By William J. Arnesen, Jacob Conway, and Matthew Plosser Since the depths of the Great Recession, household debt has increased from a low of $11 trillion in 2013 to more than $14 trillion in 2020 (see the New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report). In this post, we examine how consumers’ repayment priorities have …
Yesterday, an Ohio resident was indicted for allegedly engaging in a fraud scheme that promised to fund more than $500 million in mortgage loans to around 20 churches and a dozen small businesses across the country. The man, Jamal Lawson, fraudulently obtained more than $300,000 in advance fees that he used for personal expenses instead …
Mid-trial a mother and daughter fraudster team, along with an accomplice from Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to participating in a mortgage fraud scheme that lead to more than $1.9 million in mortgage loan losses to lenders. Mother, Patricia Smith, pleaded guilty to Counts Four and Five of the Superseding Indictment, which charged her with wire …
A United State district court has shut down two related operations who apparently failed to provide promised debt relief services and jeopardized clients’ privacy by at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s request. Apparently one firm charged consumers a $1,495 up front fee for a mortgage relief assistance program that was never given as well as …
David Findel, former CEO of Worldwide Financial Resources, a mortgage origination firm in New Jersey, was sentenced to 63 months in prison on September 27, 2011 for a connection with an $11 million fraudulent loan scheme. Previously, Findel pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with wire fraud. According to the Information to which Findel …