Operation Stealing Home: going after mortgage fraud, targeting those facing foreclosure or other financial woes

Attorney General Jay Nixon is taking legal action to stop those who are preying on Missouri homeowners left vulnerable to mortgage fraud because they are facing foreclosure or other financial difficulties.
Nixon has launched Operation Stealing Home by filing seven lawsuits in Buchanan, Greene, Henry, Jackson, St. Louis, and St. Charles counties. The suits are aimed at individuals and businesses Nixon said had defrauded consumers through refinancing, advance fee and foreclosure consulting scams. In several of the cases, the consumers lost their homes and ended up much worse financially than they were before. Victims of the scams live throughout Missouri and several other states.
“As more and more families are threatened with foreclosure on their homes during these tough economic times, unscrupulous people will try to take advantage of them under the guise of help,” Nixon said. “With these lawsuits, we are working to stop the empty promises made to and the exploitation of homeowners who already are in dire straits.”
Nixon said the lawsuits send a strong message that his office will not tolerate mortgage fraud in Missouri. The Attorney General’s actions were supported by. . .
Read the complete story in the August 14, 2008 print edition. Get your copy today!