Mortgage fraud

Lenders need to be aware of a possible investor backlash as critical defects found in closed loans increased in frequency as the shift continued to a purchase market.

A former associate of Cook County Judge Jessica Arong O'Brien pleaded guilty Friday to her role in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme and is expected to testify at O'Brien's criminal trial next month.

The Denver judge, who last spring ruled that former foreclosure king Larry Castle and his law firm did not violate state laws designed to protect consumers against fraudulent charges, was biased and made several missteps during the three-week bench trial leading up to his decision, the Colorado attorney general's office asserts in its appeal of the verdict.

After surging earlier in the year, the number of mortgage loan application defects remained flat in November, a positive sign when it comes to fraud incidents going forward.

A breach at Alteryx that exposed sensitive information from more than 100 million U.S. households could add to fraud risks in housing finance

A Stratford, Conn., man faces up to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud, according to the Department of Justice.

Stephanie W. Cowart, former executive director of the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, admitted to working with her son and daughter-in-law to steal $17,580 from the authority and the state.

While the nationwide run-up in mortgage loan application defects appears to have slowed, instances of fraud remain on the rise in Texas and Florida.

A 10-year-old fraud case against two San Luis Obispo County, Calif., lenders has ended in a hung jury.

A Kiryas Joel, N.Y., man was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $1.2 million to federal authorities for his role in a mortgage-fraud operation in which prosecutors had charged 15 people in all.