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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 the Mary

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

New scam involving phony "forensic audits" of mortgage loans is the latest variation on loan modification scams. An article in the Sacramento Bee this week, reported that California Attorney General Jerry Brown warned California's distressed homeowner's to refrain from forensic review of their mortgage loan and lender's practices. Jerry Brown issued a press release stating that these loan audits are nothing more than loan modification scams that are taking advantage of people's desperation in the midst of the nation's persisting economic troubles. He joined with the California Department of Real Estate and the State Bar of California to warn homeowners who face the danger of foreclosure, to avoid such scams because they offer no help towards saving their home from foreclosure. The Latest among Many Loan Modification Scams Last year, the California Department of Real Estate investigated more than 2,000 cases of loan modification scam and from that number, 350 scam operations were ordered to terminate their illegal activity according to the attorney general's office. According to the article, the spokesman for the attorney general, Evan Westrup, explained that "It's the latest phony foreclosure-relief 'service' by an industry that continues to be long on promises and short on results…another way to get homeowners in distress to pay for services that ultimately aren't helping or providing the relief they need." The "Forensic Audit' Loan Modification Scam This particular scam entices homeowners through newspaper advertisements, as well as radio and television spots. The hook is to get homeowners to believe that they can find errors, improper documentation, or outright illegal activity in the way the mortgage was originated or within the loan itself. Supposedly, with such information, the homeowner will have sufficient leverage to fight the lender in the home loan-modification process with the hope of receiving assistance in keeping

New scam involving phony "forensic audits" of mortgage loans is the latest variation on loan modification scams. An article in the Sacramento Bee this week, reported that California Attorney General Jerry Brown warned California's distressed homeowner's to refrain from forensic review of their mortgage loan and lender's practices. Jerry Brown issued a press release stating that these loan audits are nothing more than loan modification scams that are taking advantage of people's desperation in the midst of the nation's persisting economic troubles. He joined with the California Department of Real Estate and the State Bar of California to warn homeowners who face the danger of foreclosure, to avoid such scams because they offer no help towards saving their home from foreclosure. The Latest among Many Loan Modification Scams Last year, the California Department of Real Estate investigated more than 2,000 cases of loan modification scam and from that number, 350 scam operations were ordered to terminate their illegal activity according to the attorney general's office. According to the article, the spokesman for the attorney general, Evan Westrup, explained that "It's the latest phony foreclosure-relief 'service' by an industry that continues to be long on promises and short on results…another way to get homeowners in distress to pay for services that ultimately aren't helping or providing the relief they need." The "Forensic Audit' Loan Modification Scam This particular scam entices homeowners through newspaper advertisements, as well as radio and television spots. The hook is to get homeowners to believe that they can find errors, improper documentation, or outright illegal activity in the way the mortgage was originated or within the loan itself. Supposedly, with such information, the homeowner will have sufficient leverage to fight the lender in the home loan-modification process with the hope of receiving assistance in keeping

"http://newscenter-springhillgrouphome.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/speed-help-for-nevadans-homeowners.html   http://springhillgrouphome.com/2013/03/speed-the-help-for-the-nevadans-homeowners/   $200 million from federal government was given to Nevada to avoid homeowners from losing their homes.  Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation but a Reno Gazette-Journal analysis of the fund distribution confirms that the money was almost intact in the past two years.   Nevada only spent $21 million of the $194 million it was to be paid to homeowners facing foreclosure, this means only 11% of the money it received through the Obama administration's Hardest Hit Fund, this is according to the most recent reports of the analysis of U.S. Treasury the third quarter of 2012   "This is government bureaucracy at its finest," said Victor Joecks, communication director of think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute. "They can't even give away $200 million. This program is a perfect example of why government shouldn't pick winners and losers in the economy."   According to Nevada Hardest Hit officials, just in January, the nonprofit gave $7.2 million in direct aid to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.  A total of $28.4 million was given by the program since it began in mid-2010, which is only 5% of the allocation. More or less 25 % of what they have given out was given out in January.   Mortgage assistance and principal reduction are the two separate components of the state Hardest Hit Fund program that has much given the aid.  75 percent of the budget went to direct aid from July 2011 to June 2012; this is another analysis of yearly financi

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 impro

LA CRESCENTA, Calif. (KABC) - More than two dozen people say they fell victim to a costly home loan scam that targeted Korean immigrants. The lawyer accused of orchestrating it all is being sued. It took a life savings to buy this La Crescenta home. Losing it took mere months, all because of accused lawyer Timothy D. Thurman and Trinity Law Associates. Ok Kee Shin is just one of 28 alleged victims. "It is just such a shock, and that the house had been sold and foreclosed," said Shin through a translator. In a lawsuit, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center details a web of fraud. Though the plaintiffs are all Korean immigrants, people of any nationality could fall for this one. The suit says Trinity Law Firm hired Koreans to place ads, then illegally paid them, like bounty hunters, to bring in customers. "This practice known as 'running and capping' is against the law," said Yungsuhn Park, Asian Pacific American Legal Center. "Attorneys are prohibited from paying non-attorney agents to find clients." Everything seemed so credible. The Trinity Law Firm operated out of a high-rise on Wilshire Boulevard. "So he flipped through my loan documents and he told me that this was a bank that had a lot of errors in their loan documents," said Shin's translator, quoting her. She says Thurman assured her he could fix her loan for a fee of $7,000, and that she should stop paying her mortgage and ignore the foreclosure notices. Legal advocates now spread a warning: Avoid any person who offers guarantees to stop a foreclosure. Don't pay up-front fees: They are also illegal after a state law was passed last October. And seek help from a non-profit first. You don't need an attorney for loan modifications. As for Thurman, he was in trouble even before this suit. He pleaded guilty to forging the signature of a judge on a foreclosure document, a crime punishable by five years in prison - a penalty that comes too late to save former homeowners.

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

It was agreed by nonprofit housing counseling agencies and housing rights advocates that foreclosure rescue scams are still common in the Bay Area, and there's no need for homeowners in distress to empty their pockets paying for private attorneys. Because of the sudden death of the family's primary breadwinner, Tatakamotongas of East Palo Alto suffered from mortgage payments. They decided to seek help with obtaining a loan modification to lower their monthly payments and due to this they came into contact with a scammer rather than legal help. "The advice they gave me was 'Don't make any more payments at all. The longer you are backed up, the more we can help you.' And so of course I believed them," says Mele Tatakamotonga. The scammer was a private attorney. He told them to stop paying their mortgage so that they will qualify for a modification and charged them $3,000 for the assistance. But as expected from a scammer, after paying the fee the phone number had been disconnected. "Foreclosure rescue and mortgage modification scams are continuing and getting bolder," says Vanitha Venugopal, program director of Community Development and Investment at The San Francisco Foundation. Homeowners must pay for help with loan modifications and other housing issues because scams continue to be rampant, advocates say. The Tatakamotongas finally found Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, a nonprofit law office, which collected the family's money from the dishonest attorney, and assisted them with obtaining a loan modification. Maeve Elise Brown, Executive Director of Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA) in Oakland, another organization that offers free legal aid, warns that scams are commonly carried out by unscrupulous attorneys. Brown also says that the media needs to be wary of running scammers' advertisements. Many homeowners looking for help contact scammers that they find through television and radio ads. According to Leah Si

By Romesh Navaratnarajah: Cases of residential mortgage fraud in the US done in collusion with mortgage industry professionals dropped 35 percent between 2010 and 2011, according to the LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report. The report tracked actual cases of mortgage fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage sector professionals, as reported by lenders and other financial institutions. These include cases of borrowers falsifying information on mortgage documents but only if they conspired with mortgage industry professionals. One reason for the significant decline is because mortgage loan originations fell to its lowest level in 2011 since 2001, indicating a sharp reduction in sales of new and previously-occupied homes. Another reason is that fewer fraud schemes are committed when a buyer is trying to get a home loan. However, the FBI noted that loan fraud involving selling or buying homes is more common at some stages of foreclosure, adding that mortgage fraud investigations led to 1,082 convictions in FY 2011. According to the LexisNexis study, home appraisal and loan application fraud, along with misrepresentation, accounted for the biggest category of fraud investigated by lenders in 2011. Related Stories: Fixed-rate mortgage in demand despite cheaper tracker-rate loans 15% discount on mortgages reappears in Shanghai US mortgage rates fall to new record lows More from PropertyGuru: Fixed-rate mortgage in demand despite cheaper tracker-rate loans 15% discount on mortgages reappears in Shanghai US mortgage rates fall to new record lows HK mortgage numbers shrinking

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

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

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

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

owers may conceal obligations, such as mortgage loans on other properties or newly acquired credit card debt, to reduce the amount of monthly debt declared on the loan application. This omission of liabilities artificially lowers the debt-to-income ratio, which is a key underwriting criterion used to determine eligibility for most mortgage loans. It is considered fraud because it allows the borrower to qualify for a loan which otherwise would not have been granted, or to qualify for a bigger loan than what would have been granted had the borrower's true debt been disclosed. Fraud for profit: A complex scheme involving multiple parties, including mortgage lending professionals, in a financially motivated attempt to defraud the lender of large sums of money. Fraud for profit schemes frequently include a straw borrower whose credit report is used, a dishonest appraiser who intentionally and significantly overstates the value of the subject property, a dishonest settlement agent who might prepare two sets of HUD settlement statements or makes disbursements from loan proceeds which are not disclosed on the settlement statement, and a property owner, all in a coordinated attempt to obtain an inappropriately large loan. The parties involved share the ill-gotten gains and the mortgage eventually goes into default. In other cases, naive "investors" are lured into the scheme with the organizer's promise that the home will be repaired, repairs and/or renovations will be made, tenants will located, rents will be collected, mortgage payments made and profits will be split upon sale of the property, all without the active participation of the straw buyer. Once the loan is closed, the organizer disappears, no repairs are made nor renters found, and the "investor" is liable for paying the mortgage on a property that is not worth what is owed, leaving the "investor" financially ruined. If undetected, a bank may lend hundreds of thousands of dollars against a property that is act

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

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development made mention to thelawmakers it couldn't pronounce if the Federal Housing Administration would cover new mortgages in communities together with Richmond, California that propose to seize home loans through eminent domain."Pending legal developments and possible further execution of the plans in question, HUD does not know whether any new mortgages which might be created would qualify for insurance by the Federal Housing Administration," Acting Assistant Secretary Elliot Mincberg wrote in an Aug. 12 letter responding to questions from members of Congress. The week following the FHFA HUD's comments came, which oversees Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac, said it would considering directing the companies to stop doing business in communities that seize mortgages through eminent domain to avert foreclosure by writing down the principal balances. The Federal Housing Finance Agency may also initiate legal challenges to such actions, Alfred M. Pollard, the agency's general counsel, said in a memorandum. "There is a rational basis to conclude that the use of eminent domain by localities to restructure loans for borrowers that are 'underwater' on their mortgages presents a clear threat to the safe and sound operations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks as provided in federal law," Pollard wrote. Blight Prevention In the preceding month, Richmond announced it is moving ahead with a plan to seize mortgages. The public benefit of the seizures is to fend off foreclosures that cause blight and create other costs for the community, according to the plan's supporters. At the minimum of a dozen cities still dealing with the fallout of most horrible slump in home prices from the time when the Great Depression are studying the eminent domain idea. Others include El Monte, California, North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Irvington, New Jersey. Communities such as San Bernardino County, Californ