Monday, October 01, 2007
MBA Study Examines Fraud Committed Against Mortgage Lenders
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released Mortgage Fraud: Strengthening Federal and State Mortgage Fraud Prevention Efforts, the next in a series of policy papers designed to inform and shape the debate surrounding important issues affecting the real estate finance industry. This paper takes a comprehensive look at the policy discussion surrounding fraud against lenders, a critical issue in today’s mortgage market.
“Last month President Bush reiterated his administration’s commitment to pursuing fraud and wrongdoing throughout the mortgage lending process,” said Jonathan L. Kempner, President and CEO of the MBA. “Whether it’s fraud for housing or the more serious fraud for profit, people are deceiving lenders at an alarming rate, and more must be done to combat this problem.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has estimated that fraud cost mortgage lenders as much as $4.2 billion in 2006 alone. This growing trend is troubling for many reasons, but most significantly because fraud-related costs and losses incurred by lenders are ultimately passed on to their customers, increasing the cost of homeownership for all borrowers. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau under the U.S. Department of the Treasury has reported that the number of mortgage-related Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed has increased an average of nearly 60 percent per year over the past four years.
MBA’s policy paper seeks to separate the issue of mortgage fraud from predatory lending and to provide policymakers with a roadmap to effectively combat the growing incidence of mortgage fraud. In the paper, MBA discourages adding to or modifying the already comprehensive list of federal fraud statutes and instead recommends that Congress increase resources available to law enforcement and help facilitate the coordination of federal and state law enforcement of financial crimes.
“We do not need more federal laws to combat fraud. Instead, we need a more coordinated effort and more resources to investigate and prosecute,” said Kempner. “In addition to being illegal and costly, we know that fraud has also contributed to the recent rise in delinquencies and foreclosures, and the industry and government must step up our anti-fraud efforts to help curtail these related problems.”
mortgage fraud
Post a Comment
The trackback URL for this entry is:
Trackbacks:
|
Some Sources require Registration.
Mortgage Fraud: Beware the Wolf (Loan Officer) in Sheep's Clothing
24-7PressRelease.com - USA
US consumers looking to refinance their homes or to secure a home loan to purchase their dream homes would be well advised to educate themselves...
Internet Scammer Sells Cape Coral Residential Lot For $18,000
The News-Press - Fort Myers, FL
Because she had title insurance, Kunda will probably get back her money from the 2007 purchase, but the incident highlights cracks in the real estate market and the risk from international scammers who are growing more sophisticated.
Prosecutors Busy With Fraud Cases
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona Beach, FL
The U.S. Justice Department has formed more than 40 mortgage fraud task forces nationwide as prosecutors and investigators struggle with a flood of mortgage-related criminal cases. The FBI reports that its mortgage-fraud caseload has more than doubled in three years to about 1,600 investigations that have cost lenders at least $4 billion. About 200 FBI agents are assigned to the cases, up from 120 a year ago.
Yanchek may take plea deal
Herald Tribune
Sarasota attorney John Yanchek is expected to plead guilty to mortgage fraud next week, statements from a federal prosecutor and the judge presiding over the high-profile criminal case seem to indicate.
Bear Stearns Execs Trial Slated for September
News Inferno
Two former Bear Stearns hedge fund executives are slated to go to trial in September over charges that they lied to investors about two of the funds they managed
Rockford, Chicago lead state in mortgage fraud
Rockford Register Star
Reported incidents of mortgage fraud grew by 45 percent in the second quarter compared with the year-ago period.
Report Finds Tampa No. 2 In Florida For Iffy Mortgages
Tampa Bay Online
In a state that leads the nation in mortgage fraud, Tampa had the second most cases of suspicious loan activity of any Florida city, according to a report released this morning from the Reston, Va.-based Mortgage Asset Research Institute.
Mortgage Fraud Jumps by 45% on Fewer Loan Applications in U.S., Per... MARI
Cloud Computing Journal
Key findings from the MARI Quarterly Fraud Report include that fraud most often occurs at the beginning of the loan process. More than 65 percent of fraud incidents are attributed to "General Application Misrepresentation"
Seven Are Accused Of Identity Theft And Mortage Fraud
The Star Ledger, New Jersey
Seven people have been arrested in connection with an international identity-theft scheme that targeted home equity lines of credit and siphoned at least $2.5 million away from dozens of banks, including more than 10 in New Jersey, according to documents unsealed today.
Suthers Cracks Down On Mortgage Fraud
Rocky Mountain News - Denver, CO
Suther’s office also indicted 10 individuals last March in an $11 million mortgage fraud ring involving 34 local properties...Several other investigations of mortgage fraud are ongoing.
Previous Articles
|
Trial coverage provided by Anne Mitchell, Crazy Fish Realty.
U.S. v. Miller, et al.
Thursday, December, 18, 2008
Verdict:
F. Jeffrey Miller Guilty of Conspiracy and Money Laundering
Steven Vanatta Guilty of Conspiracy , Money Laundering and Bank Fraud
Hallie Irvin Guilty of Conspiracy , Money Laundering and Bank Fraud
Sandra Jo Harris Not guilty- all counts
More Trial Coverage
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rachel Dollar is an attorney and Certified Mortgage Banker who handles fraud recovery litigation for lenders and secondary market investors nationwide. She is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of mortgage fraud. Ms. Dollar is licensed to practice law in California and maintains offices in Santa Rosa, California. 
