NBC Nightly News On Foreclosure Pets & Domestic Livestock
For more on foreclosures and abandoned animals, see Foreclosures & Pets I, and see Foreclosures & Pets II. petsII and foreclosures
Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
For more, see Officials told of renters' troubles (Little action foreseen; education suggested).
For posts involving rent / equity skimming landlords who pocket rent and allow homes to go into foreclosure, see Tenants Unwittingly Renting Homes In Foreclosure I , II , III , and IV. equity skimming unwittingly gamma
For more on the details of this and other mortgage fraud investigations in which Ferrara's name came up (including one involving the now-jailed notorious fraudster Matthew B. Cox), see ID theft gins up house loan (The thief gets to keep the home, and the Tampa broker is unscathed - again).
Editor's Note:
According to the story, it was a Florida state prosecutor (as opposed to a Federal prosecutor) that granted Ferrara immunity from prosecution. Unless I'm mistaken, state prosecutors can only grant immunity from prosecution in connection with violations of state criminal statutes (and not Federal criminal statutes - ie. mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy, etc.). If so, the FBI may have him on their radar. For Ferrara's sake, I hope I'm wrong.
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The trial is expected to stretch into April. For more, see Broward builders cheated homeowners, prosecutor says.
For other posts on builders & contractors accused of stiffing customers & subcontractors, go here and go here. contractors stiff subs customers zeta
For more, see Homebuilder charged with money laundering and mortgage fraud.
Go here for earlier posts on Global Home Builders.
Go here and go here for other posts on Marijuana Grow Houses. pot grow ops alpha
For more, see Man gets 5 years in prison for mortgage fraud (2nd story from the top).
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For more, see Law firms follow money in credit mess (With millions at stake, hundreds assigned to bolster subprime practices).
For more, see Single mom is suing seller of meth house (Home was once drug lab; woman fears for kids' health, might be facing foreclosure).
For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.
Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.
Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs.
Check the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Clandestine Laboratory Register for (what the DEA admits to being) an incomplete list of possible locations of former neighborhood meth labs that have been reported to authorities. meth lab zeta
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For more, see Metro Atlanta mortgage fraud ring convicted.
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For more, see More mortgage charges (3 more indicted by federal grand jury in ongoing fraud case).
Go here for other posts related to the Erie, Pa. FBI mortgage fraud probe. Robert Dodsworth Pennsylvania
For more, see the U.S. Attorney news release: Additional Defendants Plead Guilty In "Operation Fastbuck" Mortgage Fraud Scheme.
Go here for the original U.S. Attorney Press Release announcing the original indictment; and go here for the original Indictment.
For more, see Real Estate Advisor Faces 82 New Felony Counts (go here for .pdf version).
Go here and go here for other posts on deed theft by forgery, swindle, etc. deed theft yahtzee equity skimming unwittingly gamma foreclosure rescue
For more, see Lawsuit claims KB Home, Countrywide inflated home prices.
See also, San Francisco Chronicle: A Court Case That Could Be A Sign of the Times (3-21-08).
Go here, Go here and Go here for more on recent Countrywide problems with consumers.
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For more, see Brokerage fee lawsuit is revived.
To view the Federal appeals court decision, see Busby v. JRHBW Realty, Inc. (doing business as Realty South) -
See also, Transaction Fee Scrutiny Creates Uncertainty.
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A recent Baltimore Sun investigation showed that at least 400 homes were lost in a recent three-year period by Baltimore homeowners for debts other than property taxes, and that half were for unpaid municipal charges of $500 or less, many of which included unpaid city water bills.
For more, see Lawmakers propose reforms to state tax-sale regulations (Bills would cap attorney fees, raise debt threshold for action). biddingFor more, see 2 Days, 8 Foreclosure Suits.
For an earlier New Haven Independent article on this story, see WPCA Goes On Foreclosure Binge.
For more, see Mortgage Crisis Spreads Past Subprime Loans.
For more, see Papers Show Wachovia Knew of Thefts.
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From: Federal Trust is looking for turnaround.
Go here , go here , and go here for posts on questionable mortgage servicing practices. questionable mortgage servicing practices tactics xero
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For more, see 40-acre new home project in jeopardy in Vero Beach.
For story update, see Lawsuit alleges bank breached its duty, made false promises in Indian River County.
For other posts on builders & contractors accused of stiffing customers & subcontractors, go here and go here. contractors stiff subs customers zeta
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For more, see Fraud suit nears end (Tentative deal with Deutsche Bank likely to stop foreclosure against eastside woman).
Go here for other posts related to the Erie, Pa. FBI mortgage fraud investigation. Robert Dodsworth Pennsylvania
For more, see Fox 11 Investigates: Investment Scam.
Raul Altimarano was also featured on this 11-26-2007 KCBS-TV Channel 2 video report, in which he was caught on camera offering foreclosure rescue services.
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For more, see Attorney General warns of foreclosure scam.
Saee also North Carolina AG's news release: Cooper stops foreclosure rip off (Fresh Start promised homeowners it could stop foreclosure but failed to deliver).
Go here for other posts on Florida-based Mortgage Assistance Solutions and their "Fresh Start" program.
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For more, see Loan servicer Homecomings sued over fees (Firm services 800K mortgages).
See also, Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Homecomings.
To view lawsuit, see Motley, et al v. Homecomings Financial, LLC.
Co-counsel for plaintiffs in this lawsuit is Mehri & Skalet, PLLC, in Washington, D.C.
For more information on this class action, see the Homecomings Financial Class Action website.
For the attorneys' press release about this case, see Homeowners Allege Illegal Business Practices in Servicing Home-Secured Loans.
Go here , go here , and go here for posts on questionable mortgage servicing practices. questionable mortgage servicing practices tactics xero
Source: Foreclosed homeowners could get their houses back.
For more extensive report, watch the WKYC-TV Channel 3 video, which also reports that Wells Fargo, which has reportedly foreclosed on almost 5,000 Cleveland-area homeowners, may be the next class action target.
For other posts that reference the failure of some mortgage lenders and their attorneys to file the required loan documents when starting foreclosures, Go Here, Go Here, Go Here and Go Here. missing mortgage foreclosure docs alpha
Source: State's attempt to stop foreclosure rejected.
For other posts that reference the failure of some mortgage lenders and their attorneys to file the required loan documents when starting foreclosures, Go Here, Go Here, Go Here and Go Here. missing mortgage foreclosure docs alpha
For more, see Idaho lawmakers tackle foreclosure rescue scams.
To view the proposed law, see Idaho Senate Bill 1392.
For more, see FBI: Dozens Indicted In Mortgage Fraud Scheme ('Operation Marvelous' Brings Fraud, Conspiracy Charges).
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For more, see the Queens DA press release: Realtor And Loan Officer Charged In Identity Theft Scheme (Allegedly Stole Identity of Former Client To Purchase $589,000 Property). identity theft
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As a result of the sale of the home, a check representing the equity proceeds of $217,000 was deposited into a Wachovia Bank joint account held by the Brachs and the alleged victim. Due to the suspicious nature of the deposit, a Wachovia employee tipped off the alleged elderly victim and his family, at which point the Queens District Attorney was notified and requested that the account’s assets be frozen. The retired cop's home is now facing foreclosure.
At about the same time, the alleged victim's daughter, also a cop, discovered that her father's home was no longer in his name and had been sold to the brothers.
For more, see Brothers bilked elderly Cambria Heights man (Sold home out from under him).
Go here , here , here , and here for other posts on elder financial abuse.
Go here and go here for other posts on deed theft by forgery, swindle, etc. deed theft yahtzee whale
For more, see Staten Island lawyer sentenced in real estate scam.
For more, see A Visit to Fraud's Zip Code.
For more, see Foreclosure ground zero (Dorchester’s Hendry Street center of Hub’s mortgage crisis).
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The abandoned mansion was formerly owned by a now-convicted felon husband and wife who reportedly signed away title to the home to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office as part of their court-ordered restitution in their criminal case. The DA's office, however, has not been able to unload it because of a large mortgage on the home and has reportedly given up on its efforts to dump it. They have contacted the lender, Washington Mutual, and "[t]old them they can go ahead and initiate foreclosure proceedings." WaMu has yet to act and declined to comment for the story (no word on how long WaMu has been stiffed on the mortgage payments).
For more, see Thieves taking advantage of abandoned rural homes.
Editor's Note:
It sounds like the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office fumbled the ball on this one. They're stuck with a home that they can't sell, don't want to maintain, and are presumably "upside down" on. If I'm WaMu, I'm thinking of suing the DA's office and the county for allowing for the dilapidation of the home during their "stewardship."
For more, see:
The Miami Herald reported that, in the last 12 months, these tenants "went through at least three other homes, two of which needed to be completely gutted, and their pooch collection topped out at 63 before they called it quits, according to neighbors, landlords and the Broward Sheriff's Office." In their most recent rental trashing, the home "was so filled with waste deputies needed to wear hazmat suits to enter, BSO said." For more, see:
Go here for a slideshow pictorial sampling of the type of handiwork the tenants from hell were capable of (courtesy of WPLG-TV Channel 10 and the Broward Sheriff's Office).
For more, see Kalamazoo meth lab busted.
Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.
Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta
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For more, see Condo fire victims get advice at housing fair.
For more, see Fire damages supervisor's home (House facing foreclosure suffers $25,000 in damage).
For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here , go here , and go here. foreclosure arson xerox
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For more, see Intense blaze destroys Aurora home.
For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here , go here , and go here. foreclosure arson xerox
For more, see Broke homeowners linked to arsons (Authorities in economically stressed cities see an increase in torched houses. Is the nation's mortgage mess transforming more Americans into criminals?)
For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here , go here , and go here. foreclosure arson xerox
For some of the key findings in the report, see the Ohio AG's press release: Foreclosure Crisis Report Released (Major shortcomings in efforts by servicers to stop foreclosure crisis).
For the actual report, see Analysis Of Subprime Mortgage Servicing Performance.
For more, see Man gets 10 years in real-estate scam.
Go here for earlier posts on Maurice Goring's straw buyer, flipping operation.
For more, see Mortgage-fraud probe grows (Arrests, search warrants related to millions in real estate deals).
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For more, see Apex man pleads guilty in real estate fraud case (no longer available online).
Go here for other posts on the alleged scheme underlying the failed North Carolina Village of Penland project. Tony Porter
Reportedly, Metropolitan Place II developer Cliff Fisher and his company, Buckingham LLC, currently has two other major apartment projects before the city of Madison for consideration. For more, see 2 banks seek foreclosure on Metropolitan Place II.
For story update, see Metro Place II may soon get back on track. (3-7-2008)
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For more, see 3 local companies bilked homeowners, state says.
For the Ohio AG's Press Release, see Attorney General Dann Seeks to Stop Home Improvement Fraud (Alleges multiple violations of consumer protection laws).
To view the lawsuits, alleging violations of the Consumer Sales Practices Act, the Home Sales Solicitation Act , and the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, see:
For more, see PA homeowner says house demolished without notification.