New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has joined Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in leading a nine-state coalition demanding new, permanent leadership at the Federal Housing and Finance Agency (FHFA), the agency that oversees the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced the arrest of three suspects who have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme targeting struggling Northern California homeowners. Six Web sites allegedly used by the suspects to advertise their scheme have been intercepted and redirected to a resource page on the California Attorney General’s site.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced the arrest of two suspects who have been charged with grand theft, burglary, unlawful collection of advance fees, tax evasion and conspiracy in a wide-ranging mortgage fraud scheme. Both suspects also face special enhancements for excessive taking and aggravated white-collar crime for losses to victims exceeding $350,000.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced the arrest of four suspects who have been charged with securities fraud, conspiracy and elder abuse for operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens of investors of over $2.3 million. The arrest declaration alleges that Gold Country Lenders, a real estate company in Grass Valley, Calif., engaged in a pattern of theft and fraud-related crimes for more than eight years. Investor funds were used to make interest payments to earlier investors or for projects in which the company’s owner had a financial interest.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced that the final parts of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights have passed out of both legislative houses and have been sent to the Governor’s desk. Senate Bill 1474 by Sen.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced a bill to combat blight was signed into law by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. Assembly Bill 2314 by Assemblymember Wilmer Carter, D-Rialto, provides additional tools to local governments and receivers to fight neighborhood blight caused by vacant homes.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced the arraignment of two Sacramento men who stole more than $3.2 million from investors who were told their money was being invested in a real estate venture to buy and re-sell foreclosed homes. “These individuals fraudulently represented themselves as a legitimate business but had no intentions of carrying out what they promised,” said Attorney General Harris. “They will be held accountable for the damage they inflicted on trusting investors.”Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced that defendants who ran a national loan modification scam were ordered to pay more than $4 million in penalties and restitution, including $2 million to consumers who were falsely promised modifications of their mortgage loans. More than 1,000 customers paid more than $2 million for loan modification services to Statewide Financial Group Inc., which did business as US Homeowners Assistance and Webeatallrates.com, and was based in Orange County, Calif.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced that the Homeowner Bill of Rights, which will protect homeowners and borrowers during the mortgage and foreclosure process, was signed into law by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. The Homeowner Bill of Rights prohibits a series of inherently unfair bank practices that have needlessly forced thousands of Californians into foreclosure. The law restricts dual-track foreclosures, where a lender forecloses on a borrower despite being in discussions over a loan modification to save the home.Click to continue

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced that the non-conference committee components of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights have passed out of legislative committees. Assembly Bill 1950, authored by Assemblymember Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles), passed out of the Senate Judiciary on July 3rd. The bill extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting mortgage related crimes from one year to three years, giving the Department of Justice ample time to investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud crimes.Click to continue