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U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced that 40 individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with a major mortgage fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas. The 16-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 10, 2010, and includes one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 12 counts [...] Dennis Norman “Generally speaking, real estate agents and brokers are not independent or properly trained valuation specialists.” This was said in a letter from several appraiser organizations that was sent to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner last week. The letter, not actually signed by anyone, but instead just bearing the names of the following four appraiser [...]
Dennis Norman The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have published a report about common real estate scams and rental scams they are finding and how to avoid them. Like most scams there are warning signs and red flags that can help you avoid falling victim; knowing what to look [...] The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner and property manager of a 48-unit apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., alleging that the defendants discriminated on the basis of race or color in the rental of apartments, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of [...] The Justice Department today announced that landlord James Stevens, his company Fountain View Apartments Inc., and his former rental manager, Mildred Chastain, have agreed to pay $415,000 in monetary damages and civil penalties to settle a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging that they discriminated against African Americans and families with children at Fountain [...] Dennis Norman The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently consdered an appeal by the plaintiffs of a class action lawsuit again D.R. Horton, Inc. and DHI Mortgage, Co brought by John R. Yeatman and Eleanor E. Yeatman on behalf of themselves and all similarly situated individuals. The lawsuit stems from the Yeatman’s purchase of [...] Dennis Norman I usually try to keep the focus of my posts on this site on topics that, for the most part, apply to the entire real estate industry and shy away from local issues. I’m going to make an exception today however as I feel this is an issue, albeit local at this point, [...] Dennis Norman Maybe I’m naive, but it surprises me that some property managers (and owners) are clueless about Fair Housing Laws or just blatantly disregard them…particularly owners and operators and large apartment complexes. I’m going to share information on another settlement, and an expensive one at that, the Department of Justice obtained from the property owners and managers to [...] Author’s Note: I frequently publish stories on actions of the Department of Justice with regard to Fair Housing Laws…I do this not to draw attention to the parties involved in particular suit or case but to heighten the awareness of Property Managers, Brokers and Landlord’s of Fair Housing Laws and the repurcussions of violating them. The [...] Dennis Norman Last week a friend emailed me a link to a video titled “The Indymac Slap in Our Face” that was created by Think Big Work Small. I watched the video which gave a recap of the failure of Indymac bank back resulting in it’s seizure by the FDIC in July, 2008, and the [...] Atlanta real estate firms Coldwell Banker Joe T. Lane Realty Inc., Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty Company Inc. and Rodney Lee Foreman, one of their former real estate agents, have agreed to pay $160,000 to settle allegations that they illegally steered prospective homebuyers toward and away from certain neighborhoods based on race and color, the Justice [...] The Justice Department today announced a settlement of a lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of two multifamily housing complexes in Davenport, Iowa, violated the Fair Housing Act. The complexes at issue are Kimberly Ridge Manor and Jersey Ridge Manor. The case began when the Davenport Civil Rights Commission filed fair housing [...] WASHINGTON – Dennis G. Sartain of Hilliard, Ohio; and Bonnie Helt, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mortgage fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Sartain, the accountant for Tweet This Post Dennis Norman In an effort to “stabilize home values and improve conditions in communities where foreclosure activity is high” FHA just announced a temporary waiver of requirements of 24 CFR 203.37a(b)(2). For those of you that don’t have your copy of the Code of Federal Regulations handy, this is referring to what is generally [...] Dennis Norman Today the Internal Revenue Service released a new form that eligible homebuyers must need to use to claim the first-time homebuyer credit this tax season, along with instructions and guidelines for other documentation that must accompany your tax return. Tweet This Post Nation’s Fifth-Largest Housing Developer to Retrofit Record Number of Apartments for People With Disabilities, Create National Accessibility Fund
Dennis Norman Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and its member fair housing organizations in Atlanta, Ga., Melbourne, Fla., and Napa and Marin, Calif., announced a landmark agreement with the A.G. Spanos Companies to increase housing accessibility [...] Dennis Norman In August 2009 there was a final judgment entered in the case United States of America vs Consolidated Multiple Listing Service, Inc. which stated “Consolidated (CMLS) can no longer deter low-cost or innovative brokers from competing in Columbia by charging a premium price for membership.” At the time CMLS was apparently charging an initiation [...] Dennis Norman The National Association of Home Builders says the health care bill that the Senate passed (H.R. 3590) places a “major financial burden on builders“. According to the NAHB language offered by Sen. Jeff Merkley and “slipped into the Senate health care legislation at the last minute unfairly targets small construction firms with more than [...] According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, borrowers with FHA loans that are experiencing problems associated with drywall (ie; chinese drywall) may be eligible for assistance to help them rehabilitate their properties. FHA is reminding its approved lenders that they are to offer special forbearance for borrowers confronted with [...] National Association of Home Builders issues a call to Action to it’s members to urge Congress to vote NO. From the National Association of Home Builders: The Senate is scheduled to hold a series of votes over the next three days on health care reform. Given the time crunch, please call your Senator now! In their rush to [...] Department of Justice Press Release Scam Involved Lawyers, Mortgage Brokers, and More Than $14.6 Million in Loans PHILADELPHIA—A 15-count indictment was filed today against five defendants charged in a $14.6 million mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in at least 35 fraudulent mortgage loans, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Janice K. [...] Dennis Norman This week the Treasury Department issed a report which included stats on the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) which is part of the Obama administrations’ Making Home Affordable Program and “is a loan modification program designed to reduce delinquent and at-risk borrowers’ monthly mortgage payments”. The HAMP program got underway around [...] Dennis Norman I have done several posts on the homebuyer tax credit and received and answered hundreds of questions about the tax credits on the various blogs I write for. There appears to be a lot of demand for the credits by homebuyers but also appears to be many questions. If you have questions about [...]
Joy Jackson Personally Responsible for Over $16 Million in Losses to Mortgage Lenders; Used Over $800,000 of Fraudulently Obtained Proceeds to Pay for Her Wedding U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced the president of the Metropolitan Money Store, Joy Jackson, age 41, of Fort Washington, Maryland, today to 151 months in [...] The Justice Department announced it has filed a lawsuit today in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging a pattern or practice of violations of the Fair Housing Act by the owner and managers of Forum Manor Apartments, a federally-subsidized apartment complex, for refusing to rent to African-Americans and males, refusing to allow [...] Freddie Mac announced today that it’s conforming loan limits for 2010 are unchanged from those in effect for 2009 for all areas of the United States. The loan limits set the maximum original loan amounts allowed on single-family conventional mortgages Freddie Mac can purchase except in high cost areas. The loan limits for first mortgages are: $417,000 [...] Publishers note: If you have been reading our blog for a while you are probably aware we have been supporters and advocates of the home-buyer tax credit as well as the extension and expansion of the credit, which happened last week. We realize however, there are people that do not support the credits for a [...] Dennis Norman UPDATE 11/06/09 5:14 p.m. – Thanks to Denis T who was commenting on this post, click here to go to the IRS site with information on the new tax credits. UPDATE 11/06/09 1:00 p.m. – I just heard that a short while ago President Obama signed the bill into law. IT’S OFFICIAL! So if you are in [...] Dennis Norman UPDATE 11/05 2:00 pm – The House has passed the bill by a vote of 403 – 12 – It now goes to the President who is expected to sign today or tomorrow. UPDATE 11/05, 12:35 pm- To read the section of H.R. 3548 that contains the details concerning the first-time home-buyer tax credit [...] Justice Department Obtains Record $2.725 Million Settlement of Housing Discrimination Lawsuit WASHINGTON– The Justice Department announced today the largest monetary payment ever obtained by the department in the settlement of a case alleging housing discrimination in the rental of apartments. Los Angeles apartment owner Donald T. Sterling has agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle allegations [...] |
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