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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

Detroit Man Gets 11 Years For Use Of Phony Quit Claim Deed To Steal, Flip Church; Pastor: "I Lost My Life's Work"

Posted on December 20, 2009
In Detroit, Michigan, The Detroit News reports:A man involved in a complicated scam to sell a church he didn't own has been found guilty on 11 counts of fraud. Tracy Carmichael, 46, of Detroit in 2007 offered to sell the Temple of God Deliverance on Mount Elliot to a woman who was interested in the property as a land investment...

Real Estate Agent Gets 8 Years For Selling Homes Out From Under Owners, Using Stolen IDs To Fraudulently Obtain Financing

Posted on December 20, 2009
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Los Angeles):A Lancaster man was sentenced [...] to eight years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $777,000 in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme in which he ?purchased? homes in Altadena and Riverside...

Closing Attorney Arrested, Charged With Illegally Dipping Into Escrow Account, Pocketing Client Cash From Real Estate Purchase

Posted on December 20, 2009
In Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, The Times Tribune reports:A Scranton lawyer has been arrested on charges he stole money from an escrow account involving a real estate transaction in Old Forge. Attorney Richard Hallock, 33, of North Bromley Avenue, was arrested Monday by the Lackawanna County district attorney's office and charged with theft and receiving stolen property in connection with a

Alleged Land Records Search Screw Up, Issuance Of Unauthorized Coverage Lands Attorney In Hot Water With Title Insurance Underwriter, Says Suit

Posted on December 20, 2009
In Winfield, West Virginia, The West Virginia Record reports:A California insurance company is suing a Putnam County attorney to recoup losses it incurred from the attorney's failure to conduct a thorough title search, and obtain the sufficient amount of [title] insurance for the purchase of commercial real estate in Hurricane...

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"We Goofed!" Says Bank After Billing Homeowner Nearly $500K On Mortgage Earlier Wiped Out By Judge For "Repugnant, Shocking, Etc." Lender Conduct

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Suffolk County, New York, Newsday reports:Nevermind. A California mortgage company admitted Friday it goofed when it sent an East Patchogue couple a letter demanding nearly a half-million dollars - even after a Riverhead judge said the couple did not owe the company a penny following a foreclosure dispute...

Gas Service Shutoff By Rent Skimming Landlord In Foreclosure Leaves Unwitting Tenants Without Heat, Hot Water & Facing The Boot

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Whiting, Indiana, WBBM-TV Channel 2 reports:The owner of a Whiting, Ind. apartment building is leaving his tenants out in the cold -- literally. The residents say he lost the building to a bank without telling them and their heat was shut off before they could move out...

Servicemember Files Federal Suit Against Landlord; Alleges Illegal Eviction Despite Giving Notice Of Activation For Military Duty

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Hammond, Indiana, Chicago Sun-Times Media Wire reports:A northwest Indiana service member is suing an apartment complex for evicting her after she told them she was being activated for duty, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Hammond...

Tenant Beats Down Bully Bank In Illegal Foreclosure Eviction Attempt; Lender, Law Firm Prey On Renters Unable To Assert Rights: Housing Advocate

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Hayward, California, Gabe Treves, Program Coordinator for Tenants Together, California's Statewide Organization for Renter's Rights, writes in News Blaze:Tenants renting a home in Hayward, CA, successfully defended themselves against an illegal eviction lawsuit brought by HSBC Bank...

Banks' Bullying Tactics Used To Carry Out Illegal Foreclosure Evictions On Tenants, Say D.C. Housing Counselors

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Washington, D.C., United Press International reports:Some banks are using aggressive eviction tactics to push Washington tenants out of their homes as the foreclosure crisis widens, housing counselors say. [...] Housing counselors in the District of Columbia said that tenant buyouts and evictions are becoming more prevalent as banks begin to take over more multi-unit properties...

23 Tenants Land On The Street As Landlord In Foreclosure Pockets Rent, Fails To Correct Fire Code Violations, Resulting In Eviction

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Regina, Saskatchewan, CBC News reports:The Regina landlord who's at the centre of a recent eviction controversy says he may have made mistakes, but he was only trying to help disadvantaged people. [Last] Monday, 23 tenants were evicted from a downtown Regina building co-owned by Paul Ehmann due to fire code violations and other problems...

Big Apple Plays Scrooge - Abruptly Yanks 3,000+ Recently Granted Section 8 Rent Subsidy Vouchers To Poor; Pins Blame On Budget $queeze

Posted on December 19, 2009
In New York City, the New York Post reports:More than 3,000 of the city's poorest families face a cruel Christmas because Section 8 vouchers they were given to find apartments are being abruptly yanked under a budget squeeze, officials said yesterday...

Hubby Skips After Hitting Florida Lottery; Lets Home Go To Foreclosure, Abandoned Ill Wife Faces The Boot

Posted on December 19, 2009
In Miramar, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:A former skin-care model who sued her husband to claim half his Florida Lotto winnings -- and lost -- is about to be evicted from the house they once shared. Donna Campbell, 49, says ever since she found out her husband won the lottery with his co-workers and tried to keep her from finding out, nothing good has happened...

Baltimore Closing Agent Cops Plea For Role In Deed Theft Scam; Phony Documents Used To Transfer Title To Home Belonging To Out-Of-State Senior

Posted on December 18, 2009
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force members recently highlighted their progress in a press conference, including the filing of criminal, civil, and regulatory actions against more than 250 individuals and companies in 2009, including this successsful criminal prosecution by the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office:The Baltimore City State?s Attorney?s Office indicted Gregory Todd Alter,

Pair Convicted Of Felony Theft For Running Foreclosure Rescue Equity Stripping Scam; Peddled Bogus Sale Leasebacks To Strapped Homeowners Seeking Help

Posted on December 18, 2009
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force members recently highlighted their progress in a press conference, including the filing of criminal, civil, and regulatory actions against more than 250 individuals and companies in 2009, including this successsful criminal prosecution by the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office:The Prince George?s County State?s Attorney?s Office Mortgage Fraud

Elderly Couple Accuse Attorney Of Tricking Them Into Signing Away Home; Transfer Made In Payment Of Legal Fees, Responds Lawyer

Posted on December 18, 2009
In Springfield, Tennessee, WSMV-TV Channel 7 reports:An elderly Springfield, Tenn., man said a Nashville attorney had him sign his lake house away while recovering from a stroke. W.H. "Blue? Howse, 84, and Ruth Howse, 85, are accusing [Fletcher] Long of taking their lakefront cabin at a time when they were most vulnerable...

Feds Bag Bogus Clergyman Accused Of Running Upfront Fee Scam That Preyed On Desperate Developers Seeking Financing

Posted on December 18, 2009
In Central Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:Father Barney Canada, a make-believe Roman Catholic priest(1) accused of duping developers of Trump Tower Tampa out of $150,000, has been arrested and charged with swindling $2.7 million from developers across Florida and the United States...

Boston "Triple Decker" Condo Converter Facing Suits Over Alleged Misrepresentations Draws FBI Attention; 50%+ Of Units Sold Wind Up In Foreclosure

Posted on December 18, 2009
In Boston, Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reports:When times were good, Michael David Scott did very, very well. The smooth-talking Trinidadian was a natural at selling a piece of the American dream, buying and renovating three-deckers in some of Boston?s toughest neighborhoods, then reselling them as condominiums, often to first-time home buyers eager to cash in on the city?s unstoppable

Ohio AG Slams Servicer With Civil Suit; Says Homeq Peddled One-Sided Loan Modification Agreements, Violated State Consumer Protection Statutes

Posted on December 17, 2009
From the Office of the Ohio Attorney General:Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray [...] announced a lawsuit filed against Barclays Capital Real Estate dba HomEq Servicing, headquartered in New York, for issuing unfair loan modification agreements and providing inadequate, incompetent customer service to Ohioans who were at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure...

Last Of 11 Defendants Found Liable In Equity Stripping, Sale Leaseback Scam Civil Suit; MD Judge Hands Down $987K Judgment Against Racket Participants

Posted on December 17, 2009
In Baltimore, Maryland, Legal Newsline reports:Baltimore City Circuit Court has handed down a judgment for Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler of nearly $1 million against participants in a foreclosure rescue scam.(1) [...] The judgment [among other things] requires payment of $987,030 in damages, restitution and penalties...

Alleged Sale Leaseback, Foreclosure Rescue Scammers To Pay $110K & Restore Title To Property Acquired From Unwitting Homeowners Seeking Help

Posted on December 17, 2009
In Ellicott City, Maryland, The Balimore Sun reports:Two Owings Mills-based mortgage firms accused of running a "foreclosure rescue scheme" have agreed to pay $110,000 in cash restitution as part of a settlement that saved the Ellicott City homes of two elderly women, one of whom has since died after becoming a victim...

Attorney Cops Plea In "Seller Financing" Fraud Scam; Accused Of Using Bogus Docs To Cheat Property-Selling Clients Out Of Thousands In Building Equity

Posted on December 17, 2009
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (New York City/Southern District):PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HUGH ZUBER -- a lawyer formerly employed by the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York -- pleaded guilty today to two counts of mail fraud arising from his participation in schemes to defraud two former clients.

Man Cops Plea To Using Forged Deed, Phony Mortgage Satisfactions, Unwitting Notary To Swipe Co-Owner's, Lenders' Interests In Bronx Comm'l Building

Posted on December 17, 2009
From the Office of the U.S. Attorney General (New York City/Southern District):PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARK M. BENUN pleaded guilty today in Manhattan federal court to perpetrating a mortgage fraud scheme involving the sale of a $5...

U.S. Mayors Cite Philadelphia's "Courtroom 676" Foreclosure Diversion Program For Outstanding Achievement

Posted on December 17, 2009
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Daily News reports:The U.S. Conference of Mayors honored Mayor Nutter and Common Pleas Judge Annette Rizzo [this week] for a city program that helps homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure...

Thousands Of Distressed Homeowners Left Hanging After Attorney Abruptly Chucks Law License; Calif. State Bar Urges Victims To File Restitution Claims

Posted on December 16, 2009
In San Francisco, California, KGO-TV Channel 7 reports:Thousands of distressed homeowners are looking for a way to get their money back after hiring a lawyer to save their homes. The families were left in a lurch when the lawyer suddenly resigned from the State Bar...

City Of Baltimore/Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loans" Case May Be On Shaky Ground; Judge Questions City's Ability To Prove Huge Losses To Neighborhoods

Posted on December 16, 2009
In Baltimore, Maryland, The Baltimore Sun reports:A federal judge raised doubts Monday about the city's ability to prove huge financial losses from houses left vacant by Wells Fargo foreclosures, the latest development in a landmark civil suit alleging a pattern of racially based, discriminatory lending by the mortgage broker...

Head Of Illegal House Flipping Operation Gets 27 Years; Scam Lead To 60+ Foreclosures; Collateral Damage To Surrounding Neighborhoods Pegged At $90M

Posted on December 16, 2009
In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Charlotte Observer reports:A man convicted in 2007 for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme affecting homes in the Charlotte area was sentenced Monday to 27 years in federal prison. William Roosevelt Cloud, 62, also was ordered to pay more than $880,000 in restitution to several financial institutions...

At Least Ten Individuals, Firms Found Liable In Civil Suit For Running Equity Stripping Racket Disguised As Foreclosure Rescue Help

Posted on December 16, 2009
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force members recently announced this successsful civil lawsuit by the Office of the Maryland Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division:The Office of the Maryland Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, filed a complaint in Baltimore City Circuit Court against [a foreclosure rescue group], alleging that the defendants promised to save consumers'

Title/Escrow Agent Swiped $500K+ In Closing Proceeds, Failing To Record Deeds Or Pay Off Existing Liens In The Process, Say Maryland Feds

Posted on December 16, 2009
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force members recently announced this recently filed federal indictment:A federal grand jury [...] indicted Daniel E. Fink Jr., age 43, of Baltimore, for wire fraud and money laundering. Fink owned and operated Homemaxx Title & Escrow LLC, a title company that conducted residential real estate closings with offices in Middle River and Parkville, Maryland...

Minnesota Couple Faces Foreclosure, Ruined Credit After Now-Disbarred Closing Attorney Swipes Refinancing Proceeds, Leaving Existing Loans Unpaid

Posted on December 15, 2009
In Forest Lake, Minnesota, the Pioneer Press reports:When Julie Tarlizzo and Reed Erickson refinanced their home and cabin mortgages in April, the transactions should have been routine. [...] But shortly after the closing, the couple received a jolt from the mortgage company that arranged for the refinance: The lender said more than $400,000 wired to an escrow account to pay off the old mortgages

Loan Mod Firm Facing FTC Charges Continues Leaving Customers Hanging, Say Unhappy Homeowners; Outfit Changes Name & Continues Operating: Feds

Posted on December 15, 2009
In Bradenton, Florida, WFTS ABC Action News Channel 28 reports:The Vanderford's weren't living beyond their means. They have a modest house in a working class Bradenton neighborhood where they've lived for 16 years. But 18 months ago, Tammy [Vanderford] lost her factory job and her husband's hours were cut at his...

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