Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mortgage Servicing Companies Stiffing Maryland Governor On Call For Foreclosure Summit?

In Annapolis, Maryland, WBAL-TV Channel 11 reports:
  • Gov. Martin O'Malley has called for an emergency work session with mortgage [servicing] companies to hammer out solutions to the foreclosure crisis. Letters have been sent to about a dozen loan [servicing] companies requesting they attend a summit on Feb. 28. But so far none of the loan companies have responded.

For more, see No Responses to Governor's Call For Foreclosure Summit (read story) (watch video).

Editor's Note:

In the WBAL-TV 11 video, Governor O'Malley refers to the "huge amount of losses" that the lending industry is facing. Someone in Maryland better explain to the governor that the mortgage servicing companies aren't facing any losses in foreclosure and have no incentive to meet with him. In fact, the servicing companies actually make more money when homes go into foreclosure with late fees and other default-related fees. The actual owners of the home mortgages, at least those of the subprime variety, are generally mortgage securitization trusts, interests in which are owned by private investors (ie. insurance companies, mutual funds, government and private pension funds, etc.) that are disbursed all over the world - and are only now beginning to wake up to the fact that their investments in the subprime mortgage trusts are tanking. While they may have an interest in mitigating their losses, the mortgage servicing companies who represent them (and who profit when there are more homes in foreclosure) don't.

Go here , go here , and go here for posts on questionable mortgage servicing practices. questionable mortgage servicing practices tactics xero

Nationwide Foreclosure Rescue Operator Charles Head Back In The News

Another story on national foreclosure rescue operator under Federal investigation, Charles Head, has come out; this time coming from Sacramento, California, where The Sacramento Bee reports on his local operations:
  • [Head's] alleged scam includes at least seven Sacramento homeowners and 61 statewide, and the probe is based in the Sacramento FBI office, according to court documents, interviews and an Internal Revenue Service search warrant obtained by The Bee. An additional 100 investors who believed they were helping people on the brink of foreclosure also may have been swept up in the alleged scheme, with many having their credit ruined.
***
  • [F]ederal authorities say the [investigation] has evolved into money laundering, and Head says the FBI has seized cash and exotic vehicles from him. "We're still reviewing the evidence we got from searches in Los Angeles," Sacramento FBI spokesman Steve Dupre said. "We're still attempting to identify more victims and put the pieces together."
The deals sound like the typical sale leaseback, equity stripping, "straw buyer" arrangements. Head's deals were reportedly described by one New Jersey attorney who has filed a civil lawsuit against Head:
  1. Homeowners were told they could sign their house over to a trust and live there while repairing their credit,
  2. They would pay monthly rent to Head's companies and, after a year or two, could buy back their home at about the same price,
  3. Head recruited "straw buyers" to take title to the homes in the equity stripping transaction without any management responsibilities; they simply would lend their good credit to the deal in return for "straw buyer" fees of between $5,000 to $40,000.
  4. The investors were told they didn't have to make mortgage or tax payments because Head's companies would pay the mortgages,
  5. The investors found out the mortgages had not been paid when they started getting default notices in the mail.

For more, including some of the reported details involving a couple of the Sacramento-area homeowners who were allegedly victimized by Head's deals as well as the Federal asset seizures of property confiscated from Head, see Home scam suspected (Local FBI office heads 'foreclosure rescue' fraud probe).

Go here for other posts on the Head nationwide foreclosure rescue operation.

NY Governor Scorches The Bush Administration On Predatory Lending

In a recent article in The Washington Post, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer scorches the Bush Administration for its actions in impeding the state Attorneys General from all fifty states in their attempts to protect consumers from the actions of predatory lenders throughout the country. An excerpt from the article:
  • Even though predatory lending was becoming a national problem, the Bush administration looked the other way and did nothing to protect American homeowners. In fact, the government chose instead to align itself with the banks that were victimizing consumers. Predatory lending was widely understood to present a looming national crisis. This threat was so clear that as New York attorney general, I joined with colleagues in the other 49 states in attempting to fill the void left by the federal government. Individually, and together, state attorneys general of both parties brought litigation or entered into settlements with many subprime lenders that were engaged in predatory lending practices. Several state legislatures, including New York's, enacted laws aimed at curbing such practices.

  • What did the Bush administration do in response? Did it reverse course and decide to take action to halt this burgeoning scourge? As Americans are now painfully aware, with hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure and our markets reeling, the answer is a resounding no. Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which the federal government was turning a blind eye.

For more, see Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime (How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers).

Common Abusive Mortgage Servicing Practices

A recent article by Mortgage Professor Jack Guttentag appearing in Inman News Globe comments on some of the types of abuses mortgage servicing companies have been accused of engaging in. Among the alleged abuses referred to in the article include:
  1. Pyramiding Late Fees: where the servicer continues to charge late fees until all prior late fees have been paid,
  2. Pyramiding Resulting from Escrow Payment Shortage: When the scheduled payment is received on time but the escrow payment is short, the practice is to place the entire payment in a suspense account, to charge the borrower a late fee, and to send a delinquency notice to the credit bureaus,
  3. Failure To Provide Monthly Statements: If the servicer does not send out monthly statements, the borrower will be in the dark. When a scheduled payment is placed in a suspense account due to an escrow shortage, the next month's regular mortgage payment will also be deposited into the suspense account, and the borrower incurs a second late charge and a second 30-day delinquency report. At this point, the account may go to collections, and the borrower will suddenly find himself dunned for a laundry list of fees, with failure to pay possibly resulting in foreclosure,
  4. Mark-up of Price For Cost Of Services Provided By 3rd Party Vendors: Servicers squeeze extra profitability from their servicing operations by profiting from services provided by 3rd parties,
  5. Failure To Report Good Payment Histories To Credit Bureaus: Some servicers cripple the ability of borrowers to refinance profitably by not reporting good payment records to the credit bureaus,
  6. Unilateral Conversion Of Mortgage To Simple Interest: Some servicers purchase servicing contracts and unilaterally convert the mortgages to simple interest if the note does not explicitly prevent it without borrower approval,
  7. "Abuse Cover-Up" By Selling The Servicing Contract: Some servicers cover up abusive practices by selling the servicing to another firm without forwarding evidence of the abuses -- the prior servicing record.

For the article, see Monthly statements would eliminate loan servicing fraud (if link expires, try here).

Go here , go here , and go here for posts on questionable mortgage servicing practices. questionable mortgage servicing practices tactics xero

Volunteer Lawyer Program For Qualified Ohio Homeowners In Foreclosure Slated To Begin In March

In Ohio, the Sandusky Register reports:
  • Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, a Sandusky native, knows home foreclosures are a big problem back home in Erie County and across Ohio. Moyer is asking the courts and Ohio attorneys to reach out and help as many homeowners as they can. The chief justice has asked judges who handle foreclosure cases to use mediation to resolve as many cases as possible. And he's asked Ohio lawyers to volunteer in foreclosure cases to help families who can't otherwise afford a lawyer.

***

  • Ken Brown, a spokesman for the Ohio Supreme Court, said the program to provide free volunteer lawyers for homeowners who otherwise can't afford them is supposed to begin in early to mid-March. Moyer issued a call for help several weeks ago and 200 to 250 lawyer answered, he said. A more specific letter from Moyer spelling out what the chief justice has in mind is being mailed out to every attorney in Ohio, Brown said.

For more, see Moyer to lawyers: Fight foreclosure for free.

Go here for posts on attorneys fighting foreclosures on a contingent fee basis (and racking up billable hours in the process - to be paid by the lender and/or mortgage servicer in a successful lawsuit) by invoking Federal and state consumer protection statutes.

For a post referencing a case that shows how it's possible for a law firm to be awarded not insignificant legal fees by a Federal judge in a "pro bono" case based on the number of billable hours invested in the case in connection with a lawsuit invoking a statute that mandates an attorney fee award to a successful plaintiff, see NY Lawyers Land Legal Fee Of $1 Million In Pro Bono Case.

Abandoned Real Estate May Be Costing Eight Ohio Cities $63M+, Says New Report

In Columbus, Ohio, The Associated Press reports:

  • More than 25,000 vacant and abandoned properties cost eight Ohio cities at least $63 million, as ill-equipped local governments have been unable to wrestle with job loss and the foreclosure crisis, a report found. A report released Tuesday by Community Research Partners showed that Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Ironton, Lima, Springfield, Toledo and Zanesville have lost millions in services and tax revenues as vacant residences and abandoned lots have mounted. The study was commissioned by ReBuild Ohio, a coalition of local government, non-profit and civic organizations. Researchers said that Dayton and Columbus were able to provide complete data, but many of the smaller cities, as well as Cleveland, weren't able to provide a comprehensive picture. So the total costs of $63 million are likely to be much higher.

For more, see Report: Abandoned properties costing Ohio cities $63M.

See also, The Columbus Dispatch: Empty Housing Costing Millions (Vacant proprties degrade quality of life, study says).

To view the report, see $60 Million and Counting: The cost of vacant and abandoned properties to eight Ohio cities:

Foreclosure Crisis "An Opportunity To Find Low-Cost Housing With Some Privacy" For Many Street People, Says Homeless Advocate

The Associated Press reports:
  • The nation's foreclosure crisis has led to a painful irony for homeless people: On any given night they are outnumbered in some cities by vacant houses, and some street people are taking advantage of the opportunity by becoming squatters.

***

  • While no one keeps numbers of below-the-radar homeless finding shelter in properties left vacant by foreclosure, homeless advocates agree the locations — even with utilities cut off — would be inviting to some. There are risks for squatters, including fires from using candles and confrontations with drug dealers, prostitutes, copper thieves or police.

  • "Many homeless people see the foreclosure crisis as an opportunity to find low-cost housing (FREE!) with some privacy," Brian Davis, director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, said in the summary of the latest census of homeless sleeping outside in downtown Cleveland.

For more, see Foreclosed Homes Occupied by Homeless.

Go here for posts on vacant homes, foreclosures and squatters. squatter foreclosure zebra

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Minnesota Federal Judge Gives MERS The Go-Ahead On Foreclosures Involving Unrecorded Mortgages Assignments

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:
  • A federal judge has refused to temporarily block many Hennepin County foreclosures in a ruling that signals that the borrowers could have a hard time proving their case. Judge Joan Ericksen [last] Wednesday denied a request for a temporary restraining order against foreclosures initiated by a national electronic mortgage registry [Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.]. [...] Attorneys for the borrowers argue that the national registry violated Minnesota law because its foreclosure notices don't list assignments, a document recorded when a mortgage is sold to another party, as required by law. [...] Attorney Amber Hawkins, representing the borrowers, said they will proceed with their underlying challenge. She said they'll argue for Ericksen to certify the issue to the Minnesota Supreme Court for review.

For more, see Federal judge refuses to block foreclosures.

For story follow-up (8-14-09), see MERS Scores Big Win As Minnesota High Court Says Sale Of Note Not An “Assignment Of The Mortgage” Which Must Be Recorded Before Initiating Foreclosure.

Go here for earlier posts on this story.

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

Another New Hampshire Homeowner Alleges Being Screwed Over By A Mortgage Servicing Company

In New Hampshire, The Union Leader reports:
  • The first sign of trouble was the notice from a company they'd never heard of, informing Greg and Andrea Hunt of Northwood that their monthly mortgage payment had not been received. Just three months later came a foreclosure notice. That was in 2005. The Hunts have been fighting to save their home, and restore their damaged credit, ever since. [...] Over the ensuing months -- now years -- HomEq has assessed late fees, increased escrow payments without notice, and charged the Hunts for an insurance policy they didn't need, according to the couple. Their payment amount seemed to change constantly, and their loan was nearly always in default.

***

  • "There are just too many people out there who are complaining about the same basic pattern of facts, and that pattern of facts doesn't happen just by accident, that often, and that commonly," said attorney Walter Maroney. Formerly chief of the consumer protection bureau at the state Attorney General's Office, Maroney is now in private practice. He represents a Manchester man who has sued his mortgage servicer and related companies for $13 million; the case is pending in U.S. District Court in Concord.

  • Katherine Porter, an associate professor of law at the University of Iowa, is the author of a recent study, "Misbehavior and Mistake in Bankruptcy Mortgage Claims." She looked at 1,700 Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases, including some from New Hampshire, and found that mortgage servicers often could not produce the documents required to support fees they had charged homeowners. The data, she wrote, "raise the specter of poor record-keeping, failure to comply with consumer-protection laws, and massive, consistent overcharging. All families who are trying to pay off a home loan are put at risk if subject to poor or predatory mortgage servicing," she wrote. "... (T)he frightening prospect is that servicing problems among non-bankruptcy families who are behind on their mortgages may be even worse than the bankruptcy data reveal."

  • Some say one problem is that mortgage servicers make their money from late fees and other penalties charged to borrowers. "There's a built-in incentive for the servicing industry to really rip people off," contends Richard Gaudreau, a Salem attorney who specializes in consumer bankruptcy law. "If they can throw your payment into a suspense account because it's a dollar short, then they can impose a late fee."

For more, see Fighting mortgage disservice.

Go here , go here , and go here for posts on questionable mortgage servicing practices. questionable mortgage servicing practices tactics xero

Fannie Facing Possible $7B Exposure In Alleged Improper Escrow Grab

Bloomberg News ran a story last week on a Federal lawsuit that has been bouncing around in a Texas Federal court for about four years in which Fannie Mae has been accused of improperly pocketing the interest income from property owners' escrow accounts relating to Federally insured mortgages dating back to the 1970s. According to the story:

  • Fannie Mae, the largest source of U.S. home-loan money, faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over as much as $7 billion it earned on property owners' escrow accounts starting in the 1970s. The company violated government policy and breached its duty to about 4,000 owners of government insured moderate- and low-income housing, lawyer Mark Lanier claims in federal court in Texarkana, Texas. Fannie Mae should return gains of $3 billion to $7 billion, said Lanier, 47, with the Houston-based Lanier Law Firm. The higher figure is $7.20 a share, 24 percent of the company's market value. Fannie Mae says it acted legally.

For more, see Fannie Mae Escrow Grab Exposes Shareholders to 24% Loss in Suit.

WABC-TV Report Shines Light On New Jersey Foreclosure Rescue Operator

In Rutherford, New Jersey, WABC-TV Channel 7's Sarah Wallace recently did another investigative report on an area foreclosure rescue operator. Featured in her report was Scotch Plains, New Jersey-based Elite Services and its owner, Steve French. The deal in which he is accused of screwing over a homeowner facing foreclosure involved:

  1. a sale to a straw buyer (who was paid $10K for allowing his name to be put on the title) with a contemporaneous leaseback which allowed the homeowner to temporarily keep possession of the home,
  2. rent payments on the leaseback that were allegedly "hundreds of dollars more than the mortgage payments they couldn't afford in the first place,"
  3. a new mortgage of about $100,000 higher than the amount owed on the old mortgage,
  4. a home that ended up back in foreclosure.

Excerpts from the story:

  • The FBI is now forming task forces all over the country to investigate the issue. Massachusetts is the first state to ban foreclosure rescue companies outright, and New Jersey may soon take action as well. [...] Foreclosure rescue companies are now under heavy scrutiny. New Jersey Assemblyman Neil Cohen plans to hold public hearings on these firms. "More of these companies are going to pop up," Cohen said. "So we either regulate them or we ban them."

For more, see Investigating foreclosure rescue firms.

Go here to view the pending New Jersey state foreclosure rescue legislation (which is a reintroduction of a bill from the last legislative session), New Jersey Assembly Bill A281 - Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act.

For a related story, see PolitickerNJ.com: Cohen/Schaer/Spencer Bill Granting Subpoena Power To Investigate Foreclosure Consultants Advances.

For background information on foreclosure rescue scams, see DREAMS FORECLOSED: The Rampant Theft of Americans' Homes Through Equity-stripping Foreclosure 'Rescue' Scams.

DC Homeowner Gets Back Home Lost In "Foreclosure Rescue Swindle"

The Ocala Star Banner reports:
  • Walter Malone got lucky. Days before his house was to be sold at foreclosure, Malone signed papers he thought would help him keep his home. It was a scam. But instead of losing his house, he became a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the men operating the foreclosure rescue swindle. A settlement for an undisclosed sum allowed Malone to win back his home, a rare victory in the battle against such schemes. Malone, who is 72 and lives within two miles of the U.S. Capitol, told his story [last] Wednesday to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which studies issues of interest to seniors.

  • The panel heard ideas for how best to prevent foreclosure rescue scams, in which unwitting homeowners are turned into renters in their own homes. Such scams disproportionately affect seniors and minorities."The elderly and people of color have a bull's-eye on their back, regrettably," Thomas E. Perez, secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, told the Senate panel.

For more, see Victims of foreclosure rescue scams testify (Senate panel ponders swindlers targeting elderly, minorities) (if link expires, try here).

For background information on foreclosure rescue scams, see DREAMS FORECLOSED: The Rampant Theft of Americans' Homes Through Equity-stripping Foreclosure 'Rescue' Scams.

Boston Neighborhoods Taking A Beating From Vacant Foreclosures

In Boston, Massacusetts, recent columns in the Boston Herald describe the beating being taken by neighborhodds in some parts of the city due to vacant and abandoned homes that have been foreclosed on by mortgage lenders, and in some cases, being taken over by squatters and drug dealers to ply their trade. For more, see:

For related posts on the beating taken by other cities as a result of vacant and abandoned foreclosed homes, see:

  1. Cleveland Repossessions Affect More Than The Foreclosed Homeowner,
  2. Squatters In Abandoned Homes A Concern For Cleveland,
  3. "Bank Day" A Bad Day In Buffalo Housing Court For Foreclosing Banks Stuck With Blighted Homes,
  4. Towns Taking A Beating From Foreclosure Boom,
  5. Vacant Mansion Gradually Being Stripped Away By Thieves; Reflects County-Wide Problem In One California Locality; DA's Office Left Holding The Bag,
  6. CBS News "60 Minutes" On The Subprime "House Of Cards",
  7. Elite Detroit Neighborhoods Being Hammered By Foreclosures,
  8. Michigan Cops Express Crime Concerns Due To Foreclosures & Vacant Homes,
  9. Atlanta, GA; Elk Grove, CA Neighborhoods Among Many Dealing With Crime, Public Safety Concerns That Follow Foreclosures,
  10. San Jose Squatters Making Themselves At Home In Vacant Foreclosures,
  11. Abandoned Homes Raise Public Safety & Health Risks,
  12. Stories On Vacant & Abandoned Homes From Around The Country,
  13. Foreclosures Hammering Providence Neighborhoods,
  14. "Plywood Board" Gains In Popularity As "Window Treatment" In One Rhode Island Neighborhood,
  15. Detroit-Area Columnist: "Mortgage Lending Turned Into A Michigan Carnival Act",
  16. The Destructive Effect Of Forecloures On Neighborhoods,
  17. Urban "Ghost Towns." neighborhood destruction from foreclosures I

Monday, February 18, 2008

South Florida Condo Developer Facing Lawsuits For Unfinished Projects

The South Florida Business Journal reports on the troubles facing one condo Miami, Florida developer, Leviev Boymelgreen, who reportedly has two of his projects on the BankUnited "no mortgage financing" blacklist, and is facing numerous lawsuits from its customers who want their deposits back, and one class action lawsuit from real estate brokers seeking $900,000 in damages reportedly for failure to pay real estate commissions. For more, see Litigation follows developer dreams (Africa Israel's Lev Leviev takes control of Leviev Boymelgreen properties and headaches).

Go here for other posts related to the Miami condo market problem.

191 Condo Projects Make Miami-Based Bank's "No Mortgage" Blacklist

The South Florida Business Journal reported last week that it obtained an internal list maintained by the Miami-based BankUnited, that sets forth 191 condo projects, units in which it won't write mortgage loans for. The list of "non-permissible" projects was updated as of Jan. 14. An excerpt:

  • Most of the forbidden properties were in Miami and were added at the last update. It wasn't clear who at the bank wrote the list, but the author stated a reason for almost every project declared off-limits. Declining market value was the biggest culprit, followed by high investor concentration -- as much as 70 percent in one case. BankUnited also cited numerous foreclosures, delinquent homeowners association dues, structural-based litigation and the bank's existing exposure in the buildings. BankUnited spokeswoman Melissa Gracey said the list is based a similar guidelines used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
For more, including the list of condo projects BankUnited's loan officers are to avoid like the plague, see:

Go here for other posts related to the Miami condo market problem.

Home Improvement Contractor Accused Of Stiffing Homeowners Loses License; Matter Referred To Criminal Investigators For Possible Prosecution

In Florida, according to media reports:

  • The [Florida] Construction Industry Licensing Board, acting on seven complaints from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, revoked the license of TransFlorida Corp. president Geoffrey C. Gill. It also ordered him to pay $283,970 —$230,000 in fines, $2,880 for investigative costs and $51,090 in restitution to the families, said Alexis Antonacci, a department spokeswoman. She said the board requested the cases be sent to the state attorney in each county where the families live for possible criminal charges. In addition to [four complaints from] South Florida, the other complaints decided Thursday were from Vero Beach, Deltona and Orlando. TransFlorida is based in Brevard County.

***

  • Gill, who faces administrative hearings on other complaints, could not be reached for comment. The complaints decided Thursday accused Gill of misconduct or of being incompetent as a contractor and of abandoning projects. Under Florida law, a contractor who receives a deposit of more than 10 percent of the contract must apply for permits to do the work within 30 days and, after the permits are issued, start the work within 90 days. In one Pembroke Pines case decided Thursday, Laszlo Dan said he gave TransFlorida $10,500 for a new roof in July 2006 and no work was done. Later, a subcontractor put a lien against Dan's home because TransFlorida didn't pay for $7,350 worth of materials.

***

  • More than 100 consumers have filed complaints about Transflorida with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Twenty-four other cases are also pending against Gill with the department. Other complaints include accusations of abandoning projects.

For more, see (links no longer available online):

  • South Florida Sun Sentinel: Contractor who didn't do Broward jobs ordered to repay customers,
  • Florida Today: Home remodeler gets license yanked, told to pay up ("[T]he state attorney general has appointed an assistant statewide prosecutor to explore possible criminal charges against Gill and other officers of Transflorida."),
  • Florida Today: Our view: Pay up, pal (Fraudulent Rockledge company that ripped off homeowners deserves tough penalty).
Go here for other posts on Transflorida Corp.

For other posts on builders & contractors accused of stiffing customers, go here and go here. contractors stiff subs customers zeta

Adult Kids Scamming Aging Parents On The Increase?

In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, The Associated Press reports:

  • As more and more baby boomers head into retirement and beyond, authorities are seeing a rise in crimes against them by their own family members that are making these years anything but golden. Hennepin County’s Adult Protection Services has been inundated with requests to investigate allegations of children swindling their aging and sometimes vulnerable parents. Reports range from spending Social Security checks to duping them into signing over their homes or changing their wills.

For more, see More adult children scam aging parents.

See also, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Growing fear: Elders swindled by family (Hundreds of new allegations pour into Hennepin County every year of seniors losing assets -- most often to loved ones).

  • "First the son took possession of his mother's house. Then he got power of attorney. He took thousands of dollars in insurance proceeds, used her ATM card and took trips to California and Florida at his mother's expense. His 84-year-old mother in Brooklyn Center, who has dementia, apparently didn't approve any of it."

For a recent story on a 46 year old New Jersey woman allegedly unlawfully using her 87-year-old mother's I.D. to finance a Mercedes Benz, obtain credit lines, and pass rubber checks in her mother's name, see Woman Indicted For Stealing Over $500,000.

Go here , here , here , and here for other posts on elder financial abuse. whale

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Patient Claims Botched Surgery Led To Home Foreclosure; Jury Awards $548K In Malpractice Suit

In Springfield, Illinois, the Springfield State Journal Register reports:
  • Toni Pratt said she’s “very pleased” with [last] week’s decision by a Sangamon County Circuit Court jury to award her $548,000 in her medical malpractice lawsuit against a former Springfield surgeon whose mistake in 2002 led to chronic, disabling pain and the loss of her right kidney. Pratt, 59, a Springfield resident and former child-care worker, said Wednesday she didn’t enjoy suing [the] former Springfield Clinic general surgeon [...]. But she said the economic desperation she faced after the botched abdominal surgery at Memorial Medical Center gave her no choice. “I lost my home and my way of supporting myself,” she said. “At least now I can get a house.”

***

  • Pratt said the chronic pain after the kidney removal prevented her from continuing in her job at a Building Blocks Day Care center. Her husband was unemployed and ill at the time, and Pratt said the loss of her ability to work led to the couple falling behind on mortgage payments. A bank foreclosed on their home, she said. Pratt’s husband died in 2006, and she is living in a rental property owned by a man she divorced before marrying her late husband.

Reportedly, [the doctor] is no longer part of Springfield Clinic, and now practices medicine in Alaska. For more, see City woman wins malpractice case (Jury awards $548,000 in lawsuit against former local doctor).

Cheating Wife Leaves Iraq War Vet-Husband Financially Ruined, Says Suit; Allegations Include Causing Foreclosure

In Hastings, Minnesota, The Hastings Star-Gazette reports:
  • A Hastings resident has filed a lawsuit in Johnson County, Iowa alleging that his wife and another man with whom she was having an extra marital affair, spent nearly all of his military pay, drove him into debt and damaged his credit while he was on active duty in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard. Andrew Fredrick Scullen, 36, Hastings, married Kimberly Scullen, 26, on March 10, 2006. Andrew was deployed to Iraq five days later on March 15. After about a month, on April 24, Andrew gave Kimberly his power of attorney.

Among the allegations in the suit:

  • Kimberly [...] incurred debt in Andrew’s name by purchasing a vehicle and taking out a mortgage on a piece of real estate in Minnesota, then letting those debts fall into delinquency, which gave rise to penalties, interest and foreclosure, thus damaging Andrew’s credit, the complaint alleges.

For more, see Hastings National Guard member sues estranged wife for spending military pay.

Threats To Landlord For Renting To Minority Family Results In Guilty Pleas For Two NJ Women

The Monmouth County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office announces:
  • On February 11, 2008, Adriane Lynn Tropiano and Angela Marie DeNigris, both 40 and of Manalapan, N.J., entered guilty pleas [...] to one count each of fourth degree Bias Intimidation. [...] The charges stemmed from an investigation into a series of threats that were made against a Manalapan N.J., couple. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Manalapan Township Police Department. The investigation was initiated after the Manalapan couple received a series of threatening and racially derogatory telephone calls in June and July of 2007. The couple owns a second house, also located in Manalapan, which they had rented out to a minority family. The threatening telephone calls were made anonymously. However, a local supermarket's security camera captured both suspects on videotape making two of the calls from a pay telephone. Each of these two phone calls included threats of vandalism and arson against the homeowners in retaliation for their actions in renting their house to a minority family.
For more, see Monmouth County Prosecutor's press release: Two Manalapan Women Plead Guilty To Bias Intimidation.

For Monmouth County Prosecutor's press release announcing the indictment, see Two Manalapan Women Charged With Bias Intimidation And Terroristic Threats.

For story update, see Bias Intimidation Charges Resolved Against Two Manalapan Women (Tropiano was sentenced to 2 years of probation. A condition of her probation is that she perform 100 hours of community service. DeNigris was admitted into the Pre-Trial intervention Program. A condition of her acceptance into that program is that she perform 50 hours of community service).

Landlord Sued For False Imprisonment; Accused Of Locking Tenant, 3 Children In Rental Home

In Jefferson County, Texas, the Southeast Texas Record reports:
  • In a case that sounds more like a criminal matter than a civil one, the mother of three young children has filed suit against a Groves landlord for allegedly locking her and her kids inside a rental home. Grace Dollins claims Johnny Orta shut off the water and power to his rental property while she and her children were trapped inside.

For more, see Suit: Landlord locked house with mom, kids still inside.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Disbarred Lawyer Nailed In Theft Of Dead Dad's I.D. To Pull Off $1.8M Loan Scam

In Westchester County, New York, the North Country Gazette reports:
  • A disbarred attorney has pleaded guilty stealing his dead father’s identity and misrepresenting his status as an attorney in order to perpetrate a $1.8 million loan scam. Rafael Pantoja of Lake St., Hartsdale pleaded guilty [last week] to first and second degree grand larceny during a trial before Westchester County Court Judge James Hubert.

For more, see Disbarred Attorney Convicted In Loan Scam.

Ohio Attorney Admits Pocketing Clients' Money; Will Give Up Law License

In Toledo, Ohio, The Toledo Blade reports:
  • A lawyer who admitted in December that she fabricated a story of being kidnapped from downtown and dumped off in Georgia was found guilty [last month] in Toledo Municipal Court of a misdemeanor charge of making false [claims]. Karyn McConnell Hancock, 35, of 2663 West Village Drive, also admitted guilt yesterday in an unrelated matter in Lucas County Probate Court involving the embezzlement of more than $130,000 from the estate of a murdered Toledo city worker, said her attorney, Jerry Phillips. Similar accusations from other clients are pending against her, and the Lucas County prosecutor’s office continues to investigate theft claims.

Other claims against her include the theft of $37,000 in settlement checks from two separate clients, who have both filed civil lawsuits against her. An additional claim comes from another former client who filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that she was hired to review a real estate sale contract and subsequently pocketed the sale proceeds from property he owned, leaving the taxes and an existing mortgage, now in foreclosure, unpaid.

For more, see Toledo attorney admits role in missing funds, says she'll drop law license.

Attorney Pleads Guilty As "A Broken Man" In Alleged Atlanta-Area $19M Flipping Scam

In Atlanta, Gerogia, Daily Report reports:
  • When Atlanta attorney R. Joseph Costanzo Jr. pleaded guilty to bank fraud this month, he did so as “a broken man,” Costanzo's attorney said. The lawyer's prosecution by federal authorities for his role as a real estate closing attorney in a mortgage fraud ring left him “financially devastated … his career as an attorney over, medically and mentally severely impaired, and greatly suffering shame and remorse,” said his attorney, Edward T.M. Garland. It also garnered Costanzo 41 months in federal prison and an order to pay jointly with his co-defendants more than $7.8 million in restitution to banking, insurance and investment firms—among them Bear Stearns Residential Mortgage.

***

  • For two years, Costanzo closed fraudulent loans for a mortgage fraud ring that federal authorities believe included at least 21 people—among them builders of multimillion-dollar homes in Atlanta's wealthy northern suburbs, according to a federal indictment issued in January 2005. The fraudsters—many of whom, like Costanzo, have either entered guilty pleas or were found guilty by a federal jury late last year—stole more than $19 million from lenders by “flipping” properties, according to the indictment.

For more, see Fraud case ruins real estate lawyer, attorney says ('Scrivener' pleads guilty to bank fraud, gets 41 months in federal prison).

New Hampshire High Court Opens Misconduct Case Against Judge Who Helped Now-Disbarred Hubby In Attempt To Stiff State Bar; Boot From Bench Possible

In New Hampshire, the Concord Monitor reports:
  • The state Supreme Court opened its misconduct case of Judge Patricia Coffey [last week] with several pointed questions about the trust she created and used to shield her husband's assets from creditors. Among the questions was this one: Did Coffey establish the trust so she and her husband, former lawyer John Coffey, could avoid a $75,000 legal bill John Coffey owed for his disbarment proceedings? And this one: Did Coffey break the law when she moved the couple's property into that trust and beyond the reach of creditors? Coffey answered similar questions for the Judicial Conduct Committee last year when it first investigated the trust. That group can only recommend punishment to the state Supreme Court and voted 8-3 in December that Coffey be suspended without pay for three months.

***

  • Now it's up to the high court to review the case itself and render its own response, which can range from no punishment to a lengthy suspension. Coffey and her lawyer, Russell Hilliard, initially asked for a public censure only but last month said they would accept a three-month suspension. However, even the state Supreme Court's ruling isn't likely to be the last word on Coffey's future. Two lawmakers are drafting legislation to remove Coffey from the bench for good. Gov. John Lynch, who has publicly asked for Coffey's resignation, supports the measure, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

For more, see Coffey faces pointed questions.

Go here for earlier posts on the investigation of Judge Patricia Coffey.

For other posts on some of the alleged knuckleheaded members of our esteemed judiciary, go here and go here. knuckleheaded judges zeta

Three Cops Diagnosed With Chemically-Induced Pneumonia, Heart Murmurs In Home-Based Meth Lab Bust Gone Bad

In Butler, Missouri, KCTV Channel 5 recently reported on a meth lab bust that went bad one night back in November. An excerpt from the story:
  • Police said that in a desperate attempt to get rid of the chemicals from the meth lab, [the suspect] started throwing everything into the sump pump and turned on the water. "The chemicals mixed with the water and created a vapor," said [Butler Police Chief Jim] Garnett. "Sulfuric acid, anhydrous ammonia and Coleman fuel." [One officer] was stuck in the basement, breathing in the poisonous vapor. Upstairs, [another cop] had just broken through the front door and was breathing heavily when the fog overcame him. And at the back door was [a third cop], who said "your throat gets very irritated. Then the not being able to breathe and all that stuff -- that was the scariest part of it all."

All three were diagnosed with chemically-induced pneumonia and heart murmurs. One spent several days in the hospital and was out of work for two months. The other two were there for more than a week. Of the two, one returned to work two weeks ago; the other is out indefinitely. For a 10-man department, that one night sidelined almost a third of the Butler police department.

For more, see Special Report: Are Police Prepared To Deal With Meth?

Check the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Clandestine Laboratory Register for (what the DEA admits is) an incomplete and infrequently updated list of possible locations of former neighborhood meth labs that have been reported to the DEA by local and Federal law enforcement authorities.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

More On The "One Pot" aka "Shake & Bake" Method Of Making Meth

In Etowah County, Alabama, the Gadsden Times reports:

  • More methamphetamine labs have popped up in Etowah County in recent weeks, and drug agents believe the increase is linked to a new cooking method. The "one-pot" or the "shake-and-bake" method is quicker and easier and is producing a more pure form of meth, said Scott Entrekin, spokesman for the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit. [...] The method of cooking began appearing almost a year ago in some states and has spread to other areas, he said.The meth is cooked using one "pot," usually a 2-liter drink bottle. [...] "It's dangerous because it builds up pressure," Entrekin said. If the pressure isn't released periodically during the two to three hours it takes for the meth to cook, it can explode.
For more, see Meth labs return, new cooking method blamed.

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. meth lab zeta

Hotel & Motel Rooms Now Being Used As Meth Labs?

The television program Inside Edition ran a story last week on the growing use of hotel and motel rooms to manufacture methamphetamine. An excerpt from the story:
  • It's a danger that could be putting you and your family at risk. All across the country, cops say drug dealers are using some hotels and motel rooms to manufacture or "cook" methamphetamine. According to Sergeant Jim Gerhardt, of the Thornton, Colorado police department, near Denver, “It's probably worse now than ever.” [...] However, after drug dealers move on, the toxic chemical residue that results from cooking meth could potentially stay for years. The chemicals are so dangerous police wear full hazmat suits when they raid a meth lab.

***

  • So how big of a problem is it? INSIDE EDITION tested six Denver area hotels and motels where cops had busted meth labs, some more than two years ago, and the results were disturbing. In one test INSIDE EDITION detected meth on the headboard of one of the beds. Five out of the six rooms tested had traces of meth. Three of them, including two at popular national chains, had levels above what many experts consider safe.

For more, see Was Your Hotel Room A Former Meth Lab?

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Recent Home-Based Meth Lab Blurbs

Goffstown, New Hampshire: Two neighbors in a downtown apartment building were busted after a raid uncovered a small meth lab in their apartment. Reportedly, the investigation started early last month when local cops were tipped off by a hardware store about the purchase of toluene, iodine and other materials used to manufacture methamphetamine. See Goffstown pair charged in meth lab raid.

Marshfield, Wisconsin: A meth lab was discovered Wednesday morning during a search warrant on the lower level of a rental duplex by local cops and other agencies, including the Wisconsin State Patrol and Department of Justice. A hazardous materials cleanup of the property was ordered and was conducted by a specialized DEA cleanup team. The property is secured and will be guarded until cleanup is completed. See Meth lab busted in Marshfield.

Austin, Texas: A baby is in the hospital and the parents behind bars after police say they discovered a meth lab in South Austin. Cops, who were serving a warrant, said they were overcome with the smell of chemicals used to make meth when they opened the door. Neighboring homes were not evacuated, but police said it took hazardous materials crews hours to clean up the scene. See Baby Taken To Hospital As Police Investigate Meth Lab.

Atwater, Minnesota: A local man was arraigned on three felony charges for meth manufacture and drug possession after cops found an operating meth lab in an Atwater home. The home was marked as a meth lab by agents and then turned over to a hazardous materials crew for cleanup of the contaminated and hazardous materials. There were 15 chemistry books in the basement bedroom, the complaint states, with pages marked to topics used in the process of cooking meth. See Man charged after meth lab discovered in Atwater home.

Wilmer, Alabama: Cops arrested a local couple accused of running a meth lab in a shed behind their home. In addition to the meth charges, the couple will also face a felony charge of chemical endangerment of a child because a minor was in the home at the time of their arrest. See Husband & Wife Running a Meth Lab.

Williamsburg, Virginia: Local cops arrest three and are searching for two others wanted in connection with the discovery of what officers believe is a home-based meth lab in one unit in an apartment complex. According to a search warrant, the cops began tracking the suspects last month after discovering they had made multiple Sudafed purchases at local drugstores. See Suspected meth lab is busted by police.

South Hills, West Virginia: One man is in jail after a lit cigarette caused his residence, one of four connected townhouses in South Hills, to catch fire and expose a secret methamphetamine lab, investigators said. The firewalls contained the damage to the one unit. See Townhouse burns in meth lab explosion.

Lincoln County, North Carolina: Police arrested two men after they found the makings of a meth lab in their motel room. Police worked off a tip from an informant. More than 30 people staying at the hotel were evacuated for several hours. See Police: Meth Lab Busted.

Perry County, Indiana: A man was found dead inside a burning car in which items used to manufacture meth were found. The evidence leads cops to believe that the car was used as a mobile meth lab, which they say is becoming more and more common. "It is very possible that a meth lab could be in a vehicle next to you while you are traveling down the highway," said Todd Ringle of the Indiana State Police. See Man burns in meth lab fire.

Louisville, Kentucky: Cops bag a portable meth lab inside a car after making a routine traffic stop on a local freeway. One of the officers noticed some paraphernalia and meth inside the car before noticing the meth lab inside. A nearby ramp leading to the freeway was shut down for several hours due to the danger of the chemicals found. See 'Rolling meth lab' shuts down Gene Snyder ramp.

Bloomfield, Ohio: Cops nail two with meth, child endangerment charges in home-based lab bust. The suspects were tracked down through a steady pattern of Sudafed bought at local drug stores. Due to its use in the production of methamphetemine, many pharmacies require consumers to sign a form when buying Sudafed. Two children found in the house and believed to be contaminated by the drugs, which can be absorbed through the skin, were decontaminated before being turned over to relatives. See Meth lab tracked by cold medicine sales.

Brevard County, Florida: In response to a domestic violence call, Brevard County cops find a 7-month-old-baby boy in an active meth lab. Authorities say the baby's mother ran a meth lab out of a home she shared with her husband and a roommate. Deputies found equipment and chemicals used to make meth, in addition to over 100 grams of the drug. The baby was rushed to a local hospital, and the three adults are in police custody. See Baby in Meth Lab.

--------------

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. meth lab zeta meth lab yak

Friday, February 15, 2008

UK Sale Leaseback Foreclosure Rescue Operators Form Trade Association To Raise Industry Standards

In the United Kingdom, The Press Association reports:

  • A new trade association for sale-and-rent-back companies was launched this week in a bid to raise standards in the industry. The Property Buyers Association (PROBAS) sets out a strict code of practice that all members have to sign up to, which aims to increase the transparency of the schemes and give consumers greater assurance. Under the terms of the code, members must provide people with key facts about the scheme in line with City watchdog the Financial Service's Authority's policy on treating customers fairly.

  • Sale-and-rent-back companies buy the homes of people who are in danger of having them repossessed and then rent them back to them. But the rapidly growing sector has come in for some bad press, with claims that some companies pay less than 60% of the market value for properties, while others levy steep rent increases and some evicted people after just 12 months. Citizens Advice has branded the schemes a "disaster waiting to happen" and called for the sector to be regulated to help protect vulnerable consumers, while the Council of Mortgage Lenders has also expressed concern about the companies.

For more, see Rent-back firms launch trade body.

Go here for the Property Buyers Association's established PROBAS Code of Practice (go here for pdf version).

Central Florida $13M Home Improvement & Mortgage Fraud Scam Yields Another Guilty Plea

The Florida Attorney General's Office announces:
  • Attorney General Bill McCollum [Wednesday] announced that a Hillsborough County woman pleaded guilty to criminal charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Adrienne L. White was involved in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scam that stretched across the state and involved one of the nation’s largest sub-prime mortgage companies. [...] White, 31, was part of a criminal enterprise which submitted nearly 130 fraudulent documents to Argent Mortgage Company for approximately $13 million in home loans. The three-year investigation was initiated by consumer complaints about incomplete or substandard construction work performed by construction companies affiliated with White’s co-defendants. Her associates would secure fraudulently-obtained mortgages for these homeowners to finance the home repair construction projects.

For more, see the Florida AG's news release: Hillsborough County Woman Pleads to Criminal Racketeering Involving Mortgage Fraud.

Go here for earlier posts on this prosecution.

For other posts on builders & contractors accused of stiffing customers, go here and go here. contractors stiff subs customers zeta scott almeida

Key Figure In $112M Metro Atlanta Straw Buyer Flipping Scam Gets Seven Years

In Atlanta. Georgia, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports:
  • Leslie Rector, co-leader of a $112 million mortgage fraud scheme in metro Atlanta, has been sent to prison for seven years. [The sentencing judge] also ordered Rector, 35, of Atlanta, to pay $40.2 million in restitution for being part of a massive mortgage fraud scheme that targeted the metro housing and condo market from 2000 through part of 2003. Rector was convicted in March 2007 on charges of conspiracy, loan fraud, mail and wire fraud, and money laundering. Rector was Phillip Hill's right-hand-man when it came to running Hill's many corporations and orchestrating the massive mortgage fraud scheme that targeted the Atlanta area from 2000 through 2003. In September 2007, Hill was sentenced to 28 years in jail for the mortgage fraud scheme.

For more, see Rector heads to jail for role in largest area mortgage fraud case.

Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Testifies On Foreclosure Resue Scams

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing addressing the use of foreclosure rescue scams in the preying upon elderly homeowners. Among those testifying was Catherine M. Doyle, Chief Staff Attorney, Civil Division, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI. To view the webcast of the Senate hearings, see Foreclosure Aftermath: Preying on Senior Homeowners.

Go here for the text of Ms. Doyle's testimony.

Go here , here , here , and here for other posts on elder financial abuse. whale

FTC Working On Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Thru Law Enforcement & Consumer Outreach

From the Federal Trade Commision:

For more, see FTC Testifies on Efforts to Stop Mortgage Foreclosure ‘Rescue’ Fraud.

For the text of the FTC testimony, see Prepared Statement of the FTC on Foreclosure Rescue Fraud.

To watch the webcast of the Senate hearings, see Foreclosure Aftermath: Preying on Senior Homeowners.

Go here for links to the text of all the testifying witnesses.

Go here , here , here , and here for other posts on elder financial abuse. whale

Vermont Feds Get Guilty Plea From NY Title Agent For Role In Alleged Scheme To Defraud Homeowners In Mortgage Transactions

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, title agency owner Nazzara Bernardo, 60, of Manlius, New York, pleaded guilty in a Vermont Federal court earlier this week for his role in a conspiracy with a mortgage broker and an appraiser in which some of the proceeds of each mortgage loan originated by the broker was diverted to him without the borrower's knowledge. Bernardo's title company performed the title work on the mortgages that were being originated and it also served as escrow agent for the lending banks. The disbursement of the diverted funds by Bernardo's title company was not reflected in the closing statements given to the borrowers at the closing of each loan, as required by law.

The appraiser, Gerald Mullaney, has already pled guilty to bank fraud and is awaiting sentencing. The mortgage broker, Richard Shumway (now of Brewerton, NY) has been charged with wire fraud and bank fraud and has pled not guilty to the indictment. Both charges stem from the activities of TSC Funding, a South Burlington-based mortgage brokerage business Shumway owned and operated until 2005.

For more, see the U.S. Attorney's press release: Nazzara Bernardo Pleads Guilty To Mortgage Fraud.

Florida AG Targets Alleged Pennsylvania Rent To Own Scam Artist

In Broward County, Florida, WFOR-TV Channel 4 reports:
  • Jim Platts, 56, is being investigated by the Florida Attorney General after Pennsylvania authorities as early as 2002 arrested the homebuilder for forgery and theft. Now, federal authorities are worried about Platt's business dealings in South Florida. In November of last year, the attorney general in the same state of his arrest accused Platts of tax evasion, and filed a civil lawsuit against his company, Easy Realty Solutions. The charges are that Platts ripped off more than a hundred people in a rent-to-own mortgage scheme. [...] After the Pennsylvania incident, CBS4 learned that state documents show Platts opened up a firm in South Florida called A Realty Prescription in Coral Springs. The office: a post office box.

For more, see Homebuilder Under Investigation In South Florida.

Go here for prior posts on James Platts.

Texas AG Nails Developer For Illegally Subdividing Land; Deposits Refunded To Unwitting Lot Buyers

From the office of the Texas Attorney General:
  • Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott obtained a default judgment against the developer of Tierra Linda Gardens, a residential subdivision development in Cameron County that lacks basic utilities. Thursday’s judgment came less than four months after the Attorney General took action against Manuel J. Montemayor and his company, MG Joint Venture, for violating the state’s colonia-prevention laws. The court ordered Montemayor to pay $30,000 in civil penalties for unlawfully subdividing and selling property without approval from local officials and without providing sewer and water services for residents. Additionally, he must pay the State more than $7,500 for investigative and legal costs. Montemayor also provided refunds of more than $11,000 to each of three consumers who bought his unlawfully-platted lots. The refund amount corresponds to deposits and interest fees the buyers had already paid to the defendant.

For more, see Attorney General Abbott Resolves Legal Action Against Cameron County Colonia Developer (Tierra Linda Gardens developer faces $30,000 in civil penalties for unlawful colonia subdivision).

To view the lawsuit, see State of Texas v. Montemayor.

Indiana Farm Co-Op Sues To Recover $10M Loss From Subprime Junk Investment

In Indiana, The Indianapolis Star reported last week:

  • Farmer-owned Indiana fuel refiner CountryMark Cooperative says it was burned by its investment adviser's decision to sink $10 million of the co-op's money last year into mortgage-backed securities that included now-notorious subprime home loans. In a federal lawsuit filed in Indianapolis last week, CountryMark alleges its $10 million note is in default and worthless because no trading market exists for it. CountryMark's lawsuit against Morgan Keegan & Co. charges the brokerage subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp. with violating federal and state securities laws and asks for recovery of the $10 million.

***

  • Morgan Keegan faces numerous lawsuits and other complaints by customers who charge they lost money in its funds and other investments based on subprime mortgages. A class-action lawsuit on behalf of investors has been filed in its home state of Tennessee.

For more, see CountryMark sues adviser (Co-op says brokerage bought $10M note backed by mortgages that's now in default).

County Ordinance Requires Clean-Up Or Tear Down Of Homes Formerly Housing Meth Labs

In Kanawha County, West Virginia, The State Journal reports:
  • Five years after a meth lab bust, a Kanawha County mobile home [...] was boarded up Monday. It took so long because the bust happened three years prior to the passage of a county ordinance which requires property owners to clean up the meth or the property is torn down. Neither the county, tenant nor landlord knew of the home's criminal past until Monday. "We acted when we found out about it," said David Armstrong, the deputy emergency services director for the county's planning and community development office. "If I don't know about it, I can't fix it." The tenant [...] brought the lab's history to light after searching federal court records.

For more, see How To Find Out If You're Living In a Former Meth Home.

See also, WOWK-TV Channel 13: Family Lived in Former Meth House for 4 Years (The tenant and her daughter, who were living with 29 times the acceptable limits of meth residue, are now homeless).

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.

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 the DEA by local and Federal law enforcement authorities.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Hawaii Lender Trade Group Objects To Proposed Law Prohibiting Strong Arming Of Appraisers

In Hawaii, The Honoluu Advertiser reports:
  • Homebuyers in Hawai'i may have been given mortgage loans based on inflated appraisals derived under pressure from lending and real estate agents. Appraiser coercion is described as part of a national problem that quietly evolved over the past decade or so and helped undermine housing markets around the country, though to a much lesser degree than fraudulent loan practices and subprime lending abuses.

***

  • A state regulatory agency and local appraisers testified about the industry pressure during a recent state legislative hearing on Senate Bill 2407 that intends to make it illegal for anyone with a financial stake in a real estate transaction to influence an appraiser.

***

  • Gayle Ishima, legislative committee chairwoman for the Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii, said appraisers should address the issue themselves. "It's an ethics issue for appraisers," she said. "It doesn't seem like you would need to add (a law that would punish lending and real estate agents) on top of it."

For more, see Appraisers coerced to raise valuations.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

NBC Nightly News On Foreclosure Pets & Domestic Livestock

NBC Nightly News ran a piece last Saturday on the recent increase in the numbers of pets and domestic livestock at pet shelters and animal sanctuaries. Among the primary reasons, it is believed, are foreclosures and other economic pressures. To view the NBC report, watch Animal House.

For more on foreclosures and abandoned animals, see Foreclosures & Pets I, and see Foreclosures & Pets II. petsII and foreclosures

Nevada Tenants Left Holding The Bag When Leasing From Rent-Skimming Landlords; State Lawmakers To Take No Action

In Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
  • State legislators learned [recently] that renters who paid for the first month, the last month of their lease and a security deposit can be evicted with three days notice and have no practical way of recovering money from a foreclosed landlord. Some states are enacting laws to provide renters more protection, but Nevada probably will do nothing to deal with the problems until 2009 when the next session of the Legislature meets, lawmakers say.

  • "There is nothing we can do about (renter problems) in the short run," said Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Legislative Subcommittee to Study Mortgage Lending. Gov. Jim Gibbons could call a special session to deal with the residential mortgage implosion, but observers know of no efforts to persuade the governor to do that.

  • State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, a subcommittee member, said Gibbons' administration is making efforts to educate homeowners, but he believes that should be the limit of state involvement. "I don't know even if we were in session that we would do anything (to address the mortgage problems)," Beers said. "This isn't really a government problem," Beers said. Historically, government intervention "just seems to delay the recovery" in the market, he said.

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

Tampa Broker Continues Dancing Thru Mortgage Fraud Raindrops

In Tampa, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:
  • A few months ago, a state investigator visited mortgage broker Dominic Ferrara to discuss a case of mortgage fraud. An Oregon man's identity had been stolen and his Social Security number used to obtain a mortgage. Ferrara handled the loan. But it wasn't just any loan. It was a 100 percent mortgage for a home that Ferrara's girlfriend was selling. She ended up getting $229,000 for a home valued today at $165,000.

  • After prosecutors gave Ferrara immunity, he admitted that he falsified a key part of the loan application. The buyer, a handyman with a lengthy criminal record, ended up charged with three felonies. But Ferrara came out smelling like a rose. Again. Again, because Ferrara has come to the attention of investigators before.

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.

Home Improvement Contractor Criminal Trial Begins; Men Charged With Failing To Complete Jobs While Pocketing Homeowner Cash

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:

  • A defunct Oakland Park-based construction company ripped off South Florida homeowners for four years with its chief executive officer sometimes threatening customers who questioned him, a prosecutor told Broward County jurors on Tuesday. HomeCo Unlimited collected as much in deposits as possible while doing little or none of the work that was promised, Assistant State Attorney Catherine Maus said as the criminal trial began for two of the men who ran the company. HomeCo Chief Executive Officer Douglas Livingston and John Ostendorf, who has been described as a project manager, face dozens of felony charges related to more than 60 customers who say the company never started or failed to finish their jobs. "It was nothing more than a scam," Maus said in her opening statement.

***

  • Livingston, 41, Ostendorf, 37, and HomeCo's general contractor Barclay Mavis, 48, were arrested in November 2004 on 64 counts of grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud, a charge that could carry up to a 30-year prison sentence. In addition, Livingston was charged with five counts of extortion with customers. Maus said he threatened to physically harm some customers and in other cases said he would intentionally delay their projects. [...] Mavis accepted a plea deal and is scheduled to testify as a witness for the state.

***

  • While out on bond awaiting trial, Ostendorf and Livingston have been running a new construction company, Delray Beach-based Home Team Advantage. The Broward State Attorney's Office opened a new investigation last year into Home Team Advantage after receiving customer complaints. More than 40 former and current Home Team Advantage customers have told the Sun-Sentinel they have had problems with the company, including remodeling jobs taking more than two years, shoddy construction work and Livingston threatening them with liens or lawsuits when they challenge him.

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

Homebuilder / Alleged Indoor Pot Farm Financier Charged With Mortgage Fraud, Money Laundering

In Port St. Lucie, Florida, the Palm Beach Post reports:
  • The patriarch of the family whose Port St. Lucie home building company allegedly financed, setup and maintained a sprawling network of marijuana grow houses was arrested Tuesday, records show. Jose Raul Cepero, 69, a Cuban native who founded Global Home Builders Inc., after two stints in prison during the 1980s and 1990s on drug charges, was arrested Tuesday on warrants for money laundering and mortgage fraud. He is being held at the St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of $1.1 million bail.

  • Investigators say Global Home Builders Inc. laundered drug profits and helped its pot growers obtain fraudulent mortgages to buy houses, which company employees would outfit with elaborate indoor gardens, shuttling supplies between Home Depot and the grow houses in trucks bearing the company logo.

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

Michigan Accountant Gets 5 Years In $21M Mortgage Scam; Confederate Gets 9 Years

The Detroit Free Press reports:
  • A Dearborn Heights man convicted of stealing $21 million in a mortgage-fraud scheme will spend the next 5 years in prison. U.S. District Judge David Lawson sentenced tax accountant Kalil Khalil, 36, [last week] to 60 months in prison for wire fraud, based on a two-and-a-half-year scheme to defraud mortgage lenders. [...] Khalil and his codefendant, Tariq Hamad, put the loan money they received in bank accounts created in the names of companies, concealing their identities. After his prison term, Khalil must serve a 3-year supervised release and pay $11.1 million to mortgage lenders and an appraisal company. Hamad, 37, of Dearborn pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

For more, see Man gets 5 years in prison for mortgage fraud (2nd story from the top).