“I suspect that we are coming to the end of the housing downturn, as applications for new mortgages, the most important series, have flattened out. I think that the worse of this may well be over.” - Alan Greenspan, October 1, 2006

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Many arrested on mortgage-fraud charges in Chicago

(AP) — A lawyer, a tax-preparer and the owner of a mortgage brokerage are among more than a dozen people rounded up in what federal officials describe as a major crackdown on mortgage fraud in the Chicago area.

Nine indictments were unsealed Wednesday while federal agents fanned out across the Chicago area to arrest those charged.

They're accused of swindling lenders out of thousands of dollars by obtaining mortgages under false pretenses, often through the use of bogus documents.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent Robert Grant have scheduled a news conference to provide details about the indictments later in the day.

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