The Home Equity Theft Reporter: Real Estate & Property Law

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Real Estate & Property Law Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Real Estate & Property Law

The Home Equity Theft Reporter

Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues.
By r morris

Post Frequency: 25.7/day

Last Entry: September 06, 2017 at 04:02:00

Minnesota Man Gets 13 Months For Ripping Off Alzheimer's Victim & 86 Year Old Man Out Of Tens Of Thousands In Separate Home Repair Scams

Posted on January 10, 2010
In St. Paul, Minnesota, The Star Tribune reports:James C. Somers, 57, of Roseville, was given a 13-month stayed sentence by Warner in October after he admitted swindling two vulnerable St. Paul residents out of tens of thousands of dollars for shabby or nonexistent work on their homes and yards...

Home Repair Scammer Leaves Elderly Couple Facing Foreclosure After $170K+ Ripoff

Posted on January 10, 2010
In Sacramento, California, The Scaramento Bee reports:The crook and one-time killer who bilked Patsy and Oliver Davis out of $172,000 is going to prison, and the elderly couple have since moved into a rebuilt home built with the muscle of area volunteers...

San Francisco Court System Slammed For Judicial Bias Against Renters; Area Judges Refuse To Follow Laws Protecting Tenants, Advocate Says

Posted on January 09, 2010
Dean Preston, an attorney and director of Tenants Together, California?s Statewide Organization for Renters? Rights, writes in BeyondChron:As 2009 drew to a close, the Appellate Panel at SF Superior Court quietly upheld the eviction of long-term San Francisco resident, Susan Suval...

Miami Foreclosure Actions Stall As Mediators Have Trouble Locating Delinquent Homeowners

Posted on January 09, 2010
In Miami, Florida, Miami Today reports:Since Miami-Dade County launched a pilot program to mediate home foreclosures filed in the clogged court system seven months ago, about half the cases have stalled because mediators can't find borrowers. Of 14,000-plus foreclosures referred to mediation to seek agreement with a lender and avoid foreclosure in court, about 7,000 haven't advanced because

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Woman Returns To Previously-Vacated Home After Lender Abandons Foreclosure Suit; Seeks To Stop Demolition, Says City Failed To Serve Her With Notice

Posted on January 09, 2010
In Mansfield, Ohio, the Mansfield News Journal reports:The City Planning Commission gave Tina L. Smith-Powell two weeks to explain how she'll manage to make $50,000 to $60,000 worth of repairs to a deteriorated house.Smith-Powell is appealing a demolition order on 152 W...

Ex-Cop Fleeces Dementia-Suffering Aunt Of �140,000; 97-Year Old Victim Lived In �450,000 House, Now Relegated To Nursing Home

Posted on January 09, 2010
In Portsmouth, U.K., Portsmouth Today reports:A FORMER police officer fleeced his 97-year-old aunt out of �140,000 so that he could live the high life. Jonathan Bowerman ? the equivalent of a Detective Inspector in Australia before retiring ? had taken control of her finances as she suffered from dementia...

Attorney Disbarred For Using Jailed Client's I.D. To Open Four Credit Cards; Lawyer Also Held POA Over Sale Of Home

Posted on January 09, 2010
In Gloucester, Massachusetts, the Gloucester Daily Times reports:Ennio Cataldo, 47, who lived in Gloucester and had a practice [...] in Peabody, had admitted in court last May to credit card fraud, identity fraud and felony larceny, according to notice from the state's Board of Bar Overseers...

Nursing Home Resident Fleeced For $160K+ By POA-Holding Employee, Say Cops

Posted on January 09, 2010
In Shenendoah, Pennsylvania, the Republican Herald reports:A Girardville woman charged with stealing more than $160,000 over a two-year period from an elderly woman she befriended waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday [...]. Michelle A. Connors, [...

Operators Of Section 1031 Qualified Intermediary Ripped Off Real Estate Investors' Escrow Deposits In $25M Ponzi Scheme, Say N. California Feds

Posted on January 08, 2010
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (San Jose, California):John D. Terzakis, of Hinsdale, Ill., and Robert E. Estupinian, of San Jose, Calif., were arraigned [...] in federal court for 12 felony counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, in an indictment that accused the pair of operating their company, Vesta Strategies, as a Ponzi-scheme,

Active Duty Servicemembers Also Forced To Fight Sloppy Lenders & Landlords In Foreclosure, Eviction, Auto Repo Actions In Violation Of Federal Law

Posted on January 08, 2010
In Greenacres, Florida, the The Palm Beach Post reports:It is one thing to worry about the safety of your spouse who is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. It is another thing to be afraid that, while he or she is gone, the bank will take away your house and your loved one will have nowhere to come home to...

NYS Court System Institutes Volunteer Program To Attract Retired Attorneys In Effort To Reduce Lopsided Lawsuits Against Poor Defendants

Posted on January 08, 2010
The New York Times reports:The recession has swelled the number of people showing up in New York State courts who cannot afford lawyers to 2.1 million annually, often turning eviction, foreclosure, debt collection and other civil cases into lopsided battles that raise questions about the fairness of the legal system...

Attorney Faces Charges Of Illegally Pocketing $85K In Proceeds From Client's Home Refinancing

Posted on January 08, 2010
In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports:A Plum attorney is accused of taking about $85,000 from a client instead of depositing the money into the right account about four years ago. [Last week], Robert L. Williams, 47, [...

Federal Judge Dismisses City Of Baltimore's "Ghetto Loans" Suit; Leaves Door Open For Amended Complaint

Posted on January 07, 2010
In Baltimore, Maryland, The Daily Record reports:A federal judge has dismissed the city of Baltimore?s reverse-redlining lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank and one of its units, giving it the option to narrow its complaint or appeal. Judge J. Frederick Motz said the city can tailor its claims to specific housing vacancies or their effect on a given neighborhood, if it can show a ?plausible causal

"Zombie Debt" Buyers Among Those Ordered By Feds To Turn Over Information About Business Practices

Posted on January 07, 2010
From the Federal Trade Commission:The Federal Trade Commission has ordered the nation?s largest consumer debt buyers to turn over information about their practices in buying and collecting consumer debt, which the FTC intends to use for a study of the debt-buying industry...

Los Angeles Pair Sentenced For Filing Fraudulent Bankruptcy Petitions In Running "Fractional Interest" Deed Transfer Foreclosure Rescue Racket

Posted on January 07, 2010
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Topeka, Kansas):Two Los Angeles men have been sentenced for running a scam in which homeowners who were behind on their mortgage payments paid them to hold off foreclosure by filing fraudulent bankruptcy petitions...

Media Spotlight, Police Report Alleging Theft By Deception Force Refund From Alleged Loan Mod Racket; Outfit Booted From NC, Now Operates In Georgia

Posted on January 07, 2010
In Decatur, Georgia, WGCL-TV reports:An Atlanta woman who tried and failed to get her money back from a mortgage modification company got a different answer after filing a police report(1) and calling CBS Atlanta News. Latarese Johnson wanted her $60 deposit back from Loan Help Solutions in Decatur after discovering the company and its CEO Nathaniel Livingston had a shady past...

Ex-Loss Mitigation Negotiator Cops Plea, Faces Up To 5 Years, $250K In Fines For Ripping Off Lender-Employer In Short Sale Scam

Posted on January 06, 2010
In Central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel reports:According to court documents, [former loss-mitigation negotiator with Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Richard] Nanan was part of a short-sale scheme with Victor Cedeno, a fellow Taylor, Bean & Whitaker employee...

Colorado Homeowner Demands Note, Alleges Fraud In Suit Seeking To Block Foreclosure

Posted on January 06, 2010
In Platt Park, Colorado, The Denver Daily News reports:Platt Park resident Vicki Dillard is demanding that the bank that controls her mortgage ?show me the note? if it wants to foreclose on her home. Dillard is joining a national movement in which homeowners are attempting to delay or block foreclosures by asking that banks produce the original mortgage note if they want to foreclose on a home.

Register Of Deeds Implements New System To Alert Property Owners To Forged Deed, Real Estate Title-Hijacking Scams

Posted on January 06, 2010
In Grand Haven, Michigan, the Muskegon Chronicle reports:The Ottawa County Register of Deeds office is encouraging everyone in the county who owns land to sign up for a simple program that might save property owners thousands of dollars and years of aggravation...

Florida Man Faces Charges Of Swindling Elderly Dementia-Stricken Couple In Alleged Home Repair Ripoff

Posted on January 06, 2010
In Hernando County, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:A Spring Hill man has been accused of swindling an elderly couple suffering from Alzheimer's disease out of more than $1,000 for home repairs that he never did, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office...

New State Law May Help Nevada Homeowner Hammer Lender, Others For Trashing Home Misidentified As Foreclosure

Posted on January 05, 2010
In Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports:A Las Vegas woman whose condo was mistakenly emptied in a bungled foreclosure action could be the first person to benefit from a new state law. [...] A crew that clears out foreclosed properties had been sent into [Nilly] Mauck?s condo by the Brenkus Team, a Henderson real estate group...

Tensions Escalate As Mortgage Insurers Stiff Lenders On Policy Claims On Defaulted Home Loans Allegedly Originated Through Fraud

Posted on January 05, 2010
In San Francsico, California, Insurance Networking News reports:Bank of America Corp.'s lawsuit against MGIC Investment Corp. reflects escalating tensions in the industry over mortgage insurers' denials of claims that lenders submit for defaulted home loans...

More On Mortgage Lender's Employee Who Was Allegedly Fired For Speaking With Law Enforcement About Fraud-Laced Home Loan

Posted on January 05, 2010
In Denver, Colorado, another story on former Aurora Loan Services' quality control employee Michael Walker was published in The Denver Post:His job was to uncover mortgage fraud. But he claims he was fired for doing it. In a lawsuit recently filed in Denver District Court, he claims Lehman's mortgage subsidiary wanted to remain profitably unaware of fraud...

Closing Agent Loses State License After Conviction For Forgery, Swindle; Admits Buying House With $300K+ Drawn From Title Company-Employer's Accounts

Posted on January 05, 2010
In St. Paul, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's The Whistleblower blog reports:The Minnesota Department of Commerce revoked a Rosemount woman?s insurance license and notary commission and fined her $100,000 after she pleaded guilty to felony forgery and theft by swindle, according to an order signed Dec...

Maryland Couple Faces Foreclosure After Closing Agent Allegedly Fails To Pay Off Existing Mortgage In Home Refi; Others Find Themselves In Same Shoes

Posted on January 05, 2010
In Owings Mills, Maryland, WBAL-TV Channel 11 reports:A local family who refinanced their home said they found out their original mortgage was never paid, and before they could get the problem resolved, the title company that did the leg work went out of business...

Assembly Line Foreclosure Mills Dominate Fla. Law Market For Home Repo Suits; Judge Exoriates Law Firm, Wells For Mindlessly Cranking Out Legal Papers

Posted on January 04, 2010
In Tampa, Florida, the The Tampa Tribune reports:Few areas of the legal field are so dominated by a handful of players as foreclosure law. Florida Default Law Group is one of four foreclosure mills operating in Florida that appear to be winning the lion's share of business from lenders or their representatives...

Rhode Island Lawyer Suspended From Practice For Forging Client's Name On Satisfaction Of Mortgage & Failing To Pay Off Debt

Posted on January 04, 2010
In Providence, Rhode Island, The Providence Journal reports:The state Supreme Court has barred Newport lawyer John T. Sheehan from practicing law indefinitely for violating a court order that he repay a loan to a former client. The court also suspended Sheehan?s law license for 42 months upon the resolution of that matter for a series of disciplinary infractions...

Alleged "Ghetto Loans" Peddler Hit With Another Fair Housing Suit; Memphis, Shelby County Claim "Reverse Redlining" In Making Predatory Mortgages

Posted on January 04, 2010
In Memphis, Tennessee, The Commercial Appeal reports:The city of Memphis and Shelby County, joining a host of governments across the country hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, filed a federal lawsuit [last] Wednesday against financial services giant Wells Fargo...

Vegas Homeowners Hit BofA With Lawsuit Seeking To Halt Foreclosures/Evictons & Force Lender Into Good Faith Negotiations On Loan Modifications

Posted on January 04, 2010
In Las Vegas, Nevada. KLAS-TV Channel 8 reports:A group of homeowners on the brink of foreclosure has formed a class-action lawsuit against their lender Bank of America. That lawsuit -- which represents 50 homeowners -- accuses the bank of wrongful foreclosure, breach of contract, and unfair lending practices...

New Hampshire, California Chief Justices Call For "Limited-Scope Representation" In Effort To Assist Pro Se Litigants Navigate Through Court System

Posted on January 03, 2010
John T. Broderick Jr. and Ronald M. George, the chief justices of the New Hampshire and California Supreme Courts, respectively, wrote in The New York Times recently, calling for promoting efforts to close the ?justice gap? for litigants in civil cases who cannot afford a lawyer, and either do not qualify for legal aid or are unable to have a lawyer assigned to them because of dwindling

Previous | Next

Related Law Bulletins

Home is where the trailer is: Trailer on lot sufficient to destroy grandfathered lot status
The Appeals Court, in an unpublished decision, has determined that...

Real Estate Agents, Lenders, Appraisers & Home Inspectors: ARE BUYERS WASTING TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME?
PREQUALIFY, PREQUALIFY, PREQUALIFY. It cannot be said enough times...

Going Home: Remembering Long Branch eminent domain activist Anna DeFaria
While she waited for the next round in the eminent domain fi...

Pennsylvania Nursing Home Director Admits Criminal Neglect of Patient
Donna Cameron, of Ashton Pennsylvania, who was the former Director...

Nursing Home Abuse: Organizations Defend Seniors
Boston, MA: Nursing home abuse is, unfortunately, not an uncommon ...