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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

Tenants Pocket Thousands In $ettlements In Discrimination Lawsuits Brought By Massachusetts AG

Posted on July 18, 2009
From the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General:AG Obtains Court Order Requiring Malden Landlords to De-Lead Rental Apartment in Settlement of Housing Discrimination Case: Attorney General Martha Coakley obtained a consent judgment against Wai On Chan and Qi Ling Huang-Chan, the owners of a three-bedroom rental property in Malden, resolving claims that they discriminated against a

City Of Bridgeport Withdraws Foreclosure Suit After Homeowner Forks Over $50 In Back Taxes

Posted on July 18, 2009
In Bridgeport, Connecticut, The Connecticut Post reports:The city has withdrawn its foreclosure case against a man who owed $51.69 in back taxes. Castro Jean-Gilles paid the charge and the city agreed to drop the case. [...] In May, a Superior Court judge granted the city's foreclosure action and ordered Jean-Gilles's Harral Avenue home sold in December to satisfy the back taxes as well as the

Arizona Feds Indict Contractor For Attempting To Use $5M+ In Counterfeit Checks To Buy Real Estate, Pay Expenses

Posted on July 18, 2009
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Arizona):A federal grand jury returned a 34-count indictment yesterday against Frank Anteri, 44, of Anthem and Peoria, Ariz., and the president of defunct WC Contractors, Inc., charging him with bank fraud, mail fraud and the making and possession of counterfeit securities...

Arizona Cop Faces Charges Of Ripping Off Foreclosed Home

Posted on July 18, 2009
In Florence, Arizona, The Arizona Republic reports:Pinal County Sheriff's deputies arrested one of their own [last week] on suspicion of burglary and theft. Deputy Ian Quick, 33, is accused of stealing livestock corral panels worth more than $2,000 from a property in Florence...

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N. Virginia Real Estate Agent Charged In Scam Involving $50M+ In Fraudulently Obtained Loans, 100+ Homebuyers; Suspect May Have Left Country, Say Cops

Posted on July 17, 2009
In Loudoun County, Virginia, the Loudoun Independent reports:An Ashburn real estate agent stands accused to profiting from falsifying financial documents to enable clients to qualify for homes they could not afford. Real estate agent Diane Atari, an Ashburn native, has been indicted by the Grand Jury of Loudoun County for ten counts of False Statement to Obtain Credit, one count of Racketeering

SWAT Team Called In After Washington Man Allegedly Hijacks Home In Foreclosure While Owners Are Away

Posted on July 17, 2009
In Shoreline, Washington, KOMO-TV Channel 4 reports:Sharon and Doug Larson were on their way back from the Oregon coast last week when neighbors told them a stranger had hijacked their house. Neighbors called 911 when James Vanvolkenburg moved into the Larson's home Friday night, claiming the house belonged to him...

Landlords Abandon Overleveraged NYC Buildings; Predatory Investors, Unrealistic Profit Projections, Shoddy Lending Practices Leave Tenants In Limbo

Posted on July 17, 2009
In New York City, The New York Times reports:As property owners run into trouble paying their mortgages, neighborhoods around New York City have been witnessing a disturbing consequence: Small and large apartment buildings are being abandoned in a state of disrepair, leaving tenants in limbo without basic services or even landlords...

Rent Skimming Landlord Facing Foreclosure Arrested For Stealing Electricity; Utility Shutoff Leaves Two Dozen Tenants Temporarily Homeless

Posted on July 17, 2009
In Pinellas County, Florida, Newschannel 8 reports:A Pinellas County landlord was arrested [last week], accused of stealing electricity from apartments he owns in Clearwater. Lawrence Ayers, 42, of [...] Safety Harbor, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a grand theft charge...

Cuyahoga County Treasurer To Overseas eBay Real Estate Speculator: "Next Time, Try Las Vegas"

Posted on July 17, 2009
In Cleveland, Ohio, The Plain Dealer reports on British real estate speculator Dr. Sheo Prasad who, despite living in England, purchased distressed Cleveland real estate on eBay:On May 30, Prasad sent an e-mail to Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis concerning a six-unit apartment building that Prasad owned on East 107th Street...

Nationwide Loan Modification Scam Sweep Begins As FTC Announces Coordinated Effort Of 25 Federal, State Agencies Involving 189 Legal Actions

Posted on July 16, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday:Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz, joined by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, [Wednesday] announced Operation Loan Lies, a coordinated national law enforcement effort to crack down on mortgage modification scams...

Lenders' Foreclosure Sale Cancellations An Attempt To Slow Growing Stockpile Of Repossessed Inventory, Leaving Abandoned Homes In Legal Limbo

Posted on July 16, 2009
In Central Florida, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports:Across Florida, tens of thousands of foreclosed homes are being left in limbo, between homeowners who have abandoned them and banks that have not yet taken possession of them. Over the past year, banks and other lenders have canceled up to 50 percent of foreclosure sales in some parts of the state, adding to a growing stockpile of unclaimed

"Now It's The Lenders Who Are Doing The Walking" - Milwaukee Feels The Sting Of Homes In Foreclosure Being Left In Legal Limbo

Posted on July 16, 2009
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:For years, lenders complained about debtors who left the keys on the kitchen table and skipped town, leaving it to the bank to file for foreclosure and eventually take title by buying it at a sheriff's sale...

Failure To Inspect For Meth Contamination Could Create Future Financial, Health Havoc For Homebuyers

Posted on July 16, 2009
The New York Times reports:The spacious home where the newly wed Rhonda and Jason Holt began their family in 2005 was plagued by mysterious illnesses. The Holts? three babies were ghostlike and listless, with breathing problems that called for respirators, repeated trips to the emergency room and, for the middle child, Anna, the heaviest dose of steroids a toddler can take...

Title Company's Failure To Discover Lien Leaves First Time Homeowner Facing Foreclosure Over Prior Owner's Debt

Posted on July 16, 2009
In Highlands Ranch, Colorado, KDVR-TV Channel 31 reports:Brandi Hager just bought her first home 6 months ago, made every payment, but now she's facing foreclosure over someone else's debt. "I haven't been sleeping. I haven't been able to take my mind off of it...

Homeowners Running "Everything Must Go" Foreclosure Stripping Sales May Face Criminal Liability In Colorado

Posted on July 16, 2009
In Aurora, Colorado, KUSA-TV Channel 9 reports:The "everything must go" sales are back and experts say they cost other homeowners money. The sales involve homeowners selling everything inside just days before it goes into foreclosure. 9Wants to Know found a woman selling fixtures in a condominium [...

Arizona AG Tags Upfront Fee Loan Mod Firm With Civil Suit, Alleging Violations Of State Consumer Fraud, Consumer Services Acts

Posted on July 15, 2009
From the Office of the Arizona Attorney General:Attorney General Terry Goddard has filed a lawsuit against a Phoenix-based mortgage loan modification company, Santoya Financial Company, LLC and its owners, Thomas Montoya and Robert Sanchez, for engaging in deceptive practices...

Shaky Loan Modifications That Turn Into Questionable Short Sales?

Posted on July 15, 2009
A new form of foreclosure rescue involving purported loan modification services coupled with questionable short sale arrangements has arrived on the scene and possibly gaining in popularity, according to DESPERATE HOMEOWNERS: Loan Mod Scammers Step In When Loan Servicers Refuse To Provide Help, a recently issued report by the National Consumer Law Center:Information is beginning to surface about

Fire Damage, Code Violations, Growing Fines, Unresolved Insurance Claim, 50+ Apts. In Foreclosure May Spell Doom For 182-Unit C. Florida Condo Complex

Posted on July 15, 2009
In Titusville, Florida, Florida Today reports:Code violations keep racking up at Bay Towers Apartments, the fire-scarred riverfront complex facing a crippling cash crunch. The south tower remains condemned after a May 2008 fire. Since Feb. 6, Titusville officials have fined the property?s South Florida owners up to $1,400 per day for damaged elevators, stairwells, plumbing and other problems...

Indiana Man Gets One Year Home Confinement In Flipping Scam That Left Homes In Foreclosure, Unwitting Investors Holding The Bag

Posted on July 15, 2009
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Indianapolis, Indiana):Marvin G. Hampton, 66, Noblesville, Indiana, was sentenced to 12 months home confinement months [last week ...] following his guilty plea to mortgage fraud, announced Timothy M. Morrison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana...

Ex-Twin Cities Loan Officer Taken Down By Jury Verdict Finding Guilt To 17 Counts In Mortgage Fraud Racket

Posted on July 15, 2009
In Hennepin County, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:A former loan officer at a Twin Cities mortgage company was convicted [last week] of 17 counts of theft by swindle and two counts of racketeering for his role in a sprawling scheme involving homes in north Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and Golden Valley...

Recruiting Drive For Philadelphia Lawyers To Provide Pro Bono Representation To Local Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Continues

Posted on July 15, 2009
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WPVI-TV Channel 6 reports on a local non-profit legal agency tasked with recruiting local attorneys to represent financially strapped homeowners through the Philadelphia Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program:Stefanie Seldin of Philadelphia VIP told Action News that there are 300 lawyers mostly from small to medium-sized and solo firms...

FTC Identifies Individuals Accused Of Making Deceptive Claims Of Affiliation With Free Federal Foreclosure Assistance Programs

Posted on July 14, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced:A U.S. district court has ordered newly named defendants to stop making deceptive claims that they are affiliated with free federal government programs, such as Making Home Affordable.On May 14, 2009, the FTC charged that Internet search ads were diverting homeowners from free counseling available through government-endorsed

Consumer Advocate Calls For Ban Against Upfront Fees For Loan Mod Help Or Any Comp Unless Mortgage Workout Actually Helps Distressed Homeowners

Posted on July 14, 2009
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:The National Consumer Law Center [NCLC] is calling for a ban on advance fees for loan modification help and a federal rule that no one can charge homeowners fees unless the loan modification actually helps homeowners avoid foreclosure...

Defeated Bankruptcy Cramdown Proposal Being Reconsidered By Some Lawmakers In Light Of Failing Voluntary Loan Modification Program

Posted on July 14, 2009
The Washington Independent reports:The Obama administration has all but abandoned it, and the Senate has already voted it down. But a proposal to allow struggling homeowners to escape foreclosure through bankruptcy got a boost [last week] from a small band of House Democrats convinced that voluntary mortgage modifications aren?t alone solving the housing crisis...

Orlando Cops, Ex-Wife Nab Alleged ID Thief Accused Of Defrauding Non-Profit Home For The Mentally Challenged; Took Out Loan, Leaving It In Foreclosure

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Orlando, Florida, WFTV-TV Channel 9 reports:Police say a man took identity theft to a whole new level. He didn't steal a person's identity. He stole it from a non-profit house that helps mentally challenged people. Police say Afries Rodriguez even took out a second mortgage on the Kat Cadogan Home for the mentally challenged...

Mass. Man Charged In Alleged Foreclosure Rescue Scam; Allegations Include Collecting Rents From Victim's Properties, Failing To Make Mortgage Payments

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Fall River, Massachusetts, The Herald News reports:City businessman Joseph Pereira is facing more larceny charges after two victims told police they were swindled in a scam that resulted in the loss of their homes. Pereira, 44, [...] has been charged with two counts each of larceny over $250 by a single scheme and unauthorized practice of law, subsequent offense...

BofA Moves Against Judge For Refusing To Boot Ailing Elderly Couple Onto Street Following Foreclosure Of Dilapidated Bungalow Over Unpaid $7K HELOC

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Michigan Messenger reports:Bank of America is suing a Grand Rapids District Judge Michael Christensen for allowing an ailing, elderly couple to remain in their foreclosed home until the couple can move, the Grand Rapids Press is reporting...

Nevada Governor Signs Emergency Regulations Imposing Tougher Controls In Fight Against Foreclosure & Loan Modification Scams

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Carson City, Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports:Gov. Jim Gibbons has signed emergency regulations to allow the state to impose tougher controls to stop foreclosure and loan modification scams. The regulations permit the state Division of Mortgage Lending to license loan modification and foreclosure consultant companies and their agents...

Connecticut's Voluntary Foreclosure Mediation Program Now Mandatory

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Hartford, Connecticut, the Hartford Courant reports:As mortgage delinquencies continue to mount in Connecticut, the governor has signed three bills to help homeowners struggling with mortgage payments ? including making participation in the state's foreclosure mediation program mandatory as of July 1...

Missouri AG To Testify At Senate Hearing On Growing Complaints Of Mortgage, Debt Repair Fraud

Posted on July 14, 2009
In Jefferson City, Missouri, The Associated Press reports:Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is scheduled to testify before a U.S. Senate committee(1) about growing complaints of mortgage and debt repair fraud. [...] Koster said he planned to outline the growing number of complaints his office has received about fraudulent schemes to help people with mortgage or debt problems...

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