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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

Private Investors Score Big Profits In Tax Lien Ripoffs As County Process Allows For One Homeowner's $291 Delinquent Tax Bill To Grow To $8,200

Posted on December 27, 2010
In Fulton County, Georgia, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:Robin Gordon didn?t know about the tax lien Fulton County placed against her apartment until the county sold the lien to a private company, foreclosed and sold the property at a sheriff?s auction...

Florida Judiciary Unable To Keep Up With Out-Of-State Counterparts When Forcing Lenders To Comply With The Law In Foreclosure Actions

Posted on December 26, 2010
AOL's Daily Finance reports:In the face of banks' rampant disregard for the law in pursuing foreclosures with false paperwork, the judiciary has started to emerge as the great defender of due process and the rule of law.For example, in October, New York put an end to the fraudulent document problem in its courts...

Wells Agrees To $2B+ In Loan Mods On "Pick-A-Pay" ARMs In Settlement Of California AG's Civil Lawsuit; Will Pay Add' $32M To Foreclosed Ex-Homeowners

Posted on December 22, 2010
From the Office of the California Attorney General:Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced [] that Wells Fargo has agreed to provide loan modifications worth more than $2 billion to thousands of California homeowners with "pick-a-pay" loans and to pay an additional $32 million to thousands of borrowers who lost their homes through foreclosure...

Refinance Gone Haywire Leaves Virginia Couple Facing Foreclosure As Payoff Proceeds From Now-Defunct Lender Fail To Reach Existing Mortgage Holder

Posted on December 22, 2010
In Amelia County, Virginia, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports:Terry and Donna Hunt have never missed a mortgage payment. But their original lender has tried to foreclose on their house in Amelia County three times.The Hunts weren't involved in a loan modification, nor were they trying to take equity out of their house...

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Fear Of 'Flopping' Fraud Leads Loan Servicers Away From Short Sales, Opting To Foreclose Instead

Posted on December 22, 2010
The Boston Globe reports:[A]s more homeowners attempt to stave off foreclosure by striking [short sale] deals, lenders are denying or delaying many of these transactions even when it appears the sales would be in their best interest, according to real estate agents and housing advocates...

Alabama Woman Files Federal Suit Accusing BofA Of Jerk-Around In Loan Mod Process; Action Joins Others Transferred To Boston For Pre-Trial Proceedings

Posted on December 22, 2010
In Mobile, Alabama, the Mobile Press Register reports:A Mobile woman is suing Bank of America and its home lending service, claiming it wrongfully attempted to foreclose on her house after breaking an agreement to modify her loan.***Kimberley George filed suit in U...

Alabama Woman Files Federal Suit Accusing BofA Of Jerk-Around In Loan Mod Process; Action Joins Others Transferred To Boston For Pre-Trial Proceedings

Posted on December 22, 2010
(This a revision of a story posted earlier today & reflects a revision of footnote 1)In Mobile, Alabama, the Mobile Press Register reports:A Mobile woman is suing Bank of America and its home lending service, claiming it wrongfully attempted to foreclose on her house after breaking an agreement to modify her loan...

Affidavit-Signing Vice Presidents Now Required To File 'Mini-Resume' In Foreclosure Actions In One Long Island Judge's Courtroom

Posted on December 21, 2010
A recent story in Daily Finance notes how one Suffolk County, New York judge is imposing additional requirements on foreclosing lenders to that contained in State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman's recent order requiring a special affirmation from the banks' attorneys when pursuing foreclosure actions:On Dec...

Frank "Appalled By The Insensitivity & Cruelty" Of Some Republicans As Congress Stiffs Non-Profit Law Firms Out Of TARP Cash For Foreclosure Defense

Posted on December 21, 2010
The Wall Street Journal reports:U.S. House Republicans on Friday blocked a last-minute effort to allow foreclosure-prevention funds to be directed to legal aid groups, arguing it was an inappropriate use of financial rescue money. Lawmakers failed to pass a bill sponsored by Rep...

Philly Federal Judge Grants TRO Delaying Foreclosure Of Homes Involved In Recent Sale Leaseback Foreclosure Rescue Indictment

Posted on December 21, 2010
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:A federal judge [Friday] morning granted a temporary restraining order in the U.S. Attorney's civil case against Anthony J. DeMarco, who was also charged criminally Tuesday in a mortgage foreclosure rescue scheme involving $31 million in fraudulent loans on 120 properties...

Accused Central Florida Vacant Home Hijacker Bagged Again On New Charges; Vows To Continue Snatching Homes, Claiming Adverse Possession Defense

Posted on December 21, 2010
In Lutz, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:At lunchtime Wednesday at the Royal Lanes bowling alley, fugitive task force deputies and U.S. marshals moved in on their suspect: 60-year-old Joel McNair, a smooth-talking felon who, authorities say, just can't quit the con...

NJ High Court Chief Justice Declares War On Robosigner Practices, Rogue Foreclosure Filings

Posted on December 21, 2010
In Trenton, New Jersey, The Newark Star Ledger reports:Citing a staggering increase in filings and voicing fears of inaccurate applications, New Jersey?s top judge announced a series of initiatives Monday to combat rogue foreclosure filings."It?s our hope that these three steps will provide greater confidence" in the foreclosure process, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said in a conference call with

Nevada AG Slams BofA w/ Suit Over Allegedly Deceptive Loan Servicing Practices, Loan Modification Program Misrepresentations

Posted on December 20, 2010
From the Office of the Nevada Attorney General:Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced today that her office is filing a lawsuit against Bank of America Corporation, N.A., BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, Recon Trust Company ("Bank of America") for engaging in deceptive trade practices against Nevada homeowners...

Arizona AG Slams BofA With Lawsuit Saying Lender Showed "Callous Disregard" In Jerking Around Borrowers Seeking Loan Modifications

Posted on December 20, 2010
From the Office of the Arizona Attorney General:Attorney General Terry Goddard announced that his Office [] filed a lawsuit against Bank of America Corporation and its affiliated companies (?Bank of America?) alleging violations of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and violations of the consent judgment entered in March 2009 between Arizona and the Countrywide companies owned by Bank of America...

Brooklyn Judge Rips Foreclosing Lender, Lawyer For Littering Courtroom With Unverified Paperwork

Posted on December 20, 2010
In Brooklyn, New York, the New York Post reports:Lawyers handling foreclosures in New York will think twice about showing up in court without the proper paperwork after a Brooklyn judge ripped into lender Citigroup and its unprepared lawyer.On Monday, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Arthur Schack mocked the bank and its lawyer for failing to ensure the accuracy of papers filed in a foreclosure case.

Recent Jury Verdict Proves Borrowers Aren't Alone In Being Screwed Over By Sleazy Servicers As Litigation Exposes Their Bag Of Tricks

Posted on December 20, 2010
The New York Times reports:ALL the revelations this year about dubious practices in the mortgage servicing arena ? think robo-signers and forged signatures ? have rightly raised borrowers? fears that companies handling their loans may not be operating on the up and up...

Feds Raid Foreclosure Rescue, Sale Leaseback Peddler's Office; Snatch Computer Files, Documents; 'F-Rated' Outfit Targeted By Complaints, Media Probe

Posted on December 20, 2010
In Rancho Bernardo, California, KGTV-TV Channel 10 reports:The FBI raided the office of a Rancho Bernardo financial firm on Thursday after a joint investigation by 10News and 10News' media partner The San Diego Union-Tribune into the firm's owner and practices...

Lenders Face Difficulties In Scramble To Find Qualified Attorneys Willing To Pick Up Dumped South Florida Foreclosure Mill's Caseload

Posted on December 19, 2010
In Plantation, Florida, the Daily Business Review reports:As the one-time largest plaintiffs foreclosure law firm in Florida, the Law Offices of David J. Stern at its peak handled 20 percent of all foreclosures in the state, processing more than 70,000 foreclosure cases on behalf of major lenders like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase in 2009...

Approved "Sandbagging" Of Homeowners At Court Hearings, Banks Filing Incomplete Affidavits Reflect Disregard For Procedure By Some F'closure Judges

Posted on December 19, 2010
Jacksonville, Florida foreclosure defense attorney Chip Parker writes in The Florida Times Union:With all due respect to Judge J. Thomas McGrady, his recent guest column reflects the state of denial demonstrated by our judiciary about the general failure of Foreclosure Court in Jacksonville and throughout Florida...

Process Servers Probed For Alleged Slipshod Business Practices

Posted on December 19, 2010
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:The Florida attorney general is investigating two companies that deliver foreclosure notices to homeowners, one based in South Florida, on civil allegations of slipshod business practices...

9 To 33 Year Sentence No Bar To O.J.'s Florida Homestead Exemption; Ex-Football Star To Keep Benefit Despite 'Scoring' Extended Stay In Nevada Prison

Posted on December 19, 2010
In Miami, Florida, The Miami Herald reports:O.J. Simpson may not be coming back to South Florida for a good long while, but he's still entitled to a homestead exemption on his Kendall home. So ruled the Miami-Dade County property appraiser's office after a neighbor complained that the convicted armed robber and long-ago football and TV star's current extended residency at a Nevada prison should

Disbarred Lawyer Cops Plea In $2.4M+ Client Trust/Escrow Funds Swindle; Admits Snatching Closing Cash Meant For Loan Payoffs, Ripping Off Dead Client

Posted on December 19, 2010
In Broward County, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:A disbarred Fort Lauderdale attorney pleaded guilty Thursday to a mail fraud charge, admitting he ripped off clients of more than $2.4 million. Joseph Sindaco, who practiced law in South Florida for three decades, stole from four clients' trust funds and used the money to pay personal expenses...

Recently Defeated In Election, Consumer-Friendly Ohio AG To Take Battle Against Financial Fraud National

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Columbus, Ohio, The Colombus Dispatch reports:Outgoing Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has a new federal job lined up, but he still has his eye on a statewide office - most likely governor - in 2014. Cordray confirmed [] that he has been appointed enforcement watchdog for the new U...

City Gives 40+ South Beach Tenants The Boot; Safety Issues Lead To 3-Day Notice To Vacate Shaky Structure, Leaving Residents Homeless For The Holidays

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Miami Beach, Florida, WPLG-TV Channel 10 reports:Dozens of residents in Miami Beach were forced to move out by Thursday because of safety concerns at their apartment building. Repairs have been under way at the building on Fifth Street and Meridian Avenue for the past eight months...

Stroke-Stricken Mom To Lose Family Home After Convicted Thief/Son Scammed Her In $137K Ripoff, Stiffing Bank On House Payments

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Spokane, Washington, KXLY-TV Channel 4 reports:A South Hill woman is about to lose her home to foreclosure because her son looted her life savings to feed his gambling addiction. Mary Jo English developed some health problems a couple of years ago and so her oldest son Mark assumed command of her finances including mailing the mortgage payments on her home...

Town Blocks Sale Of Flood-Prone, Nearly Uninhabitable Home; Says It Can't Afford R/E Tax Revenue Loss If Premises Is Converted To Public Green Space

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Hillsdale, New Jersey, The Record reports:The borough is refusing to allow a homeowner to sell a property that chronically floods to the state for public green space. Rosanne Vaccaro was accepted into a state program that buys properties in flood-prone areas, but she needs the borough's approval to complete the transaction...

NYC Feds File Civil Suit Charging Rockland County Landlord Of 96-Unit Complex With Discriminatory Practices Targeting African-Americans

Posted on December 18, 2010
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (NYC/Manhattan):PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced [] that the United States has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act against BURGUNDY GARDENS, LLC, for discriminating against African-Americans seeking to rent apartments at Burgundy Gardens Apartments, located in Valley Cottage,

BofA Looks To Unload At Least $1B In Crappy Paper; Lender/Servicer May Be Tiring Of Continued Hammering To Public Image

Posted on December 18, 2010
The New York Post reports:Bank of America, the country's No. 1 mortgage lender, battling to fix or get out of more than 1 million past due home loans, has put at least $1 billion of the toxic paper on the block, The Post has learned.Buyers for the loans, which BofA has already written off, are circling...

The Screw-Ups Continue At BofA; Servicer Sends Notices Of Tax Delinquency To 1,100 Borrowers Who'd Actually Paid Their Taxes

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Clark County, Washington, The Columbian reports:A letter sent to hundreds of Bank of America?s mortgage borrowers in Clark County contained news no one wants to hear: Your home could be foreclosed for nonpayment of property taxes. The letter from a Bank of America affiliate was sent to about 1,100 Clark County homeowners who?d actually paid their taxes...

West Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board Stiffs Low, Middle Income Pro Se Litigants With New "Ghostwriting" Rule

Posted on December 18, 2010
In Charleston, West Virginia, The West Virginia Record reports:The [West Virginia] State Bar's Lawyer Disciplinary Board recently ruled that attorneys no longer can offer behind-the-scenes legal help to people [representing themselves in court proceedings]...

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