both companies, ProPublica has learned.
When you defer a car payment, you’ll likely end up owing more at the end of your loan. Our free auto loan calculator tool was built to help borrowers figure out their final payment amount and understand how car loan extensions work.
CarMax partner Exeter Finance makes high-interest loans to people with troubled financial histories. It allows borrowers to skip payments but often adds thousands of dollars in new charges — costs that customers say Exeter didn’t tell them about.
When the federal government accidentally triggered New Mexico’s largest wildfire, hundreds of people lost their homes and livelihoods. They have become reluctant students of forest management, disaster aid and resiliency.
HomeVestors franchises will be required to provide prospective home sellers with a disclosure that includes a three-day window to terminate a sales contract.
A wildfire accidentally started by the federal government drove them from their homes and destroyed the things they loved most about their land. The government will pay them only for things with a price tag.
More and more people are struggling to pay back loans on their used cars. Our journalists want to hear from the people who know the industry best.
Congress set aside $4 billion to compensate victims after the U.S. Forest Service accidentally set the largest wildfire in state history. The vast majority of victims haven’t been paid, and many can’t rebuild until they are.
ProPublica found few jurisdictions have laws or regulations to protect homeowners from aggressive real estate tactics short of fraud or elder abuse.
The company said it had cut ties with Cory Evans, the former co-owner of Patriot Holdings LLC, “a number of years” ago, but texts, emails and interviews indicate he was still engaged in the business as recently as March.
David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors of America, said in a letter announcing his retirement that recent press coverage of the company’s homebuying practices has taken a “personal toll on me.”
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s head said the Department of Justice and state attorneys general should be made aware of predatory house-flipping practices, following ProPublica reporting on HomeVestors of America.
Cash home buyers like the “We Buy Ugly Houses” company may offer a quick and convenient sale to homeowners. Here’s what experts say you should know about interacting with these companies.
ProPublica found that HomeVestors franchises often target the homes of people in vulnerable or desperate situations. These are the stories of five people who found themselves in unwanted deals with a cash home buyer.
The “We Buy Ugly Houses” company held a virtual meeting for its franchises to outline a plan to “minimize visibility” of our investigation.
HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.
FEMA told survivors of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history that it aimed to put temporary housing on their land. But because of its strict, slow-moving bureaucracy, that has happened only twice.
If you’ve had experience with a company or buyer promising fast cash for homes, our reporting team wants to hear about it.
We want to hear directly from the people involved in the administration of our elections — local clerks, canvassers, poll workers and more — about new challenges on the job.
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