Marc Dann - "Mortgage Cop"

The Wall Street Journal reports:

• One of the sharpest attacks on Wall Street these days is coming from the Midwest. That is where Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann assigns much of the blame for the state's record mortgage-foreclosure rate -- a mess he calls "the largest financial scam in American history." The 45-year-old Democrat has pursued several mortgage cases closer to home, delaying foreclosures involving New Century Financial Corp., a home lender now operating under bankruptcy-court protection. He has sued more than a dozen lenders and brokers for allegedly inflating home appraisals and engaging in other practices that misled troubled homeowners.

• Mr. Dann says he wants to "punish" not only out-and-out criminal fraudsters, but also deep-pocketed parties that benefited from the problem and helped enable it.

For more, see A New Mortgage 'Cop' (Dann, Ex-Footballer,Tackles Fraud Cases,Targets Wall Street) (or try here for link to story).

For some of the work done by AG Dann's office in the area of real estate / mortgage fraud, see:

• Ohio AG Gets Indictment Of Man In Alleged Refinancing / Deed Theft Scam,
• Ohio AG Conducts Foreclosure Rescue Sweep; Hauls Six Upfront Fee Operators Into Court,
• Ohio AG Aiming Regulatory Rifle At Credit Ratings Agencies,
• Ohio AG Sues Ten Companies Alleging Improper Pressure On Appraisers,
• Ohio AG Zeroes In On Wall Street Firms For Legal Action For Subprime Debacle.