Saturday, April 4, 2009

Real Estate Agent Charged In Staten Island Gas Station Heist; Used Phony Deed To Transfer Title To Client's Business Property To Son, Say Cops

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The following excerpt appeared in a recent NYPD Daily Blotter column in the New York Post : A real-estate agent was busted after he tried t...

Report: Supply Of Publicly Funded Legal Aid, Pro Bono Services "Entirely Inadequate" To Meet State's Needs

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Buried at the end of a New York Law Journal article on a new volunteer attorney initiative to assist unrepresented defendants in civil case...

IRS Publication 4681: Canceled Debts, Foreclosures, Reposessions & Abandonments

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Those who are trying to figure out how to handle the tax ramifications of a cancellation of debt on a short sale, foreclosure sale, loan mod...

Loan Modification Firm Workers Flee Offices As ACORN Demonstrators Prepare To Protest; Accuse Company Of Clipping Homeowners Out Of Upfront Fees

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In Los Angeles, California, the Los Angeles Times reports: Consumers trying to warn the public about so-called loan modification scams foun...

Disbarred Florida Attorney Gets 14 Years For Pocketing $1.7M+ From Escrow Accounts Involving Clients' Real Estate Transactions

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In Pinellas County, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports: Richard Da Fonte, the disbarred Clearwater lawyer accused of stealing more t...
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Friday, April 3, 2009

Court Orders Temporary Shut Down Of Miami Loan Modification Firm; Company Directed To Refund Upfront Fees Within 90 Days

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From the Office of the Florida Attorney General : Attorney General Bill McCollum [Friday] obtained a temporary injunction against Lincoln Le...

Ex-Subprime Mortgage Peddlers Now Running Loan Modification Scams

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Bloomberg News ran a lengthy story describing how loan modification scam artists have popped up all over the country. Many of the players a...

Assignee Liability Essential In Enforcement Of Lending, Consumer Protection Laws

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A recent op-ed column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution makes an observation on a weakness in Georgia state law in connection with the en...

Ohio Woman Cops Plea To Theft From Disabled Siblings, Allowing Home To Go Into Foreclosure Despite Having Power Of Attorney

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In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: A 56-year-old Brooklyn woman entered a guilty plea on Monday in Cuyahoga Coun...

Texas Woman Gets 99 Years In Alleged Mortgage Fraud, Payment Skimming Scam; Homeowners In Foreclosure, HUD Left Holding The Bag

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From the Office of the Texas Attorney General : A Henderson County woman was [Monday] sentenced to 99 years in prison for her role in a mort...
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Buying Residential Mortgage Loans? Documentation Issues & Risks Increase As "Produce The Note" Strategy Gains In Popularity

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An article on mondaq.com advises that: Investors considering the purchase of residential mortgage loans should include on their diligence c...

Tulsa Bar Response To Call To Ante Up Financial Help For Legal Aid Underwhelming As Governor, Others Attempt To Bridge "Justice Gap"

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In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an op-ed column in Tulsa World reports: Two hundred Tulsa law firms that had not contributed to Legal Aid Services of O...

NY Courts Roll Out Attorney-Assisted Self Help Initiative For State Residents Fighting Foreclosure, Personal Debt, Landlord-Tenant, Other Lawsuits

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The New York Law Journal reports: Administrators of New York courts rolled out a new program Thursday to enlist attorneys, many of whom may...

Florida High Court Issues Administrative Order Creating Task Force On Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases

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The Florida Bar News reports: The [Florida] Supreme Court has created a Task Force on Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases to recommend p...

Madoff Using Florida Homestead Protection To Shield Palm Beach Mansion?

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A recent story in the Palm Beach Post addresses the possibility that the admitted $50+ billion Ponzi scheme operator Bernard Madoff may be...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Utah AG Charges Couple With Multiple Felonies In Alleged Equity Stripping Foreclosure Rescue Scam; Seeks Asset Freeze, Criminal Forfeiture, $500K Bail

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From the Office of the Utah Attorney General : The Utah Attorney General's Office [Friday] charged the CEO of Utah Financial Inc., Midva...

Jointly Owned Marital Real Estate Facing Foreclosure - Did Both Spouses Sign The Paperwork?

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In a recent column appearing in The Herald News (Fall River, Massachusetts), foreclosure defense and bankruptcy attorney Glenn Russell Jr. ...

Recovering Damages From Those Engaged In The Unauthorized Practice Of Law

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A recent story in The Florida Bar News may be of interest to those in Florida who have suffered monetary damages when doing business with i...

Florida Bar Issues Ethics Alert For Lawyers Working With Loan Modification Firms

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The Florida Bar has recently issued an "Ethics Alert" in which it provides Florida attorneys some guidance as to what activities ...

Police Detective: "Rent Skimming, It Is Epidemic In The City Of L.A. Right Now"

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PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer reports: With the national foreclosure rate still climbing, some chose to live in foreclosed homes while ...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Court Temporarily Prohibits Central Florida Loan Modification Firm From Charging Upfront Fees

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From the Office of the Florida Attorney General : Attorney General Bill McCollum [Thursday] announced that his office has obtained an emerge...

Mass AG Files Civil Charges Against Loan Modification Firm; Alleges Collection Of Illegal Upfront Fees, Violations Of State Consumer Protection Act

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From the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General : Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has obtained a temporary restraining order ...

Virginia Closing Attorney Gets Two Years In Richmond-Area Equity Stripping Foreclosure Rescue Scam

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In Richmond, Virginia, WTVR-TV Channel 6 reports: [A] key player in a local mortgage rescue scheme is going to prison. [...] Prosecutors sa...

Ex-Home Health Aide Gets 10 Years For Scamming Elderly Couple; Home Lost To Foreclosure

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In Norwalk, Connecticut, Norwalk News reports: A former home health aide who scammed an elderly couple out of hundreds of thousands of dolla...

San Diego DA Seeks Help Rounding Up Add'l Victims Of Land Patent Foreclosure Rescue Scam

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In San Diego, California, XETV-TV Channel 6 reports: Authorities asked for the public's help Wednesday in locating additional victims o...
Monday, March 30, 2009

Florida AG's Assault On Upfront Fee Loan Modification Firms Continues; Accuses Group Of Violating UPL, Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Statutes In Civil Suit

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From the Office of the Florida Attorney General : Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has obtained an injunction ...

Seventh Defendant In Maryland-Based Equity Stripping Foreclosure Rescue Scam Cops Plea; Responsible For $16.8M+ In Lender Losses

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From the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Maryland : Joy Jackson, age 41, of Fort Washington, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to ...

Feds File Civil Charges Against Two New Jersey Loan Modification Firms Promoting "HOPE"

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From the Federal Trade Commission : At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court has ordered two companies to stop ...

Hundreds Show Up At Miami Loan Modification Firm Headquarters Clamoring For Refunds Of Their Upfront Fees

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In Miami, Florida, WFOR-TV Channel 4 reports: Hundreds of people crowded outside a building in Miami on Tuesday trying to get their money b...

State Bar Cautions Attorneys On Working With Loan Modification Firms

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The Florida Bar News reports: Florida lawyers are being approached about working with nonlawyers offering foreclosure-related services to c...
Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sleazy Debt Collection Tactics Featured On Dateline NBC

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Dateline NBC ran an investigative report Friday night on the debt epidemic and the sleazy tactics used by some bill collection agencies and...

Advanced Consumer Rights Litigation Boot Camp

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From The Ultimate Litigation Boot Camp website: The Advanced Consumer Rights Litigation Boot Camp is an intensive two and one-half day lear...

Loan Mod Firm Took Upfront Fees For "Forensic Analysis" Of Loan Docs, Says Florida AG; Accuses Company Of Violating UPL, Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Laws

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From the Florida Attorney General's Office : Attorney General Bill McCollum [Monday] filed a lawsuit against a Miami company and its own...

ABC News' 20/20 Probes Into San Diego Loan Modification Firm

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A recent investigative report on ABC News' 20/20 program probed into the activities of San Diego, California loan modification firm Peo...

San Bernardino DA Arrests 2, Seeks 3 Others In Alleged Cash Back Mortgage Fraud; Accused Of Using Stolen I.D. To Finance Purchase Of Two Homes

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From the San Bernardino County, California District Attorney's Office : [I]nvestigators with San Bernardino County District Attorney’s R...
Saturday, March 28, 2009

Virginia Feds Turn Up Heat On Foreclosure Rescue Scams

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In Newport News, Virginia, the Daily Press reports: [A]lex J. Turner, the FBI's special agent in charge of the Hampton Roads region, sa...

Feds Caution Against "Fake" HUD Website

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The Buffalo News reports: An Internet Web site that looks like a federal Housing and Urban Development operation providing financial help f...

Northern Florida Bar, Law Students, Legal Aid Team Up To Train Local Lawyers In Foreclosure Defense

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In Jacksonville, Florida, The Financial News & Daily Record reports: An upcoming class being offered by the Jacksonville Bar Associatio...
Friday, March 27, 2009

Illinois Attorney Disbarred For Actions In Alleged Equity Stripping Foreclosure Rescue Scam

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In Aurora, Illinois, The Beacon News reports: [A]urora attorney Edward Varga was disbarred for neglecting 18 bankruptcy cases and failing t...

Feds Charge Title Agent With $900K+ Heist From House Closings; Homeowners Left In Foreclosure; Underwriter Says Suspect Unauthorized To Issue Policies

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In Louisville, Kentucky, The Courier Journal reports: [A] former lawyer, Wavy Curtis Shain, 26, was charged [last week] with carrying out v...

Investigative Report: Firm Uses Quit Claim Deed Home Transfers Into Trusts As Part Of Loan Modification Efforts

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In San Diego, California, an investigative report by the San Diego Union Tribune attempts to shine light on one area loan modification firm...

NJ Couple Duped Out Of $2,800 By Loan Modification Firm Promoting "HOPE" - Thought Company Was Associated With Gov't

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In Ocean County, New Jersey, The Press of Atlantic City reports: [I]n a statement describing [loan modification firm] Hope Now's offens...
Thursday, March 26, 2009

More Mortgage Lending Insiders Blow The Whistle On Shady Subprime Loan Practices

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Dateline NBC ran a story last week in which it: [G]ets to the bottom of how bad loans and greed wrecked the U.S. economy in this hour-long ...

NY Feds Indict Two In Equity Stripping, Straw Buyer Scam

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In The Bronx, New York, the Daily News reports: A Bronx real estate broker who hosted a radio show on WBLS and WLIB inviting distressed hom...