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.
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
Ohio AG: Out-Of-State Attorney w/out Ohio Law License Ripped Off Homeowners By Peddling Legal Services Promising Loan Modification Assistance, Then Failing To Deliver Services Or Requested Refunds
From the Office of the Ohio Attorney General:
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine [] announced a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania attorney accused of taking thousands of dollars from Ohio consumers while falsely promising to help save their homes.
The lawsuit accuses Pittsburgh-based Michael A. Rabel & Associates LLC and Michael A. Rabel, individually, of violating Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and Debt Adjuster’s Act by failing to deliver promised loan modification services, making misrepresentations, and charging excessive fees.
“Consumers assumed they were working with a law firm that was going to help them,” Attorney General DeWine said. “Instead we found the opposite to be true.”
According to the lawsuit, Rabel contacted Ohio consumers to offer loan modification services, claiming he could help consumers avoid foreclosure. He said he would provide “legal services” and charged “attorney fees” even though he was never licensed to practice law in Ohio and none of his employees were Ohio-licensed attorneys.
Consumers paid upfront fees ranging from about $1,000 to $3,000 but did not receive loan modifications and did not receive refunds. Three Ohio consumers filed complaints against Rabel reporting total losses of $6,500. Additional consumers may be affected.
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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