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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.

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

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to ease mortgage lending limits and take other measures in a bid to tackle the housing market slump and spur domestic demand, the presidential office said Sunday. The plan, which came after a government-private meeting, calls for relaxing the so-called debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which serves as a major tool to control housing loans by tying the maximum amount of money that home buyers can borrow to their income levels. The current ceiling is 40-60 percent in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, the nation's most populous region. "We will maintain the basic principle of DTI and plan to complement irrational parts (of the system) for those who actually want to buy houses," Kim Dae-ki, the chief presidential economic advisor, said at a briefing, without elaborating. The growing number of people who can't afford to make payments on their home loans emerged as a major concern as policymakers brace for an economic slowdown in the wake of the eurozone debt crisis. During the meeting, which lasted nearly 10 hours through midnight, officials and industry experts agreed to a set of measures aimed at spurring foreign investment and tax support for small and medium companies as well as eased regulations on building new hotels and resorts, participants said. As a way to spur domestic demand, the government officials and businessmen agreed to encourage employees to use up their vacations during the summer, they said. Kim said the finance ministry will hold a meeting on Monday with related agencies to prepare follow-up measures aimed at boosting domestic demand in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The stimulus plan comes as South Korea's economy has been losing steam in the face of the eurozone debt crisis and a global economic slump that have made a dent in exports, the main driver of its growth. In the second quarter, Asia's fourth-largest economy is estimated to have grown a

China paper hints at anti-Japan sanctions BEIJING: The mouthpiece of China's Communist Party warned on Monday that Japan's economy could suffer for up to 20 years if Beijing chose to impose sanctions over an escalating territorial row. Anti-Japanese protests have been held across China in recent days over a dispute on a group of small islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries but controlled by Tokyo. The row intensified last week when the Japanese government bought three of the islands, effectively nationalising them, and China responded by sending patrol ships into the waters around them. Trade sanctions between Asia's two biggest economies could cast a pall over growth on the continent, which major Western countries are counting on to drive recovery from the global slowdown. 

China paper hints at anti-Japan sanctions BEIJING: The mouthpiece of China's Communist Party warned on Monday that Japan's economy could suffer for up to 20 years if Beijing chose to impose sanctions over an escalating territorial row. Categories: news-tv

" China paper hints at anti-Japan sanctions BEIJING: The mouthpiece of China's Communist Party warned on Monday that Japan's economy could suffer for up to 20 years if Beijing chose to impose sanctions over an escalating territorial row. Anti-Japanese protests have been held across China in recent days over a dispute on a group of small islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries but controlled by Tokyo. The row intensified last week when the Japanese government bought three of the islands, effectively nationalising them, and China responded by sending patrol ships into the waters around them. Trade sanctions between Asia's two biggest economies could cast a pall over growth on the continent, which major Western countries are counting on to drive recovery from the global slowdown. A commentary in the People's Daily newspaper said the Japanese economy has already experienced two lost decades from the 1990s and was suffering further weakness in the aftermath of the world financial crisis and 2011 earthquake. Digital news offering aims at high ground WASHINGTON: It seems like a terrible time to be launching a news operation.But there are opportunities and niches, and the new digital media launch called Quartz from Atlantic Media Company seeks to exploit them. Quartz is set to launch in the coming weeks as a "100 percent digital" news operation covering "the most important themes of the new global economy," said editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney. Quartz has been recruiting a small number of veteran journalists for an overall news staff of around 25 people. The operation will feature tablet and mobile displays as well as a desktop website, qz.com. "There is an opportunity to do great journalism on a digital platform," Delaney, a former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, told AFP."It's a great time to launch a proBject like this. We've learned the lessons of what works over the last few years." Quartz will offer free con

Source : http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/ Springhill Group Home: Top 10 Fraud Schemes http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/2012/03/springhill-group-home-top-10-fraud-schemes/ For the twelfth successive year, identity theft topped the consumer complaint database of the Federal Trade Commission with the largest number of complaints, perhaps owing to the rampant use (and misuse) of online services such as social networking and e-commerce websites. From the 1.8 million complaints the FTC got in 2011, almost 300,000 are about identity theft. The information of FTC has included complaints filed to them or from other states and federal consumer protection groups. Most of the complaints of identity theft are coming from consumers saying that their personal details are

Source : http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/ Springhill Group Home: Impact of Budget Cuts on Rural Housing and Availability of Mortgage http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/2012/03/springhill-group-home-impact-of-budget-cuts-on-rural-housing-and-availability-of-mortgage/ The budget cuts on rural housing finance are raising many significant questions. In the present economic situation, where federal funding for the rural housing projects is much needed, the budget cut is really distressing. According to the rural market experts, Section 538 Rural Rental Loan Guarantee Program has offered the most effective service in this regard. However, the recent budget cut is much likely to affect the proceeding of this program and home loan rate for buying a rural property. Rural economics - Demand vs. supply line-

Source : http://www.valueinvestingnews.com/scam-review-springhill-suites-houston-medical-center Springhill Suites Houston Medical Center/Reliant Park: Traveler Reviews Ranked #91 of 425 hotels in Houston 50 Reviews 50 reviews from our community Trip type Family reviews (16) Couples reviews (6) Business reviews (17) Solo travel reviews (5) Friends reviews (3) "A Scam!" - While this hotel is clean, I would NOT recommend staying here, especially if you need to rely on taxis for transportation. First, we asked for three days in a row for the drain in the bath/shower to be unclogged, which was never done. Standing in inches of water while taking a shower is not my idea of fun. Much worse however, was the scam the hotel seems to be running regarding taxis and car service. The last night of my stay, I requested an early morning cab to go to the airport. I was told it would be taken care of. Shortly after, the front desk called my room, asking if I wouldn't prefer a town car. I was told this was suggested because the cab drivers had been adding extra distance to rides to drive up the cost of the fare. Since I had taken a cab from the airport to the hotel, I had a sense of the cost, and felt confident that I could be firm with the cab driver, especially since the cost of the town car was quoted at $10 more. The next morning, I showed up in the lobby at 4:45 am for my cab. The person at the desk informed me that no cab had been called, that 'cabs don't work that way' here, and strongly suggested (again) that a town car be called, since that was the only way to be sure of a quick arrival. The price this person quoted me was now $5 more than a cab ride, and feeling desperate, I agreed. Once in the town car, I asked the driver if there was any arrangement with the hotel to pass along part of the fare to the hotel. He acknowledged that there was. I believe this is re

I don't know if this is related to Warren Buffett's March visit to South Korea but General Re, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, is planning to bid for South Korean insurer Tong Yang Life Insurance. Tong Yang's majority shareholder private-equity fir springhill group south korea, springhill group

Source : http://www.valueinvestingnews.com/scam-review-springhill-suites-houston-medical-center http://springhillgrouphome.multiply.com/journal/item/61/A_Scam_-_Review_of_Springhill_Suites_Houston_Medical_Center Springhill Suites Houston Medical Center/Reliant Park: Traveler Reviews Ranked #91 of 425 hotels in Houston 50 Reviews 50 reviews from our community Trip type Family reviews (16) Couples reviews (6) Business reviews (17) Solo travel reviews (5) Friends reviews (3) "A Scam!" - While this hotel is clean, I would NOT recommend staying here, especially if you need to rely on taxis for transportation. First, we asked for three days in a row for the drain in the bath/shower to be unclogged, which was never done. Standing in inches of water while taking a shower is not my idea of fun. Much worse however, was the scam the hotel seems to be running regarding taxis and car service. The last night of my stay, I requested an early morning cab to go to the airport. I was told it would be taken care of. Shortly after, the front desk called my room, asking if I wouldn't prefer a town car. I was told this was suggested because the cab drivers had been adding extra distance to rides to drive up the cost of the fare. Since I had taken a cab from the airport to the hotel, I had a sense of the cost, and felt confident that I could be firm with the cab driver, especially since the cost of the town car was quoted at $10 more. The next morning, I showed up in the lobby at 4:45 am for my cab. The person at the desk informed me that no cab had been called, that 'cabs don't work that way' here, and strongly suggested (again) that a town car be called, since that was the only way to be sure of a quick arrival. The price this person quoted me was now $5 more than a cab ride, and feeling desperate, I agreed. Once in the town car, I asked the driver if there was any arrangement with the hotel to pass along part of the fare to the hotel. He acknowledged that there

Source : http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/ http://springhillgrouphome.multiply.com/journal/item/59/Springhill_Group_Home_Top_10_Fraud_Schemes Springhill Group Home: Top 10 Fraud Schemes http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/2012/03/springhill-group-home-top-10-fraud-schemes/ For the twelfth successive year, identity theft topped the consumer complaint database of the Federal Trade Commission with the largest number of complaints, perhaps owing to the rampant use (and misuse) of online services such as social networking and e-commerce websites. From the 1.8 million complaints the FTC got in 2011, almost 300,000 are about identity theft. The information of FTC has included complaints filed to them or from other states and federal consumer protection groups. Most of the complaints of identity theft are coming from consumers saying that their personal details are used in government documents without their knowledge, with scammers aiming to collect benefits. Last year, government-related identity theft was 27% of the total complaints in that category, increasing by 11% since 2009. Accounting for the 14% of identity theft complaints is credit card fraud, with the rest consisting of complaints of bank, utilities and phone fraud. More than half of all the complaints last year were related to fraud and taxpayers reportedly paid a total of over USD 1.5 billion in fraudulent schemes, with the average amount paid being USD 537. Moreover, 43% of the victims acknowledged that scammers reached them through email messages. The top three states that have the most per capita rate of fraud reported are Colorado, Delaware and Maryland as first, second and third, respectively. Generally, FTC discovered that people are either more willing to file complaints or they simply have more complaints now. The total amount of complaints they have received has increased by over 20% -- from 1.5 million to 1.8 million in 2011 -- that includes both identity theft and fraud compl

Source : http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/ http://springhillgrouphome.multiply.com/journal/item/58/Springhill_Group_Home_Impact_of_Budget_Cuts_on_Rural_Housing_and_Availability_of_Mortgage Springhill Group Home: Impact of Budget Cuts on Rural Housing and Availability of Mortgage http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/2012/03/springhill-group-home-impact-of-budget-cuts-on-rural-housing-and-availability-of-mortgage/ The budget cuts on rural housing finance are raising many significant questions. In the present economic situation, where federal funding for the rural housing projects is much needed, the budget cut is really distressing. According to the rural market experts, Section 538 Rural Rental Loan Guarantee Program has offered the most effective service in this regard. However, the recent budget cut is much likely to affect the proceeding of this program and home loan rate for buying a rural property. Rural economics - Demand vs. supply Only about 19% Americans live in rural areas. The average yearly income of a rural household is lower than an urban one. The poverty rate in the rural America is about 15%, whereas the rate is almost 13% in urban America. Section 538 by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the largest mortgage lender in rural America. Till the end of 2011, the program funded about 700 rural housing projects. Unfortunately, this program has become the primary victim of budget cut. It received 130 million USD in FY 2010; while in FY 2011, the Congress appropriated only 30 million USD. The appropriation for FY 2012 is zero. If Section 538 does not get any funding in this year, the prospect of the program is going to be doomed. Difficulties faced by rural housing development Considering budget deficit, one can say that it is difficult to construct affordable housing units in rural areas and thereby the obvious option of rental housing comes into play. Interested banks to offer mortgage loans in less developed rural ar

By Angie Barrett | November 28, 2011 10:09 am  America's Choice Home Loans announced the opening of Branch 1013, located in Newberg, Oregon. Managed by Jerry Holman, a long time veteran of the mortgage industry, the branch opened on October 20."Please give Jerry a warm welcome and let him know he is a part of our family," says Jonathan Fowler, Director of National Production for the company. "Jerry, thank you very much for choosing America's Choice Home Loans. We appreciate you and your office and are here to make your lending career bigger and brighter than ever. You will find out why we are America's Choice Home Loans - Thank you very much and welcome." Being an expert in home loan and mortgage, Jerry will continue to concentrate on helping customers with their residential home loan needs. America's Choice Home Loan is continuously searching for experienced mortgage loan originators to join the company. Contrary to many in the industry who have been discouraged, scaled back or closed down completely, Mr. Fowler is unfazed. "America's Choice has the ability to expand, including the capacity for rapid growth. We have been positioning ourselves for this, and we're ready," adds Mr. Fowler. America's Choice Home Loans LP is located at 8584 Katy Freeway, Suite 200, Houston TX 77024 and can be reached at 713-463-6779. Visit their website www.achlonline.com and their Facebook fan page. About America's Choice Home Loans LP America's Choice Home Loans LP has been a retail mortgage lender since 1998. The company is a HUD, VA and USDA approved mortgagee headquartered in Houston, TX.

By Angie Barrett | November 28, 2011 10:09 am  America's Choice Home Loans announced the opening of Branch 1013, located in Newberg, Oregon. Managed by Jerry Holman, a long time veteran of the mortgage industry, the branch opened on October 20."Please give Jerry a warm welcome and let him know he is a part of our family," says Jonathan Fowler, Director of National Production for the company. "Jerry, thank you very much for choosing America's Choice Home Loans. We appreciate you and your office and are here to make your lending career bigger and brighter than ever. You will find out why we are America's Choice Home Loans - Thank you very much and welcome." Being an expert in home loan and mortgage, Jerry will continue to concentrate on helping customers with their residential home loan needs. America's Choice Home Loan is continuously searching for experienced mortgage loan originators to join the company. Contrary to many in the industry who have been discouraged, scaled back or closed down completely, Mr. Fowler is unfazed. "America's Choice has the ability to expand, including the capacity for rapid growth. We have been positioning ourselves for this, and we're ready," adds Mr. Fowler. America's Choice Home Loans LP is located at 8584 Katy Freeway, Suite 200, Houston TX 77024 and can be reached at 713-463-6779. Visit their website www.achlonline.com and their Facebook fan page. About America's Choice Home Loans LP America's Choice Home Loans LP has been a retail mortgage lender since 1998. The company is a HUD, VA and USDA approved mortgagee headquartered in Houston, TX.

News Center Springhill Group Home is a housing finance company with the principal goal of achieving a social requirement of motivating home ownership by offering long-term finance to households. News Center Springhill Group Home has turned the idea of housing finance in Springhill into a world-class business venture with outstanding reputation for dependability, honesty and outstanding services. News Center Springhill Group Home has a wide network of contacts from different loan companies within United States and Asia catering to towns & cities spread across the country providing housing loans and property advisory services. For inquiries, email us at info@springhillgrouphome.com

News Center - Springhill Group Home Loans | Briefs..... - thenews.com.pk» http://springhillgrouphome.tumblr.com/day/2012/09/18/ Business digest http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-132475-Briefs China paper hints at anti-Japan sanctions   BEIJING: The mouthpiece of China's Communist Party warned on Monday that Japan's economy could suffer for up to 20 years if Beijing chose to impose sanctions over an escalating territorial row.   Anti-Japanese protests have been held across China in recent days over a dispute on a group of small islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries but controlled by Tokyo.   The row intensified last week when the Japanese government bought three of the islands, effectively nationalising them, and China responded by sending patrol ships into the waters around them.   Trade sanctions between Asia's two biggest economies could cast a pall over growth on the continent, which major Western countries are counting on to drive recovery from the global slowdown.   A commentary in the People's Daily newspaper said the Japanese economy has already experienced two lost decades from the 1990s and was suffering further weakness in the aftermath of the world financial crisis and 2011 earthquake.   Digital news offering aims at high ground   WASHINGTON: It seems like a terrible time to be launching a news operation.But there are opportunities and niches, and the new digital media launch called Quartz from Atlantic Media Company seeks to exploit them.   Quartz is set to launch in the coming weeks as a "100 percent digital" news operation covering "the most important themes of the new global economy," said editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney.   Quartz has been recruiting a small number of veteran journalists for an overall news staff of around 25 people. The operation will feature tablet and mobile displays as well as a desktop website, qz.com.   "There is an opportunity to do great journalism on a digital platfo