He did everything right and still nearly lost his car. An Omaha man wants answers after a bank mistake sent a repo man to his driveway.
When the Omaha Impound Lot is ready to release a vehicle, they notify the owner or lien holder they have 30 days to pick it up or it could go to auction. Then the city goes through the full paperwork process to sell the vehicles to citizens legally. An out of town bank came after a car they no longer had a right to.
Paul Steinbock bought a 2014 Mitsubishi GTE from the City of Omaha Impound Auction and now legally owns the title. He takes it and his tools everywhere for work since he’s an electrician. But the morning of December 5, his vehicle was gone...with his tools inside.
Steinbock checked his home surveillance cameras and found that a tow truck took it away. You can see someone hook the vehicle up and pull it right out of his driveway.
He quickly did his own investigating, and learned that Repossessors Inc. in Papillion took it because the previous lien holder, Santander Consumer USA, said they still owned it.
Officials say Steinbock legally had the right to the car and he got it back on Monday. He says the bank and repossession company apologized for the mistake, and paid his $115 towing fee when the car was moved to a county impound lot.
"They came on my property, they trespassed, they stole my vehicle and nobody's willing to do anything about it. As long as they have a piece of paper it's ok if big business makes a mistake yet I lost labor time, and personal time," Steinbock explained.
Steinbock wants to know why the bank isn't held accountable for actions that could be considered criminal.
“Had I not been so diligent in pursuing that, then where would that car end up? My best guess is probably on the back of a transport truck headed to an auction somewhere in Denver or something like that," Steinbock concluded.
Repossessors Inc. wouldn't discuss the situation with KMTV on Friday afternoon. The bank who thought they still owned the car, Santander Consumer USA out of Dallas, TX didn’t return a phone call.
Officials with the impound lot don't understand why the bank would go after the car months after being notified they needed to come get it.
