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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

Convicted Ex-Car Mogul's Girlfriend Uses Foreclosure Eviction Protection Law In Attempt To "Dodge The Boot" From $1.8M Home 'Rented' From Boyfriend

Posted on November 06, 2010
In Medina, Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports:As disgraced businessman Denny Hecker sat in federal custody awaiting sentencing,(1) his girlfriend, Christi Rowan, fought eviction Thursday from the $1.8 million Medina home the two shared with her children...

Probe Into Alleged Atlanta-Area Loan Modification Scammer Expands Into Missouri As St. Louis Pastor Loses Church, Day Care, Home To Foreclosure

Posted on November 06, 2010
In St. Louis, Missouri, KMOV-TV Channel 4 reports:A businessman who offers customers help with their mortgages, but fails to get the job done is under investigation by police in Dekalb County Georgia - and officials there say the investigation is expanding to more states, including Missouri...

Lee County Cops Probe Tenant's Rent Skimming Allegation Against Landlord In Foreclosure; Renter Booted Prematurely, Left $5K Poorer

Posted on November 06, 2010
In Lee County, Florida, The News Press reports:The Lee County Sheriff?s Office is investigating a complaint a landlord collected $5,000 in rent from a tenant despite knowing the home being rented was in foreclosure and the tenant would be evicted. Joseph Harp, 56, and Karen Adams, 61, told investigators Harp leased the residence [...

Nevada AG: Indicted Trio Ran Upfront Fee Loan Modification Foreclosure Rescue Ripoff

Posted on November 06, 2010
From the Office of the Nevada Attorney General:Three people, including a local attorney, were indicted today for allegedly operating a foreclosure rescue scam in Las Vegas during 2008 and 2009. The indictment alleges that Nevada attorney Ramon Dy-Ragos, along with his partners Jesus Baca a...

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Vegas "Sewer Service" Allegations Raise Concerns That Upwards Of 20,000 Court Cases May Be At Risk

Posted on November 06, 2010
In Las Vegas, Nevada, KLAS-TV Channel 8 reports:There are new developments and a new arrest in the ongoing investigation into a process serving company and the court system. That company, On Scene Mediation, now has two employees under suspicion of falsifying court documents and putting upwards of 20,000 cases at risk...

Victim Of Sale Leaseback Foreclosure Rescue Scam Still Waiting For Installment Restitution Payments As County Falls Short In Enforcing Court Order

Posted on November 06, 2010
In Sacramento, California, The Sacramento Bee reports:When he walked out of the Sacramento County courthouse nearly a year ago, Telesfor Lucero Jr. thought he'd won the battle. Three years after Lucero lost his North Highlands home through mortgage fraud, the man who defrauded him had entered a no-contest plea...

Trump Yanks Name From Defunct Beach Tower In F'closure; Says He's Not The Developer - He Only Licensed Out His Name As Stiffed Buyers Demand Deposits

Posted on November 06, 2010
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:Real estate mogul Donald J. Trump said he's no longer affiliated with the unfinished luxury condo-hotel tower on Fort Lauderdale beach that was to carry his name and now faces foreclosure...

Four Central Florida Homeowners Seek Class Action Status In Federal Lawsuit Targeting GMAC In Robosigner Scandal

Posted on November 05, 2010
In Tampa, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:Four Tampa Bay area homeowners are suing what used to be GMAC, claiming the company used "robo-signers" to foreclose on their homes illegally. [...] Their $5 million lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S...

Notorious S. Florida Foreclosure Mill Gives Hundreds Of Employees The Boot As Storm Clouds Continue To Darken Over Alleged Robosigning Racket

Posted on November 05, 2010
In Plantation, Florida, The Miami Herald reports:The Law Offices of David J. Stern laid off hundreds of employees on Thursday, the latest sign that a state investigation, the loss of major clients amid scandal and the incriminating testimonies of former employees are bringing the foreclosure-processing giant to its knees...

Foreclosure Environment "A Total Mess" As Loan Servicers Fail To Address Allegations Of Sloppiness, Fraud

Posted on November 05, 2010
Bankrate.com reports:Revelations of bank errors and allegations of fraud have created a "total mess" surrounding today's foreclosures, says Walter Dees, a housing counselor for ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions in Los Angeles. "It's a huge paperwork problem," he says...

"Produce The Note" Success Story Featured In Media Report Describing Foreclosure Scandal As "Clash Over Who Gets Stuck With $1.1 Trillion In Loss"

Posted on November 05, 2010
In Boca Raton, Florida, BusinessWeek reports:In 2002, a Boca Raton (Fla.) accountant named Joseph Lents was accused of securities law violations by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lents, who was chief executive officer of a now-defunct voice-recognition software company, had sold shares in the publicly traded company without filing the proper forms...

Louisiana Couple To Chuck Payment Book, Scores $10K For Sloppy Citi's Harrassment In Attempting To Collect Lost Promissory Note

Posted on November 05, 2010
In Chalmette, Louisiana, The Associated Press reports:CitiMortgage Inc. lost its right to collect from a Chalmette couple who defaulted after Hurricane Katrina because it lost their mortgage - and must pay them $10,000 for years of harassing phone calls, a state district judge has ruled...

Fresno Couple Among Many Alleging To Be Screwed Over By Forensic Loan Audit Outfit The Target Of $60M California AG Lawsuit, Separate Class Action

Posted on November 05, 2010
In Fresno, California, The Fresno Bee reports:Patty and Jody Farmer were hooked when a Rancho Cordova-based company offered to help refinance their adjustable-rate mortgage, which was about to become unaffordable. But after paying the company nearly $8,000 -- and following its advice to stop making mortgage payments -- the Farmers didn't get a new mortgage...

"Sewer Service" Allegations Earn Process Servers Their Share Of Spotlight In Nationwide Foreclosure Scandal

Posted on November 04, 2010
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:The expanding investigation into Florida's foreclosure crisis has turned up a new problem that may involve a number of cases: Individuals hired by law firms to notify struggling homeowners when their foreclosure cases are to be heard in court may have filed faulty or false documents...

Southern California Homeowner Scores TRO Stalling Foreclosure Sale; Lender Duped Borrower Into Defaulting On House Payments: Judge

Posted on November 04, 2010
In San Diego, California, Courthouse News Service reports:A La Jolla man can keep his home for now, after a federal judge granted his motion for a temporary restraining order blocking Washington Mutual and JP Morgan from foreclosing on his house because the banks misled him into defaulting on his mortgage...

State AG To Missouri Homeowners In Foreclosure: Seek Competent Counsel & Make Loan Servicer Produce The Proper Paperwork

Posted on November 04, 2010
From the Office of the Missouri Attorney General:Missouri law generally allows foreclosures to take place very quickly, relative to other states [Missouri is a non-judicial foreclosure state - no court action is needed to foreclose on a home]. It is important for homeowners to understand their rights concerning foreclosures and to recognize the need for legal representation at the earliest

Foreclosure Mill Hires Fannie Associate GC As General Counsel; Could Be Move To Snag Recently 'Orphaned' Stern Case Files

Posted on November 04, 2010
From a recent McCalla Raymer, LLC press release:McCalla Raymer, LLC [] announced the appointment of [ex-Fannie Mae associate general counsel] Susan Reid as General Counsel. [...] Most recently, she concentrated on foreclosure related issues in the state of Florida including mandatory mediation and other legal strategies for managing the residential default loan portfolio in various states...

MD High Court Rules Panel: "Use Of Bogus Affidavits" To Support Foreclosures "Constitutes An Assault On The Integrity Of The Judicial Process Itself"

Posted on November 03, 2010
The following gems were reported in a recent story in The Baltimore Sun on the Maryland Court of Appeals' recent action to approved emergency rules authorizing reviews of foreclosure documents througout Maryland (a non-judicial foreclosure state) in response to the national scandal involving the use of robosigner-executed affidavits, and the subsequent use of "corrective affidavits" by

Court Awards Florida Man Title To Home Lost In BofA Screw-Up; Foreclosure Sale Took Place Despite Homeowner Not Having A Mortgage

Posted on November 03, 2010
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:In the second South Florida foreclosure reversal this week, a Broward County court "vacated" the sale of a Fort Lauderdale man's home that had been sold out from under him, even though he bought the house with cash and never had a mortgage...

Zombie Debt-Buying Rackets Also Bear Blame For Flooding Court System With Robosigner Affidavits; Cheap Pens A Complaint For One "Autograph Marathoner"

Posted on November 03, 2010
The New York Times reports:When Michael Gazzarato took a job that required him to sign hundreds of affidavits in a single day, he had one demand for his employer: a much better pen. ?They tried to get me to do it with a Bic, and I wasn?t going ? I wasn?t having it,? he said...

PA AG: Outfit Used Notices Hand-Delivered By Faux 'Sheriff Deputies', Fake 'Courtroom' & Mock 'Hearings' To Squeeze Debtors Out Of Cash, Car Titles

Posted on November 03, 2010
In Erie, Pennsylvania, WTAE-TV Channel 4 reports:A sign in the front of a building on West 39th Street tells visitors that it's the Unicredit Debt Resolution Center in Erie. Once debtors got inside, they were fooled into believing they were in a courtroom with a judge, but the whole thing was a fake, according to a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania attorney general...

Victim Of Chicago-Area Refinance Racket Attributes Loss Of Four Properties To Convicted Deed Scammer

Posted on November 03, 2010
In Chicago, Illinois, myFoxchicago reports:John Hemphill of Chicago is behind bars after a brazen attempt to swindle potential homeowners all over the South Side. Hemphill was caught on undercover cameras in a federal sting, claiming he held the deeds to homes all over the south side, and offering to sell those properties for just three or four thousand dollars apiece...

Failure To Dismiss 100s Of Faulty Foreclosures Involving Robosigners Will Lead To Huge Problem w/ Crappy Home Titles, Says MD Non-Profit In Lawsuits

Posted on November 02, 2010
In Maryland, The Baltimore Sun reports:Attorneys for Maryland homeowners are asking the courts to dismiss hundreds of foreclosure cases that depended on paperwork submitted by so-called robo-signers on behalf of mortgage servicers.Civil Justice, a Baltimore nonprofit that specializes in foreclosure issues, made the request in motions filed last week in two cases...

Wells Fargo's Moua Attracts Spotlight, National Recognition For Career As Prolific Robosigner; Claims Credit For Banging Out 500 Affidavits In 2 Hours

Posted on November 02, 2010
Bloomberg News reports:A Maryland homeowner asked a court to dismiss any Wells Fargo & Co. foreclosure actions in the state that involve affidavits given by a bank employee who said she signed documents without completely checking their accuracy.Susan Saidman asked a Montgomery County court to recognize as a class all defendants in Maryland cases with foreclosure papers signed by Xee Moua for

Investigators Use "Well-Tested Approach" In Criminal Probe Into Robosigner Scandal As They Put Squeeze On Low-Level Workers For Info To Bag Execs

Posted on November 02, 2010
The Washington Post reports:[A]mid reports of shoddy and possibly fraudulent paperwork, [Jacksonville, Florida foreclosure document Processor Lender Processing Services](1) as well as a handful of other document processors and law firms are coming under scrutiny for the criminal investigations into the foreclosure debacle...

State AG To Wells Fargo: Vacate Any Ohio F'closure Judgment Obtained Through Faulty Affidavits; Asks Judges For Docs Involving One Specific Robosigner

Posted on November 02, 2010
Bloomberg News reports:Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray asked judges in his state for copies of foreclosure affidavits filed in their courts that are signed by a woman he identified as a ?robo-signer? for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Cordray sent a letter to 133 judges asking for information on any cases that involved Xee Moua, a Wells Fargo vice president of loan documentation...

State Law Forcing A Waiver Of Counterclaims In Foreclosure Actions For Failure To Pay $1,900 Fee Unconstitutional, Say 3 Florida Homeowners In Lawsuit

Posted on November 02, 2010
In Fort Myers, Florida, The Tampa Tribune reports:Cash-strapped homeowners shouldn't have to pay to fight foreclosure, according to three Lee County homeowners who are suing the state. Fees of up to $1,900 to file a counter claim is unconstitutional, says the lawsuit, filed last week in the Middle District of Florida, Ft...

Fannie, Freddie Dump Stern; Earlier Suspension Of Case Referrals To South Florida Foreclosure Mill Now Permanent As Loan File Removals Begin

Posted on November 02, 2010
The Wall Street Journal reports:Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have terminated their relationships with a top Florida foreclosure law firm and began taking possession of loan files on Monday afternoon from the firm, which processes evictions on behalf of the mortgage-finance giants...

"Pick Up The Phone & Call Me Now!" Says DC AG To Local Residents Hit With Deceptive Foreclosure Notices As Non-Judicial Process Requires Quick Action

Posted on November 01, 2010
In Washington, D.C., The Washington Post reports:D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles this week created an opening for potentially tens of thousands of homeowners to challenge their foreclosures. He issued an enforcement statement emphasizing that District law requires that the assignment of a mortgage from one party to another be recorded within 30 days of the transfer...

"They Will Suffer The Consequences" Says South Carolina Chief Justice Of 'Corner-Cutting' Foreclosing Lenders Involved In Robosigner Scandal

Posted on November 01, 2010
In South Carolina, The State reports:Across courts in South Carolina, judges say they are halting more foreclosures ? as many as one in four ?because lawyers for banks have incomplete documents or missing paperwork. They also are starting to see the challenges to the authenticity of signatures on foreclosure documents that have made headlines in recent weeks...

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