Thursday, February 10, 2011

Florida AG Target List In Foreclosure Mill Probe Expands To Seven

The Palm Beach Post reports:
  • The Florida attorney general's office has confirmed the names of three law firms added to its foreclosure investigation, including Kahane & Associates, which handles hundreds of home repossessions in Palm Beach County. The Plantation-based company, as well as the Tampa firms of Daniel C. Consuegra, and Albertelli Legal received letters of inquiry in December from the Economic Crimes Division of the attorney general's office.

  • All of the firms are part of mortgage giant Fannie Mae's retained attorney network in Florida. Consuegra was just added to the list in November following Fannie Mae's decision to stop using the Law Offices of David J. Stern, which is also under investigation.

  • The Dec. 2 letter to the three firms says the attorney general has opened a preliminary investigation regarding complaints the state has received of "unfair, deceptive and unconscionable practices" in how defaulted mortgages have been handled.

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  • The letters appear to be an extension of the original foreclosure investigation, which began with subpoenas sent over the summer to four large law firms including Shapiro & Fishman, which is based in Boca Raton, Stern's office, the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson in Fort Lauderdale and the Tampa-based Florida Default Law Group.

For more, see Fla. investigating 3 law firms after consumer complaints about defaulted mortgages.