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ATLANTA - Cases of residential mortgage fraud reported by institutions in the home financing industry fell last year for the second year in a row, according to a new study. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report released Wednesday tracks verified instances of home loan fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage industry professionals, as reported by banks and other financial institutions. The fraud could include a borrower falsifying information on loan documents but only if the borrower was conspiring with a mortgage industry professional. The study found that mortgage fraud reports declined 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. One factor in the decline is that mortgage loan originations sank to their lowest levels since 2001 last year, reflecting a sharp drop in sales of new and previously occupied homes. Another is that fewer mortgage fraud schemes are taking place at the point where a buyer tries to get a home loan. Mortgage fraud involving the buying or selling of homes in some stage of foreclosure is becoming more common, according to the FBI. Mortgage fraud investigations by the FBI resulted in 1,082 convictions in fiscal 2011, the agency has said. Loan application and home appraisal fraud and misrepresentation made up the largest category of fraud type being investigated by lenders last year, according to the LexisNexis study. Among the trends identified in the report: Instances where buyers and sellers potentially colluded in a home sale or purchase transaction are running at an elevated pace. One red flag of collusion in a real estate transaction is when there is an undisclosed relationship between buyer and seller, or agent, which could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. Unless disclosed, real estate transactions are expected to be arm's-length, or with buyer and seller having no relationship to each other. In 2011, lenders reported that transactions where such a relationship was not disclosed declined t

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

ATLANTA - Cases of residential mortgage fraud reported by institutions in the home financing industry fell last year for the second year in a row, according to a new study. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report released Wednesday tracks verified instances of home loan fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage industry professionals, as reported by banks and other financial institutions. The fraud could include a borrower falsifying information on loan documents but only if the borrower was conspiring with a mortgage industry professional. The study found that mortgage fraud reports declined 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. One factor in the decline is that mortgage loan originations sank to their lowest levels since 2001 last year, reflecting a sharp drop in sales of new and previously occupied homes. Another is that fewer mortgage fraud schemes are taking place at the point where a buyer tries to get a home loan. Mortgage fraud involving the buying or selling of homes in some stage of foreclosure is becoming more common, according to the FBI. Mortgage fraud investigations by the FBI resulted in 1,082 convictions in fiscal 2011, the agency has said. Loan application and home appraisal fraud and misrepresentation made up the largest category of fraud type being investigated by lenders last year, according to the LexisNexis study. Among the trends identified in the report: Instances where buyers and sellers potentially colluded in a home sale or purchase transaction are running at an elevated pace. One red flag of collusion in a real estate transaction is when there is an undisclosed relationship between buyer and seller, or agent, which could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. Unless disclosed, real estate transactions are expected to be arm's-length, or with buyer and seller having no relationship to each other. In 2011, lenders reported that transactions where such a relationship was not disclosed d

ATLANTA - Cases of residential mortgage fraud reported by institutions in the home financing industry fell last year for the second year in a row, according to a new study. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report released Wednesday tracks verified instances of home loan fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage industry professionals, as reported by banks and other financial institutions. The fraud could include a borrower falsifying information on loan documents but only if the borrower was conspiring with a mortgage industry professional. The study found that mortgage fraud reports declined 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. One factor in the decline is that mortgage loan originations sank to their lowest levels since 2001 last year, reflecting a sharp drop in sales of new and previously occupied homes. Another is that fewer mortgage fraud schemes are taking place at the point where a buyer tries to get a home loan. Mortgage fraud involving the buying or selling of homes in some stage of foreclosure is becoming more common, according to the FBI. Mortgage fraud investigations by the FBI resulted in 1,082 convictions in fiscal 2011, the agency has said. Loan application and home appraisal fraud and misrepresentation made up the largest category of fraud type being investigated by lenders last year, according to the LexisNexis study. Among the trends identified in the report: Instances where buyers and sellers potentially colluded in a home sale or purchase transaction are running at an elevated pace. One red flag of collusion in a real estate transaction is when there is an undisclosed relationship between buyer and seller, or agent, which could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. Unless disclosed, real estate transactions are expected to be arm's-length, or with buyer and seller having no relationship to each other. In 2011, lenders reported that transactions where such a relationship was not disclosed declined to

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

These house poor families were spending more than 30 percent of their income to pay back the principal and interest for their loans, and had more liabilities than available assets, meaning they would be unable to repay their debts even by selling off all their non-home assets. Most house poor, or 96.3 percent, said in the survey that they were finding the repayment ofloans extremely burdensome. About three-quarters of them said they were reducing their spending to pay off the loans.Sixty-four percent said they would like to sell their homes soon. As for the reasons for wanting to sell off their home, 26.9 percent said they wished to readjust their asset portfolio, and 25.4 percent cited the burden of repaying loans.Others said they wished to change the size of their homes (18.7 percent) or to withstand the economic downturn (13.7 percent).Nearly two-fifths of the house poor were in their 30s and 40s. Following those in their 30s (19.6 percent) and 40s (18.9 percent) were people in their 50s (13.5 percent) and 60s (11.2 percent), indicating that many people were financially squeezed before and after retirement.The more expensive the homes, the greater the number of house poor. Some 22.3 percent of the house poor in the survey hadmortgage loans on residential properties worth more than 900 million won. About 14.5 percent had homes worth between 600 million and 900 million won. Seventeen percent had homes worth between 300 million and 600 million won, and 15.6 percent between 150 million and 300 million won. Only 13.2 percent had homes valued less than 150 million won. Seoul (17.4 percent) and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province (18 percent) showed the highest rate of house poor families. In the capital, four of the 25 districts - which have the most expensive apartments - accounted for 17.2 percent of the house poor. "About 26.2 percent of all mortgage loans were taken out by people with a low ability to repay the debts," the research instit

These house poor families were spending more than 30 percent of their income to pay back the principal and interest for their loans, and had more liabilities than available assets, meaning they would be unable to repay their debts even by selling off all their non-home assets. Most house poor, or 96.3 percent, said in the survey that they were finding the repayment ofloans extremely burdensome. About three-quarters of them said they were reducing their spending to pay off the loans.Sixty-four percent said they would like to sell their homes soon. As for the reasons for wanting to sell off their home, 26.9 percent said they wished to readjust their asset portfolio, and 25.4 percent cited the burden of repaying loans.Others said they wished to change the size of their homes (18.7 percent) or to withstand the economic downturn (13.7 percent).Nearly two-fifths of the house poor were in their 30s and 40s. Following those in their 30s (19.6 percent) and 40s (18.9 percent) were people in their 50s (13.5 percent) and 60s (11.2 percent), indicating that many people were financially squeezed before and after retirement.The more expensive the homes, the greater the number of house poor. Some 22.3 percent of the house poor in the survey hadmortgage loans on residential properties worth more than 900 million won. About 14.5 percent had homes worth between 600 million and 900 million won. Seventeen percent had homes worth between 300 million and 600 million won, and 15.6 percent between 150 million and 300 million won. Only 13.2 percent had homes valued less than 150 million won. Seoul (17.4 percent) and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province (18 percent) showed the highest rate of house poor families. In the capital, four of the 25 districts - which have the most expensive apartments - accounted for 17.2 percent of the house poor. "About 26.2 percent of all mortgage loans were taken out by people with a low ability to repay the debts," the research instit

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HUD-OIG,

Recent headlines about the troubled subprime lending industry are making Americans more aware of the consequences of risky lending practices. But unscrupulous lenders and scam artists continue to prey on unsuspecting loan shoppers and homeowners. Unfortunately, loan-related scams aren't restricted to tricking consumers into loans with outrageously high interest rates. Today's sophisticated scammers are using loans as a vehicle to do everything from stealing sensitive personal information to virtually stealing a credit-challenged homeowner's own home. The mortgage experts at Loan.com have identified five top scams that all consumers - mortgage shoppers and homeowners alike - should be on the look-out for. 1. Unsolicited phone calls Americans across the country have reported receiving phone calls from telemarketers posing as representatives from well-known organizations such as Fannie Mae offering to refinance loans at low rates. These "representatives" often ask for personal information, claiming they need it to qualify a victim for a loan. This information is then used to steal a victim's identity. Loan.com's Advice: Be wary of any phone call offering remarkably low interest rates on loans, especially if you have registered your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. Most major nationwide lenders do not solicit business over the phone. Never give out personal information over the phone unless you are absolutely sure who you are speaking with. 2. "Helpful" contractors Many homeowners have reported contractors - often roofing or remodel professionals - approaching them with an offer to perform upgrades on their home at a reasonable price. These contractors offer financing through low-interest loans. It's not until after signing numerous forms that too many homeowners realize they have signed off on a high-interest home equity loan, and that the contractor has been hired by unscrupulous lenders to sell loans, not improve

Statewide California Indian Legal Services Assistance: Foreclosure to all Native Americans living in California and other Residents of select Counties Location: Escondido, Bishop, Eureka, and Sacramento Website: http://www.calindian.org/ Phone: Escondido: (760) 746-8941 or (800) 743-8941 Bishop: (760) 873-3581 or (800) 736-3582 Eureka: (707) 443-8397 or (800) 347-2402 Sacramento: (916) 978-0960 or (800) 829-0284 Services: The various offices provides free and low-cost legal services to Native Americans and Native American tribes and residents of the Counties of Alpine, Inyo, Kern, Mono, Tuolumne, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity , Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kings, Lake, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Yolo, Yuba. California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) Assistance: Foreclosure and Loan Modification Scams for California Residents in Rural Areas in English and Spanish Location: Coachella, Delano, El Centro, Fresno, Gilroy, Lamont, Madera, Marysville, Modesto, Monterey, Oceanside, Oxnard, Paso Robles, Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Watsonville Website: http://www.crla.org/ Phone: To find the contact information for the office closest to you, please visithttp://www.crla.org/index.php?page=office-locations-amp-staff Services: CRLA provides free legal services to low-income residents in various rural counties. The organization assists with foreclosure and loan modification scam issues. In particular, CRLA operates free foreclosure intervention workshops out of t

Whenever scammers and con artists see an opportunity, they seize on it. One fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008 was that many people found themselves with a mortgage they could no longer afford. When faced with foreclosure, some people become desperate, which sets the stage for swindlers to try to make a buck off of another's misfortune. Mortgage elimination scams are nothing new, but they have reared their ugly heads in recent years. History Before the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, mortgage elimination scams were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s when farmers in the Midwest were losing their land to the banks. The problem was so great that in 1985, concerts known as "Farm Aid," organized by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, began to raise money for farmers. This desperation by farmers made them susceptible to con men who tried to sell them kits to teach them how to use allodial title schemes, put fake liens on their property or claim that the bank never actually made any loans. How the Scams Work Most mortgage elimination scams work the same way, by coming up with untrue and crazy theories about why you don't really owe a mortgage at all and that your mortgage is not legally enforceable, according to Quatloos.com. The scammers find quotes from the Federal Reserve, taken out of context, that your mortgage is somehow illegal in the first place, and therefore, you don't owe any money. Features Once the homeowner decides that these schemes may actually work, he goes to the local courthouse and files a bogus claim. An "allodial title" is one, whereby the homeowner makes the argument that it is illegal to foreclose because of a concept that exists in some systems of property law, whereby property cannot be taken for any reason. The fallacy of this argument is there is no allodial title in the U.S. And, even if there was, an allodial title cannot be mortgaged in the first place. The courts view this as a frivolous claim. The s

These house poor families were spending more than 30 percent of their income to pay back the principal and interest for their loans, and had more liabilities than available assets, meaning they would be unable to repay their debts even by selling off all their non-home assets. Most house poor, or 96.3 percent, said in the survey that they were finding the repayment ofloans extremely burdensome. About three-quarters of them said they were reducing their spending to pay off the loans.Sixty-four percent said they would like to sell their homes soon. As for the reasons for wanting to sell off their home, 26.9 percent said they wished to readjust their asset portfolio, and 25.4 percent cited the burden of repaying loans.Others said they wished to change the size of their homes (18.7 percent) or to withstand the economic downturn (13.7 percent).Nearly two-fifths of the house poor were in their 30s and 40s. Following those in their 30s (19.6 percent) and 40s (18.9 percent) were people in their 50s (13.5 percent) and 60s (11.2 percent), indicating that many people were financially squeezed before and after retirement.The more expensive the homes, the greater the number of house poor. Some 22.3 percent of the house poor in the survey hadmortgage loans on residential properties worth more than 900 million won. About 14.5 percent had homes worth between 600 million and 900 million won. Seventeen percent had homes worth between 300 million and 600 million won, and 15.6 percent between 150 million and 300 million won. Only 13.2 percent had homes valued less than 150 million won. Seoul (17.4 percent) and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province (18 percent) showed the highest rate of house poor families. In the capital, four of the 25 districts - which have the most expensive apartments - accounted for 17.2 percent of the house poor. "About 26.2 percent of all mortgage loans were taken out by people with a low ability to repay the debts," the research institut

Two U.S. housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Thursday announced huge losses in the fourth quarter of last year, fresh evidence of the still struggling U.S. property market. Fannie Mae registered a net loss of 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter last year, and requested an additional 2.6 billion dollars in federal aid, the Washington-based company said Thursday in a statement. Freddie Mac posted a net loss of more than 1.7 billion dollars in the same period, and asked for an additional 500 million dollars in federal aid, according to a statement released by the company on Thursday. The Obama administration earlier this month unveiled a report to Congress on reforming the U.S. housing finance market, aiming to wind down the two government-sponsored enterprises, while giving the private sector a bigger say on the multi-trillion-dollar market. The two companies played a major role in the run-up to the severe financial crisis. The U.S. government stepped in to take over Fannie and Freddie in September 2008 and cost U.S. taxpayers multi-billion dollars, which has drawn criticism from various sectors. http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/

The insurance fraud in Changwon uncovered by the Financial Supervisory Service is both shocking and disturbing. It involved as many as 1,361 people, mostly residents of the South Gyeongsang Province city, who either posed as fake patients or exaggerated their illnesses. Collectively, they claimed 9.5 billion won from 33 insurance companies between 2007 and 2011. At the center of the scam ― the largest ever in terms of the number of people involved ― were three unconscionable hospitals in the city, which recruited fake patients systematically in cahoots with insurance brokers and solicitors. They did this to increase revenue and ease their financial distress. The main ploy used by the hospitals was to share a patient, meaning they would arrange for a patient to check in the three hospitals alternately for a different disease. For this, they faked his illnesses and prepared false documents. For close cooperation, they shared patient information among themselves. This scheme helped patients pocket more insurance money. They all purchased multiple private health insurance policies before hospitalization. On average they received some 7 million won per person. In one example, a man in his 50s was hospitalized for a total of 564 days over three years, collecting 95 million won in insurance. The Changwon case followed a similar one that took place in Taebaek last November, involving more than 400 people in the declining mining town in Gangwon Province. They got a total of 14 billion won in insurance payments. As with the Changwon scam, three financially distressed hospitals in the city played a central role. The two cases suggest that insurance fraud is a fairly common occurrence in Korea. According to the FSS, the number of insurance-related crimes has surged in recent years. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were caught for insurance scams, with the amount of false claims they filed reaching 423 billion won. Yet the figure represented just th

Mortgage fraud is crime in which the intent is to materially misrepresent or omit information on a mortgage loan application to obtain a loan or to obtain a larger loan than would have been obtained had the lender or borrower known the truth. In United States federal courts, mortgage fraud is prosecuted as wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, with penalties of up to thirty years imprisonment.As the incidence of mortgage fraud has risen over the past few years, states have also begun to enact their own penalties for mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraud is not to be confused with predatory mortgage lending, which occurs when a consumer is misled or deceived by agents of the lender. However, predatory lending practices often co-exist with mortgage fraud. Types Occupancy fraud: This occurs where the borrower wishes to obtain a mortgage to acquire an investment property, but states on the loan application that the borrower will occupy the property as the primary residence or as a second home. If undetected, the borrower typically obtains a lower interest rate than was warranted. Because lenders typically charge a higher interest rate for non-owner-occupied properties, which historically have higher delinquency rates, the lender receives insufficient return on capital and is over-exposed to loss relative to what was expected in the transaction. In addition, lenders allow larger loans on owner-occupied homes compared to loans for investment properties. When occupancy fraud occurs, it is likely that taxes on gains are not paid, resulting in additional fraud. It is considered fraud because the borrower has materially misprepresented the risk to the lender to obtain more favorable loan terms. Income fraud: This occurs when a borrower overstates his/her income to qualify for a mortgage or for a larger loan amount. This was most often seen with so-called "stated income" mortgage loans (popularly referred to as "liar loans"), where the borrower, or a l

South Korea announced steps Thursday to bolster its sagging property market, including easing restrictions imposed on some districts of the capital. Seoul in 2003 restricted mortgage loan-to-value ratios to 40 percent and banned buyers from spending more than 40 percent of their income on repayments in three southern Seoul areas seen as most attractive to speculators. From now on, the same rules will apply citywide, with buyers able to borrow up to 50 percent of a property's value and spend up to 50 percent of their income on repayments. House prices in the Seoul metropolitan area have been falling for 10 successive months, with the latest April reading showing a 0.3 percent month-on-month decline. The government said it would also cut taxes on capital gains from property in the three districts, and would offer low-interest loans to a wider range of potential home-buyers in the capital. "We're rolling back excessive regulations adopted back in the early 2000s when the property market was overheating," the land ministry said in a statement. "Despite an increase in home supply... transactions in the housing sector are shrinking, while new apartment sales are also sluggish, hit by (economic) uncertainties." You can also visit us @ http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/

(Source: Dirk Godder dpa, Hamburg, Germany (MCT) - President Lee Myung Bak apologized to South Koreans Tuesday for the involvement of his elder brother and former aides in corruption cases. "Fellow Koreans, disgraceful incidents have recently happened to my family and people surrounding me and caused so much anxiety," he said. "I bow my head and extend my apology for causing anxiety to the people due to these incidents," said Lee, who is in the final year of his presidency. He said he would "take full responsibility" for the scandals but added he would continue to carry out his duties as president. His brother Lee Sang Deuk, an influential former legislator seen as the president's mentor, is being detained on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that he received 600 million won (524,000 dollars) from two troubled savings banks to help them avoid regular audits. His detention this month was the latest in a string of corruption scandals involving people close to the president. They have damaged Lee Myung Bak's reputation as he prepares to leave office in February. Presidents can only serve one five-year term. dpa dg lns tlo Author: Dirk Godder. You can also visit us @ http://springhillgrouphome.com/

(Source: Dirk Godder dpa, Hamburg, Germany (MCT) - President Lee Myung Bak apologized to South Koreans Tuesday for the involvement of his elder brother and former aides in corruption cases. "Fellow Koreans, disgraceful incidents have recently happened to my family and people surrounding me and caused so much anxiety," he said. "I bow my head and extend my apology for causing anxiety to the people due to these incidents," said Lee, who is in the final year of his presidency. He said he would "take full responsibility" for the scandals but added he would continue to carry out his duties as president. His brother Lee Sang Deuk, an influential former legislator seen as the president's mentor, is being detained on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that he received 600 million won (524,000 dollars) from two troubled savings banks to help them avoid regular audits. His detention this month was the latest in a string of corruption scandals involving people close to the president. They have damaged Lee Myung Bak's reputation as he prepares to leave office in February. Presidents can only serve one five-year term. dpa dg lns tlo Author: Dirk Godder. You can also visit us @ http://springhillgrouphome.com/

California's attorney general announced more than $4 million in penalties have been levied against defendants in a national loan modification scam. Half of the money will go to consumers who were duped. Over 1,000 customers were caught in the ploy and paid a total of more than $2 million in modification services to Orange County-based Statewide Financial Group Inc., according to a release Tuesday from the office of Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris. "These defendants took advantage of vulnerable people in extremely difficult circumstances, including many who faced imminent loss of their homes," Harris said. "The significant financial penalties imposed by the court let scammers know that severe consequences will flow to those who defraud California consumers." The attorney general's office shut down the business in 2009, which had been in operation since January 2008. The business' owners -- Zulmai Nazarzai, Hakimullah Sarpas and Fasela Sheren (who went by the name Sharon Fasela) -- were all found liable in Orange County Superior Court for violating California's Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. You can also visit us @ http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/

California's attorney general announced more than $4 million in penalties have been levied against defendants in a national loan modification scam. Half of the money will go to consumers who were duped. Over 1,000 customers were caught in the ploy and paid a total of more than $2 million in modification services to Orange County-based Statewide Financial Group Inc., according to a release Tuesday from the office of Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris. "These defendants took advantage of vulnerable people in extremely difficult circumstances, including many who faced imminent loss of their homes," Harris said. "The significant financial penalties imposed by the court let scammers know that severe consequences will flow to those who defraud California consumers." The attorney general's office shut down the business in 2009, which had been in operation since January 2008. The business' owners -- Zulmai Nazarzai, Hakimullah Sarpas and Fasela Sheren (who went by the name Sharon Fasela) -- were all found liable in Orange County Superior Court for violating California's Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. You can also visit us @ http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/