Illinois AG Nails 3 More Foreclosure Rescue Operators With Civil Suits

(original post 12-24-07)
From the office of the Illinois Attorney General:

• Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed three lawsuits against mortgage rescue companies for allegedly violating the Illinois Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. [...] With today's filings, the Attorney General has sued 11 mortgage rescue companies. Madigan filed suit against Homeowners' Assistance Association, Lender's Foreclosure Relief, Inc., and United Home Savers, LLP, based on allegations that these three companies falsely promised to help consumers save their homes after falling behind on their mortgage payments.

• Madigan filed the Homeowners' Assistance Association complaint against the company and Casimar Cerniaukas (also known as “Casey Cerni”) and Jim Hamilton. The complaint also names as a defendant Foreclosure LMS, an affiliated company that purportedly trained people to conduct mortgage rescue services. Homeowners' Assistance Association is registered as an Illinois nonprofit corporation and deceptively claims to be affiliated with the City of Chicago 's foreclosure prevention program . The lawsuit alleges that the defendants charged homeowners illegal upfront fees of between $500 and $2,000 for mortgage foreclosure rescue services which either were never authorized by the consumer or proved ineffective.

• Madigan filed the Homeowners' Assistance Association complaint against the company and Casimar Cerniaukas (also known as “Casey Cerni”) and Jim Hamilton. The complaint also names as a defendant Foreclosure LMS, an affiliated company that purportedly trained people to conduct mortgage rescue services. Homeowners' Assistance Association is registered as an Illinois nonprofit corporation and deceptively claims to be affiliated with the City of Chicago 's foreclosure prevention program . The lawsuit alleges that the defendants charged homeowners illegal upfront fees of between $500 and $2,000 for mortgage foreclosure rescue services which either were never authorized by the consumer or proved ineffective.

• Madigan's suit against California-based Lender's Foreclosure Relief, Inc., alleges that the defendant charged Illinois homeowners illegal upfront enrollment fees of $1,395 for a “Pre-Foreclosure Workout Program.”

• The third lawsuit, filed against Florida-based United Home Savers, LLP, alleges that the company similarly required an illegal $1,200 upfront fee for services. Both Lender's Foreclosure Relief and United Home Savers failed to provide refunds for the illegal fees upon consumers' request.

For more, see Madigan Sues Three Mortgage Rescue Companies (Attorney General Seeks to Shut Down Businesses and Obtain Restitution for Distressed Homeowners).

Go here for other posts on foreclosure rescue lawsuits brought by the Illinois AG.