Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Another Indiana County Agrees To Contingency Fee Deal With Outfit To Ferret Out Tax Cheats Filing Fraudulent Homestead Claims
In Lafayette, Indiana, the Journal and Courier reports:
Homeowners are entitled to homestead credits on one property — their primary residence. But some property owners don’t always follow the law, so Tippecanoe County plans to find those who have two or more homestead credits here or in other counties in Indiana.
[T]he Tippecanoe County commissioners approved an agreement with SRI Inc. to ferret out those who have received more than one homestead credit. “We’ve done this for the last two years,” said Dawn Rivera, Tippecanoe County chief deputy auditor. “It allows the auditor’s office to bill for fraudulent claims for deductions. It allows them to bill for back taxes and a civil penalty of 10 percent.
“The cost of doing this is SRI will charge 20 percent of the civil penalties that we collect,” Rivera told commissioners. “The civil penalty is 10 percent of the taxes.”
SRI currently is working with several Indiana counties to find inconsistencies and property owners who have more than one homestead credit, either in Tippecanoe County or in Tippecanoe County and another Indiana county.
“We are working with 32 counties in this program right now,” said Glen Luedtke of SRI Inc. “Some of them have generated over $1 million.”
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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