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.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Mo. AG Suit Claims Loan Mod Operator Illegally Clipped Homeowners w/ Upfront Fees, Failed To Provide Services, Give Refunds, Mandated Notifications
From the Office of the Missouri Attorney General:
Attorney General Chris Koster filed a lawsuit today against William James Ray, III, a Florida resident offering mortgage loan modification services to Missouri consumers through his inactive Florida company, Ameristar Foreclosure Solutions, LLC.
The lawsuit alleges that Ray and Ameristar Foreclosure Solutions engaged in the following illegal activities in the state of Missouri:
a) Receiving advance payment for loan modification services; b) Failing to provide loan modification services paid for by consumers through those advance fees; c) Failing to refund consumers for loan modification services not provided; d) Failing to include legally required notifications of homeowners’ rights in contracts between defendants and those homeowners.
***
Koster is asking those who have contracted with William James Ray, III, or Ameristar Foreclosure Solutions, LLC, for loan modification services and failed to receive the promised services to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 or to file a complaint online at ago.mo.gov.
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)
<< Home