""Indiana Attorney General"":http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral Greg Zoeller filed lawsuits in Boone, Clark, Delaware, Grant, and Marion counties last week against five foreclosure consultant companies. The lawsuits filed cite violations of three state laws including the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, Credit Services Organizations Act, and the Mortgage Rescue Protection Fraud Act.
Zoeller said, ""We recognize there is a foreclosure crisis in the country. Indiana has the tools in place that can help consumers avoid becoming victims of for-profit foreclosure consultants’ bad intentions. Free mortgage counseling resources are available to Hoosiers that should be explored before paying a foreclosure consultant.""
The attorney general's Homeowner Protection Unit (HPU) investigates and pursues violations of Indiana’s laws governing the activities of foreclosure consultants, as well as licensed real estate appraisers, real estate brokers, and other matters of mortgage fraud.
Four of the five lawsuits filed are a result of the attorney general’s office proactive investigations. The companies named in the suits include Foreclosure Assistance, LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona; ""Homeownership Preservation Group, LLC"":http://homeownershippreservationgroup.com/ (also known as Stop Foreclosure Save My Home) in Melbourne, Florida; ""You Walk Away, LLC"":http://www.youwalkaway.com in Carlsbad, California; and ""American Mitigation Group, Inc."":http://www.amgloanmodification.com of Del Mar, California.
The fifth lawsuit filed against ""Foreclosure Relief Agency, LLC"":http://foreclosurereliefagency.com, located in Monarch Beach, California, was initiated by an investigation of a consumer complaint.
In addition to foreclosure consultant companies, the Indiana attorney general’s office said it has identified reverse mortgage offers as a growing area for scams and recommends consumers be aware of the potential threat.