By Mike Colpitts In an unprecedented move, the agency charged with overseeing the nation’s giant mortgage lenders is taking steps to halt mortgage fraud by the lenders it deals with. The action, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is the first of its kind since the financial crisis threw the U.S. economy into chaos. The… Continue reading US Government Moves to Prevent Mortgage Fraud
Category: News
New Home Sales Jump
By Mike Colpitts Single family new homes sales rose 7.6% in May to a seasonally adjusted rate of 369,000 units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The data reflects the first jump in actual new home sales in three months after disappointing spring home sales soured home builders. The Northeast and South posted a solid… Continue reading New Home Sales Jump
SEC Halts $100 Million Real Estate Ponzi Scheme
By Ryan Jackson The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a Utah man with operating a real estate Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of $100 million throughout the U.S. and shut down the private hard money lending company. Wayne L. Palmer, 57, and his company, National Note of Utah in West Jordan have been… Continue reading SEC Halts $100 Million Real Estate Ponzi Scheme
Hostage Taker Triggers Latest Real Estate Office Violence
By Mike Colpitts A man who violently shot up a real estate office in Valparaiso, Indiana threatening to shoot employees last week before taking his own life, is only the latest hostage taker to blame real estate agents or bank employees for financial problems. A series of separate violent out-breaks across the U.S. over the… Continue reading Hostage Taker Triggers Latest Real Estate Office Violence
Former Police Officers in Group of 26 Pleading Guilty in Fraud Scheme
By Mike Colpitts Four retired Las Vegas police officers and two real estate agents are among a group of 26 people who have pled guilty to federal charges related to a major fraud scheme involving a dozen Nevada condominium complexes. Federal prosecutors say the conspiracy was bank rolled with more than $8 million funneled through… Continue reading Former Police Officers in Group of 26 Pleading Guilty in Fraud Scheme
‘Psycho Character’ Commits Home Foreclosure Scam
By Mike Colpitts Millions of homeowners are suffering through foreclosures, but this guy takes the CAKE! It’s right out of the classic Alfred Hitchcock horror movie Psycho. In a truth is stranger than fiction tail, a Brooklyn man dressed up as his dead mother and “channeled her” to commit real estate fraud in an effort… Continue reading ‘Psycho Character’ Commits Home Foreclosure Scam
Mortgage Rates Drop to Historic Lows
By Mike Colpitts In a record breaking move, mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level in U.S. history this week as rates paid for Treasury bonds pushed rates lower. The rate on a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to an average of 3.79%, four basis points below last week’s all-time record low, according to… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Drop to Historic Lows
Housing Index Shows Upward Trend
By Mike Colpitts Home prices declined an average of less than one-percent in the U.S. on a year to year basis through the end of March, according to a heavily watched housing price index indicating an upward trend for the marketplace. The CoreLogic index showed that prices were down 0.6% from one year ago, including… Continue reading Housing Index Shows Upward Trend
Pest Problems Bug Homeowners Early
By Ryan Jackson An over-whelming majority of homeowners are experiencing pest problems as a result of warmer weather in much of the U.S., according to a new study. Nearly half had problems with ants, while other bugs, including spiders and flies were most common. The study was conducted by Home Team Pest Defense, the third… Continue reading Pest Problems Bug Homeowners Early
Home Remodeling Out Paces Purchases
By Mike Colpitts Home remodeling is out-pacing home purchases as homeowners plan on staying put longer than they have in past years, according to a new poll by the National Association of Remodeling Industry organization. An over-whelming number of respondents to the poll said they plan on staying in their current homes at least five… Continue reading Home Remodeling Out Paces Purchases