We have discussed mortgage fraud a couple of times on this blog.
In April 2010, a report by LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute indicated Florida had the most cases of mortgage fraud in the nation.
In June, 86 South Floridians were arrested for falsifying documents to secure fraudulent loans, which resulted in a loss of nearly $80 million.
And according to the SFBJ, “last week, four area residents pleaded guilty to participating in a $2.5 million mortgage fraud ring. A week earlier, a former attorney and three mortgage brokers were charged in a $6 million scam. That same week, a Miami federal jury found two women guilty in a $21 million mortgage fraud scheme.”
A recent report from MortgageDaily.com shows that the state no longer has the highest rate of mortgage fraud in the nation and is second to California with nearly $436 million in claims filed.
What is Florida doing to Protect Homeowners?
Attorney General Bill McCollum has taken aggressive action to cut down mortgage and foreclosure fraud in the state.
In 2007, he started the Mortgage Fraud Task Force and has since reached out to state agencies, law enforcement, and attorneys for help developing a collective approach to protect Florida homeowners.
Since 2007, the task force has reviewed the practices of more than 200 foreclosure rescue businesses, and is presently handling more than 50 active investigations and a few pending lawsuits.
If you feel you have been wronged or taken advantage of by a foreclosure rescue company, you will be happy to know the Attorney General’s office has streamlined the process for reporting incidents of fraud. You can now submit complaints using this online form.
Other mortgage fraud resources include:
Attorney General of Florida
Consumer Protection
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Phone: (850) 414-3300
Consumer Hotline: (866) 966-7226
Web: http://myfloridalegal.com/consumer
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Division of Real Estate
Consumer Complaints Section
400 West Robinson Street, Suite N801
Orlando, FL 32801-1757
Phone: (850) 487-1395
Email: Call.Center@dbpr.state.fl.us
Web: http://www.myflorida.com
FBI Field Offices
Miami Division
White Collar Crime Program
16320 NW 2nd Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33169-6508
Phone: (305) 944-9101
Email: miami@ic.fbi.gov
Web: http://miami.fbi.gov/
Tampa Division
White Collar Crime Supervisor
5525 W. Gray Street
Tampa, FL 33609
Phone: (813) 253-1000
Email: tampa.division@ic.fbi.gov
Web: http://tampa.fbi.gov/
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Miami Field Office
Brickell Plaza Federal Bldg.
909 SE First Avenue
Miami, FL 33131
Phone: (305) 536-5678
Email: FL_Webmanager@hud.gov
Web: http://www.hud.gov
Tampa Field Office
500 E. Zack Street, Suite 402
Tampa, FL 33602-2945
Phone: (813) 228-2026
Do you have questions for our Fort Lauderdale real estate lawyers? You can email our firm or give us a call at (954) 779-7009.
