FTC, California & Missouri AGs Slam "Lawyer Renting" Loan Modification Racket; Score $980K In Seized Assets, Put Outfit Out Of Business

The Federal Trade Commission announced:

• The operators of a mortgage foreclosure “rescue” company will be banned from selling mortgage relief services under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the states of California and Missouri, which sued them in 2009 as part of a federal-state crackdown on mortgage loan modification and foreclosure relief scams.

• Boasting a “proven track record” and the “highest standards of business ethics,” U.S. Foreclosure Relief Corp., George Escalante, Cesar Lopez, and Adrian Pomery falsely claimed they helped 85 percent of their clients get their loans modified, and that they would get loan modifications to make consumers’ homes much more affordable, according to the FTC complaint. They also allegedly violated state laws against charging advance fees for foreclosure consulting services. The court immediately barred the practices and froze the defendants’ assets.(1)

• The FTC has added as defendants H.E. Servicing, Inc., Brandon L. Moreno, and his law firm, Cresidis Legal, and charged all of the defendants with two more law violations: falsely claiming a lawyer would negotiate the terms of consumers’ home loans, and falsely promising refunds if they failed. The settlement order resolves the case against the original defendants and H.E. Servicing. The case continues against Brandon L. Moreno and Cresidis Legal, a professional corporation.

For the FTC press release, see Defendants Banned from Mortgage Foreclosure 'Rescue' Business (Surrendered Cash, Jewelry, and Vehicles for Consumer Refunds).

For earlier post on this story, see Report: Loan Modification Firm Used Craigslist To Round Up "Lawyer Renting" Prospects; "Rents" Ranged Between $125-$300 Per File.

For links to available court documents, see FTC, et al. v. U.S. Foreclsoure Relief Corp., et al.

Go here for other posts on "lawyer renting" loan modification rackets (ie. a loan modification outfit that uses an attorney or law firm as a "front" for its activities where the attorney does little or no work, and has little or no contact with the financially distressed client desiring a loan modification, typically used to avoid prohibitions under law against clipping homeowners for upfront fees).

(1) According to the press release, the order imposes a $8.6 million judgment against George Escalante and his two companies, U.S. Foreclosure Relief and H.E. Servicing. The judgment will be suspended except for $980,000 in cash, jewelry, and vehicles that Escalante and his companies have surrendered to lenders or the court-appointed receiver. The order also imposes $3.3 million and $3.4 million judgments against Cesar Lopez and Adrian Pomery, respectively, which will be suspended due to their inability to pay. The full amount will become due immediately if they are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.

For information about refunds to victims, please visit the court-appointed receiver’s Web site, http://www.heservicingreceiver.com.