New York-based ""Lend America"":http://www.lendamerica.com and its senior-level strategist and VP, Michael Ashley, have been permanently banned from doing business for the ""Federal Housing Administration"":http://www.fha.gov (FHA), according to recently released court documents.
[IMAGE]Lend America was known for its FHA lending, but last October, the company was ""slapped with a federal lawsuit"":http://dsnews.comarticles/lend-america-faces-federal-lawsuit-fha-suspension-2009-10-20 alleging it falsely certified that borrowers who received over $14 million in loans met FHA's lending requirements.
[COLUMN_BREAK]In early December, Lend America officially lost its FHA approval and was defaulted by Ginnie Mae, forcing the company to ""close its doors"":http://dsnews.comarticles/lend-america-ceases-operations-2009-12-02.
As _Reuters_ explained it, Ashley helped build Lend America into one of the most prolific producers of FHA loans, buoying the company's growth even as the financial crisis set in, freezing credit for many borrowers who turned to the federal mortgage insurer as their last hope to refinance costly loans.
While Ashley has not admitted any wrongdoing or involvement in Lend America's questionable practices, in a federal court ruling last week he was barred from ever originating, marketing, or submitting claims for FHA mortgages. The judgment also prohibits Ashley from being employed in any capacity, even as a consultant, for any company that has connections to the FHA.
A U.S. federal attorney last October accused Ashley of violating an earlier industry ban, stemming from a 1993 complaint the he conspired to commit wire fraud related to other cases of mortgage fraud. Ashley pled guilty to those charges.