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

Florida Courts Continue Efforts To Establish Loan Workout Procedures In Foreclosure Actions

Posted on May 22, 2009
In South Florida, the Daily Business Review reports:As a state task force labors to develop a uniform statewide approach to the onslaught of foreclosure cases, Broward and Palm Beach counties are rolling out new programs of their own.Palm Beach Chief Circuit Judge Kathleen Kroll will launch a pilot program next month allowing homeowners to confer with law clerks and court interns to get help

Scammer Cops Plea To Illegally Pocketing $140K From Elderly Clients Promoting Phony Foreclosure Flipping Business

Posted on May 22, 2009
In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Appleton Post Crescent reports:An Oshkosh man faces prison after he was convicted Monday of two counts of security fraud and one count of selling an unregistered security in a scam that netted nearly $140,000 from elderly clients...

Ohio AG Threatens Homeowner With Foreclosure Over $24.66 In Flat Tire Mishap

Posted on May 22, 2009
In Fayetteville, Ohio, WCPO-TV Channel 9 reports:A broken road reflector cost Paul Holden the price a new tire, and now it could cost him his home. That's the threat from the Ohio Attorney General if Holden doesn't pay another $24.66 the state says it spent investigating his claim for the flat tire...

Another Foreclosing Lender Screw Up Puts Homeowner Out Onto Street, Belongings Dumped On Front Lawn

Posted on May 22, 2009
In Gwinnett County, Georgia, WSB-TV Channel 2 reports:A Gwinnett County woman is trying to put her life back together after an alleged foreclosure mistake left her home a wreck. Eviction crews dumped all of her belongings in her front yard. But, she said it was the bank that failed to process her loan modification paperwork...

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

Ohio Appeals Court Affirms Theft Convictions, Reverses Others In Cleveland-Area Equity Stripping, Foreclosure Rescue Sale Leaseback Scam

Posted on May 21, 2009
An Ohio appellate court this month issued rulings, affirming in part and reversing in part, the convictions of two criminal defendants in connection with an equity stripping, foreclosure rescue scam.(1)Defendant Sammy Quick appealed his convictions for two counts of theft, securing writings by deception, mortgage broker prohibition, and receiving stolen property...

List Of Homeowners Being Forced From Homes By Chinese Drywall Continues To Grow

Posted on May 21, 2009
In Parkland, Florida, CNN reports:Sherri and Ira Rojhani stopped paying the mortgage on their 2-year-old South Florida home in April, victims not of a troubled economy, but, they say, of drywall from China that they believe is making them sick. They join a growing list of homeowners in 13 states who face foreclosure or the prospect of paying both their mortgage and rent on alternate housing as

Failed Attempt To Take Out Mortgage On Mom's Home Among Criminal Charges Facing Louisiana Woman

Posted on May 21, 2009
In Alexandria, Louisiana, The Town Talk reports:An Alexandria woman faces several charges after she reportedly forged several checks from her mother's account, attempted to take out a second mortgage on her mother's home and stole and pawned the woman's jewelry...

Oklahoma Man Faces Felony Charges For Renting Vacant Homes In Foreclosure Without Owners' Knowledge

Posted on May 21, 2009
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, KSWO-TV Channel 7 reports:Tulsa County prosecutors have filed charges against a man accused of renting foreclosed homes he didn't own or have authority to rent. Mike Remington is charged with felony obtaining money by false pretense...

FTC Obtains Court Order Halting Scammers' Use Of "MakingHomeAffordable.gov" Link To Deceptively Divert Comsumers Seeking Free Mortgage Assistance

Posted on May 20, 2009
Fron the Federal Trade Commision:At the Federal Trade Commission?s request, a federal district court issued an order to stop an Internet-based operation that pretends to operate ?MakingHomeAffordable.gov,? the official Web site of the federal Making Home Affordable program for free mortgage loan assistance...

Federal Judge Dismisses Cleveland Public Nuisance Suit Against Big Banks Over Subprime Mess That Left Neighborhoods In Ruins

Posted on May 20, 2009
In Cleveland, Ohio, The Plain Dealer reports:U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi has dismissed Cleveland's lawsuit against large investment banks that Mayor Frank Jackson believes enabled the subprime lending and foreclosure crisis here. In a 36-page decision (download PDF file), Lioi ruled that the city's public nuisance complaint was "pre-empted" by a section of Ohio Revised Code that does not allow

Former Spouse Used Bogus POA To Secretly Take Out Mortgage On Long Island Mansion Now In Foreclosure, Says Ex-Wife

Posted on May 20, 2009
In Brooklyn, New York, the New York Post reports:With all the defiance of a spoiled mob princess -- and the dramatic acting chops of an Oscar diva -- foreclosure victim Victoria Gotti vowed yesterday that no one will be kicking her out of her Long Island estate, insisting, "This is by no means over!" "I'm never going to lose the house -- trust me," Gotti, 46, the daughter of late Mafia boss John

Hubby Forged Signature on Loan Application, Pocketed �48,000 In Mortgage Proceeds, Says Estranged Wife

Posted on May 20, 2009
In Wales, United Kingdom, the South Wales Echo reports:A CAR dealer accused of forging his wife?s signature on a �48,000 loan application after she left him owned a Porsche, two Spanish villas and a �1m house at the time, a court has heard. Businessman Nigel Bowen, 52, admitted he had since been declared bankrupt, but said he had plenty of money options in 2006 when the mortgage advance ? which

Now-Bankrupt Husband Accused Of Forging Spouse's Name On $13M+ In Mortgages Secured By Family Home; Wife, Three Kids Now Face Foreclosure

Posted on May 20, 2009
In Brisbane, Australia, The Sunday Telegraph reports:THE wife of declared bankrupt and former Billabong surfwear boss Matthew Perrin has made startling allegations of identity fraud and forgery in a Supreme Court bid to protect her luxury Gold Coast mansion from the circling Commonwealth Bank...

Stiffed Sub Slaps Lien On Homeowners For Unpaid Work, Leaving Them With Having To Pay Twice For New Pools Or Face Foreclosure

Posted on May 19, 2009
In Casselberry, Florida, WFTV Channel 9 reports:Customers of a well known pool company got shocking news this week. A subcontractor was never paid. So there are now liens against their homes forcing the homeowners to pay a second time. [...] Greg Vanek paid Florida Pools of Casselberry in full more than 6 thousand dollars...

Do-It-Yourself Steps In Getting A Mortgage Loan Modification

Posted on May 19, 2009
On his website, Jack Guttentag, The Mortgage Professor writes:If you can no longer afford your mortgage payment, but you can afford a lower payment, and if you cannot lower your payment by refinancing, you should seek a modification of your loan contract...

Foreclosed Homeowner Accused Of Leaving Behind Suspicious Devices Faces Felony Charges As Cops Evacuate Area Residents

Posted on May 19, 2009
In Riverside, California, KABC-TV Channel 7 reports:Bomb disposal experts [were] at a foreclosed home in Riverside [last week] that was apparently booby-trapped. Several suspicious devices were also located on the property. Realtor Ken Kelley was on the property inspecting the house [...

MERS Jammed In Attempt To Foreclose In 27 Cases; Not A Real Party In Interest, Lacked Standing, Failed To Produce Note, Says Nevada Bankruptcy Judge

Posted on May 19, 2009
In Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas Business Press reports:A Las Vegas bankruptcy judge has dealt a blow to an obscure but critical piece of the mortgage enforcement machinery that could slow foreclosures. After a rare hearing in front of three judges last year that initially encompassed 27 cases, U...

10th Defendant In Maryland-Based Foreclosure Rescue Scam Takes Guilty Plea

Posted on May 19, 2009
In Greenbelt, Maryland, WJZ-TV Channel 13 reports:A 10th person has pleaded guilty in a $35 million mortgage foreclosure rescue scam. Federal prosecutors say 34-year-old Ronald Chapman Jr. of Washington faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud...

Lenders' Failure To Comply With Bailout Bill Has Florida Attorney Seeking To Delay, Dismiss Foreclosure Actions

Posted on May 18, 2009
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Daily Business Review reports:Lenders receiving U.S. government stimulus money are required to offer distressed homeowners reasonable loan workouts to prevent more foreclosures. But critics say that?s often not happening...

Texas AG Files Civil Suit Charging Loan Modification Firm With Selling Worthless Rescue Services To Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

Posted on May 18, 2009
From the Office of the Texas Attorney General:A Harris County district judge froze several Houston firms? assets after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged the companies with running foreclosure ?rescue? scams. According to the state?s enforcement action,(1) the defendants fraudulently charged their customers for worthless ?rescue,? debt counseling and credit repair services...

25+ Year Squatters In Abandoned NYC Building Score Big Win; Obtain Title To Manhattan Apartment House As Co-Op

Posted on May 18, 2009
In New York City, the New York Post reports:Sometimes crime does pay. Nearly 30 years after an eclectic group of poets, performers, anarchists and artists illegally occupied a burned-out East Village tenement, they've officially become a Manhattan co-op...

Financially Strapped Oregon Couple Bail Out On Loan Modification Attorney; Stops Check, Opts For Free Counseling Instead

Posted on May 18, 2009
In Gresham, Oregon, KGW-TV Channel 8 reports:A mortgage scheme nearly snagged a Gresham couple. [...] ?My husband?s trucking business came to a stop and we got really far behind in our house payments,? said Patricia Harmon. A television commercial from Christian M...

Disbarred New Jersey Attorney Cops Plea To Illegally Pocketing Client Cash From Closing Proceeds In Real Estate Transactions

Posted on May 17, 2009
From the Monmouth County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office:On May 11, 2009, Gary Edelson, 48, formerly of Red Bank, N.J., appeared in Monmouth County Superior Court and pled guilty to the crime of second degree Misapplication of Entrusted Property. The charge resulted from an investigation which was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office regarding funds that Edelson, an attorney,

New Workbook Gives Guidance For Financially Strapped Arizona Homeowners

Posted on May 17, 2009
From the Office of the Arizona Attorney General:Consumers at risk of foreclosure are encouraged to do their homework before contacting lenders and servicers. The Arizona Foreclosure Prevention Task Force has developed an easy to understand workbook to guide families through different options and scenarios in order to prepare for meeting with lenders or certified counselor at a HUD approved agency

Real Estate Agent Suspected Of Key Role In Mortgage Scam Now Accused Of Rent Skimming By Disgruntled Tenant

Posted on May 17, 2009
In Tampa, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:Tampa real estate agent Lori Polin played a key role in one of the state's "most dramatic" mortgage fraud schemes, according to Florida's attorney general. Polin is still an agent ? and she's still engaged in questionable dealings, an angry tenant claims...

Home Improvement Contractor Gets Prison Time In $80K+ Ripoff; Accused Of Shoddy, Incomplete Work On 88-Year Old Widow's Home

Posted on May 17, 2009
From the Office of the New York Attorney General:Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo [...] announced the sentencing of a Western New York home improvement contractor who repeatedly pressured an 88-year-old widow into paying more than $80,000 for home improvements that were never done or ?grossly substandard...

Media Probe Finds Bank Robbers, Identity Thieves In Tennessee Mortgage Brokerage Industry

Posted on May 17, 2009
In Nashville, Tennessee, WTVF-TV Channel 5 reports:You trust them with personal information and to help you buy your home. Yet, an exclusive NewsChannel5 investigation found bank robbers and identity thieves working in the mortgage business. Incredibly, they all received a license from the state...

Forged Documents Used To Swipe $140K+ In Home Sale Proceeds, Says Infamous Ex-Long Island Car Mechanic

Posted on May 16, 2009
In Chatsworth, California, Courthouse News Service reports:Joey Buttafuoco, the former car mechanic who became famous after his underage girlfriend shot his wife in 1992, has filed a suit against a real estate agent and a home buyer that claims they cheated him out of the proceeds of a house sale...

Arizona Mortgage Fraud Feds Targeting Strippers In Crackdown Against Gutting Of Homes In Foreclosure

Posted on May 16, 2009
In Phoenix, Arizona, The Arizona Republic reports:The Northeast Valley's battered real-estate market is getting a federal bailout of sorts from an unusual source. FBI agents and local law-enforcement personnel have arrested five people in the past month for stripping their foreclosed homes of appliances, cabinets, countertops and plumbing fixtures...

NY AG Thwarts Contractor's Attempt To Hide Assets In Effort To Avoid Paying Restitution To Screwed Over Homeowners

Posted on May 16, 2009
From the Office of the New York Attorney General:Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo [...] announced that his office has obtained a court order to obtain a contractor?s property, which will be sold to help pay back consumers he defrauded in his home improvement contract business...

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 ...