Defense for Mortgage Fraud Charges in St. Louis
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Mortgage fraud schemes employ some type of material misstatement, misrepresentation, or omission relating to a real estate transaction which is relied on by one or more parties to the transaction." If you are facing mortgage fraud accusations, secure tough defense. Call a St. Louis fraud defense attorney at The Hammer Law Firm, LLC by calling (314) 334-3807 for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Types of Mortgage Fraud Schemes
The FBI recognizes nine major forms of mortgage fraud schemes, including:
- False rescue schemes: These programs claim to be able to help people save their homes and avoid foreclosure.
- Loan modification fraud: Loan modification is one way for homeowners to avoid foreclosure. However, some loan mod programs are fraudulent.
- "Flipping" properties: Property flipping is purchasing a home for the purpose of upgrading it and selling it for a profit, but there are ways this can be done illegally.
- Builder bailouts: According to Freddie Mac, this is "Creatively disguis[ing] a fraudulent home sale as a legitimate transaction, colluding with real estate appraisers, mortgage loan brokers, and settlement agents in the perpetration of this type of fraud."
- Equity skimming/stripping: This type of scheme is widely considered a type of predatory lending. This usually occurs when a homeowner has been notified of foreclosure, and then an investor buys the home to lease to the previous owner.
- Silent second: This type of scheme involves taking out a second mortgage. It has called "silent" because the lender of the first mortgage does not know about the second.
- Home equity conversion mortgage: This type of mortgage can be legitimate if it complies with § 4235.1 of the U.S.C.
- Fraudulent commercial loans: One prevalent form of fraud is commercial real estate financing fraud.
- Air loans: Put simply, this type of fraud takes place when a mortgage broker enters into an agreement with a borrower in attempts to defraud them.
Contacting The Hammer Law Firm, LLC
The Hammer Law Firm, LLC handles all types of mortgage and real estate fraud related offenses. If you have been accused, arrested, or charged with mortgage fraud, contact our firm today. We have more than 30 years of collective experience and have handled over 100 jury trials.
For aggressive defense you can count on, call us today at (314) 334-3807.