Mortgage fraud

Two Amherst, N.Y., couples, the Eisens and the Schiffs, were friends for more than 25 years.

A civic-minded judge whose inspiring rags-to-riches story helped her become the first Filipina elected to the Cook County, Ill., bench was indicted Wednesday on mortgage fraud charges.

Loan defects are inching upward in a market where higher rates could lead to more fraud risk.

A federal jury has convicted two businessmen on multiple bank fraud charges related to falsifying loan documents to postpone foreclosure on a parcel of land in Aurora, Ill., worth nearly $2 million.

A $165 million cash settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit that alleged investors were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities comprised of loans originated by now-defunct subprime lender NovaStar Mortgage Inc.

In a setback for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, an appeals court reversed a ruling against a Broward County mortgage company accused of defrauding hundreds of homeowners at the height of the housing crisis.

Most real estate closings are routine for Tom Hundman, a managing attorney with the Frontier Title Co. of Bloomington, Ill., so when something doesn't appear right, he knows to check into it.

A Long Island, N.Y., man was sentenced to prison time and ordered to pay $2.5 million after pleading guilty in June to ripping off distressed homeowners, said Christy Romero, the Tarp special inspector general.

Florida's leading real estate industry group cautioned members against replying to a "Final Notice" bill from the Florida Board of Realtors.