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

Bride-To-Be's Wedding Plans, $6,700 Deposit Blown Out Of The Water By Reception Hall Facing Foreclosure

Posted on March 21, 2009
In Fall River, Massachusetts, WPRI-TV Channel 12 reports:Most women dream of the perfect wedding. But, for one Fairhaven woman, her nuptials turned into a nightmare after she learned her reception hall is in foreclosure. The Abbey Grill, located at 100 Rock Street in Fall River, is scheduled to be auctioned off March 26...

Real Estate Agent Finds Two Starved Dogs In Foreclosed Marijuana Grow House

Posted on March 21, 2009
In Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond News reports:The SPCA is looking for the owner or owners of two German shepherds abandoned in a former marijuana grow operation, with the prospect of laying animal cruelty charges. A real estate agent found the dogs -- one dead, the other starving -- on Monday when she went to change the locks on a house that had been handed back to the bank in a

Loan Modification Firms Masquerading As Non-Profits?

Posted on March 20, 2009
In a story on loan modification scams, Minnesota Public Radio describes one way that some firms are using to circumvent state law prohibitions on collecting upfront fees:[I]n Minnesota, it's illegal for so-called foreclosure consultants to demand money in advance for a loan modification...

California Feds, State Law Enforcement Agencies Form Task Force Targeting Foreclosure Scams

Posted on March 20, 2009
Buried in a recent story by KFSN-TV Channel 30 in Fresno, California is this excerpt on the initiative led by the Feds in central California to combat foreclosure rescue scams:[U.S. Attorney's office representative Kirk] Sheriff believes it's impossible to know how many homeowners have fallen victim to foreclosure rescue offers because some are too ashamed to report it...

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

Daughter Steals Deed To Dead Mom's Home, Then Attempts To Evict Siblings, Say Cops

Posted on March 20, 2009
In Livermore, California, the Contra Costa Times reports:A woman who investigators say fraudulently changed the deed to her dead mother's house was arrested after she tried to evict several other family members who lived there, police said [last week]...

Fighting Foreclosure & Winning In Miami

Posted on March 20, 2009
The Today Show on NBC ran a story Thursday on homeowners in foreclosure in Miami, Florida who are fighting back against their mortgage lenders. Among the highlights of the story was coverage of a recent seminar conducted in Miami in which 50 local attorneys volunteered their advice to some 300 homeowners who showed up for the gathering...

State AGs Opting For Civil Lawsuits In Lieu Of Criminal Prosecutions In Combatting Foreclosure Scams

Posted on March 20, 2009
A recent Associated Press story reports on how some state attorneys general are pursuing loan modification scams:[W]hile some states have recently toughened penalties for perpetrating the booming business of foreclosure scams, and some prosecutors have used existing fraud statutes to bring criminal charges, the reaction of many state prosecutors are civil actions designed to recover a victim's

As Builders Of Partially Built Projects Take A Hike, Some Lenders Have Found Themselves Reluctantly Becoming Real Estate Developers

Posted on March 20, 2009
In South Florida, the Daily Business Review reports:When lenders threw millions of dollars at residential projects throughout South Florida, they probably didn?t expect that one day they?d take on the role of developers and begin running projects themselves...

New Hampshire Renter Scammed Out Of $1,000 By Phony Landlord

Posted on March 20, 2009
In Bow, New Hampshire, NewHampshire.com reports:According to local business owner Ted Severance, desperate times have led some to very desperate ? and illegal ? measures. Severance, owner of Coastal Forest Products lumber yards in Bow and Bedford, recently said that a scam artist successfully tricked an unsuspecting woman out of a $1,000 money order by pretending to rent her a property that

Ohio Renter Taken For $1,100 By Phony Landlord; Responded To Scam Ad Posted On Craigslist

Posted on March 20, 2009
In Columbus, Ohio, WBNS-TV Channel 10 reports: The foreclosure crisis is drumming up business for criminals looking to scam people out of money, and 10 Investigates has uncovered a new scam where thieves pose as landlords and rent property that does not belong to them...

Florida AG Files Civil Charges Against Orlando-Area Loan Modification Firm; Accused Of Taking Upront Fees, Deceptive & Unfair Advertising Practices

Posted on March 19, 2009
From the Office of the Florida Attorney General:Attorney General Bill McCollum [Tuesday] announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against a Central Florida company for allegedly charging up-front fees for loan modification services to homeowners facing foreclosure...

Scores Of Consumer Lawsuits Flowing Thru Court Systems Throughout Country

Posted on March 19, 2009
Inter Press Service reports:Many of the biggest mortgage lenders in the U.S. have engaged in widespread, systematic schemes that ripped off hundreds of thousands of families seeking to buy a home, refinance or foreclose, according to lawsuits filed on behalf of consumers...

Feds Caution Against "Fake" HUD Website

Posted on March 19, 2009
The Buffalo News reports:An Internet Web site that looks like a federal Housing and Urban Development operation providing financial help for homeowners facing foreclosure actually is a ?phishing scam? seeking personal information, HUD officials said Friday...

Unable To Sell, Some Condo Owners May Be Squeezed Into Foreclosure By Rental Restrictions In Association Rules

Posted on March 19, 2009
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports on the story of a local resident who owns a condo apartment that she can't unloaded, and who is hamstrung in her attempts to rent out the place because of rent restrictions contained in the condo association's rules:[A]tlanta has a glut of condos and few are selling, so owners want to rent them but cannot because of limits designed to

Squeezed Homeowners In South Florida "Country Club" Communities Fight Back

Posted on March 19, 2009
In Boca Raton, Florida, the South Florida Daily Business Review reports:Almost a decade after Howard Cohan moved into Devon Place, a neighborhood within Boca?s Woodfield Country Club, he was told he would be required to establish a social membership in the golf and tennis club and pay annual dues of more than $10,000 to continue living in the community...

Another Homeowner Curent On His Mortgage Payments Gets Hit With Foreclosure Notice

Posted on March 19, 2009
In Woodland, Washington, KPTV Channel 12 reports:An unwarranted foreclosure notice gave a southwest Washington man a big scare [recently]. Kraig Neet said he was baffled when he returned to his Woodland, Wash., home on [...] and found a notice of default posted on his house...

Mistake By Auction Firm In Identifying Foreclosed Home Results In Break-In; Authorities Refuse To Prosecute

Posted on March 19, 2009
In Mansfield, Ohio, the Mansfield News Journal reports:Carolyn Holland is not behind on her mortgage payments, nor is she facing foreclosure. But last September, her Lucas property was listed, with accompanying photos, on an auction Web site as a foreclosed home...

Utah Feds Bust 3 In Alleged Straw Buyer Mortgage Scam Leading To Slew Of Foreclosures; Case Is "Tip Of The Iceberg" Say Prosecutors

Posted on March 19, 2009
In Salt Lake County, Utah, KSL-TV Channel 5 reports:Three Utah men have been indicted in a mortgage fraud scam that netted millions of dollars and left a trail of foreclosures and falling home values in its wake. The scam allegedly involved a dozen homes in Utah, Davis and Salt Lake counties...

More On Forensic Loan Audits In Connection With Loan Modifications

Posted on March 18, 2009
A recent story in the San Francisco Chronicle contained the following excerpt describing how one company involved in the loan modification process operates:Nasim Pakmanesh, production manager at Help-U-Mod in Walnut Creek, said his company's business model is to provide "forensic loan audits" for $1,500, then to refer clients to affiliated attorneys who charge about $1,000 to pursue a loan

Chico Homeowner's Foreclosure Eviction Stopped; Files Suit Requesting Cancellation Of Alleged Predatory Loan

Posted on March 18, 2009
In Chico, California, the Chico Enterprise Record reports:To prevent a Chico woman from losing her home, several lawyers filed suit against three firms they accused of engaging in a "predatory lending scheme." "We're hoping this is going to help this woman out...

Scammer Convicted Of Elder Expoitation Now Accused Of Swiping Mom's Home Equity, Resulting In Foreclosure; Other Victims Come Forward

Posted on March 18, 2009
In Great Falls, Montana, the Great Falls Tribune reports:When Tina Palagi was sentenced in court on charges of elder exploitation in December, she got a suspended sentence and a strong warning to stay out of trouble.(1) Now the Great Falls woman is accused of stealing from her own mother while her mother was ill, causing the elderly woman to lose her home to foreclosure just months before it

Dozens Of Tennessee Mobile Home Owners Face The Boot As Landowner Faces Foreclosure

Posted on March 18, 2009
In Catoosa County, Tennessee, WTVC-TV Channel 9 reports:Dozens of people in Catoosa County are wondering if they will lose their homes after seeing a foreclosure notice this week. They live in the Pine Forest Mobile Home Park who's owners, David and Sandra Ott of California, are facing foreclosure...

Massachusetts Loan Modification Firm Accused Of Scamming Homeowner Out Of $995

Posted on March 18, 2009
In Boston, Massachusetts, WCVB-TV Channel 5 reports:As the foreclosure crisis grows so does a cottage industry of loan modification companies that promise to work with lenders and lower monthly mortgage rates. But Team 5 Investigates found the practices of many of these companies are not only unethical, they are illegal...

Florida Attorney General vs. Outreach Housing - A Different View

Posted on March 18, 2009
Regarding the pending lawsuit by the Florida Attorney General's Office against loan modification firm Outreach Housing, the company has one or more supporters who have started blogs in which they paint a picture that is much different than the one described in the AG's lawsuit...

State Officials Yank Tax Benefit Derived From Bogus Homestead Claim By Bronx Congressman On Maryland House

Posted on March 18, 2009
The New York Post reports:Maryland officials have yanked a tax credit from Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel, who has avoided thousands in taxes on his nearly $1 million home there by improperly claiming it as his primary residence. The officials told Engel he doesn't qualify for the homestead exemption, a tax credit only state residents can apply for, because he and his wife Patricia's primary residence is

Maine Chief Justice: Task Force To Develop Foreclosure Diversion Program

Posted on March 18, 2009
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network reports:[C]hief Justice [Leigh] Saufley told a joint session of the House and Senate that that the court system will create a task force to develop what she calls a foreclosure diversion program "aimed at helping Maine people who are facing the loss of their homes...

Loan Officer Wins Race To Prosecutor's Office In Equity Stripping Foreclosure Rescue Case; Cuts Deal w/ Feds, Will Sing Against Now-Former Associates

Posted on March 17, 2009
In Honolulu, Hawaii, the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports:A former loan officer with a local mortgage brokerage company is cooperating with the government in its prosecution of his former boss. Vance Yukio Inouye, 31, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to one count each of wire fraud and conspiring to make false statements on loan applications and commit wire and mail fraud...

Clipping Homeowners For Improper, Unexplained Fees A Common Practice For Some In Mortgage Servicing Industry

Posted on March 17, 2009
In St. Cloud, Minnesota, the St. Cloud Times reports:Charging improper or unexplained fees is a common practice for some mortgage servicing companies and is a larger part of the national foreclosure crisis than most people realize, experts say. Questionable property inspections, late fees when payments aren?t late, forcing homeowners to buy insurance even when they already have it ? all occur

Jacksonville Foreclosure Rescue Operator Dodges Another Bullet As Prosecutors Drop Criminal Charges

Posted on March 17, 2009
In Jacksonville, Florida, The Florida Times Union reports:Prosecutors have dropped mortgage fraud charges against a man accused of skimming home equity from distressed homeowners. The case against Thomas Cuomo could not stand in the wake of an e-mail and paper trail showing the mortgage company he was working with wasn't the victim of fraud - but instead the possible cause of it...

Kansas AG Probes Firm's Activities For Possible Deception In Buying Up Redemption Rights From Foreclosed Homeowners

Posted on March 17, 2009
In Witchita, Kansas, The Witchita Eagle reports:The Kansas Attorney General's Office is investigating complaints alleging "unconscionable business practices" by a Wichita company that buys and sells homes in foreclosure. Attorney general spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett said she couldn't say more about the complaints against Liberty Asset Management...

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 ...