Obama Administration Meets With 12 State AGs In Effort To Squash Foreclosure Rescue Scams; FTC Considers Nationwide Ban On Upfront Fees For Loan Help

The Washington Post reports:

• The Obama administration vowed Thursday to squash scams targeting homeowners on the brink of foreclosure, reviving a five-month-old pledge as millions of borrowers remain at risk of losing their homes. A group of high-ranking government officials, including Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and attorneys general from 12 states, met privately in Washington on the issue. It was a first meeting of its kind on the matter for federal and state authorities, who discussed methods for coordinating crackdown efforts, government officials said.

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• The Federal Trade Commission is considering rules banning firms from charging upfront fees for such services. Some states already prohibit that practice.

For more, see Administration Pledges to End Housing Scams. loan modification