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SACRAMENTO, CA - May 17, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today testified in support of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, a package of legislation designed to protect homeowners from unfair practices by banks and mortgage companies and to help families and communities cope with the state's urgent mortgage and foreclosure crisis.

May 16, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- California's dire budget situation claimed a new casualty in the governor's May Revise yesterday: $410 million in bank penalty funds from the National Mortgage Settlement intended to assist California homeowners. The governor instead proposed to use the funds to reduce the state's deficit rather than to help borrowers access settlement programs.

SACRAMENTO, CA - April 18, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced seven bills in the California Homeowner Bill of Rights to protect homeowners from unfair practices by banks and mortgage companies passed out of Legislative committees.

SACRAMENTO, CA - March 30, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Kesha Danine Fortune Haynie, 41, of Chico, was convicted today of two counts of mail fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a six-day trial before United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today, as part of National Consumer Protection Week, warned California homeowners to beware of phone solicitations from scam artists claiming to provide assistance related to the recent national mortgage settlement

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - February 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Mortgage Network, Inc. (REMN), one of the largest, privately held non-bank lenders in the US, is pleased to announce the opening of a new retail location in Pleasanton, CA. This new REMN location will be staffed by a team of veteran mortgage professionals dedicated to providing local home buyers, home owners and real estate professionals with the customer service driven, quality experience REMN has become known for nationwide.

February 22, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced the unsealing of an indictment today charging a local real estate agent, Eric Elegado, and eight other mortgage industry professionals—Charmagne Elegado, Theodore Cohen, Minh Nguyen, Regidor Pacal, Alexander V. Garcia, Roman Macabulos, Ramin Lotfi, and Roderick Huerto, with multiple counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and criminal forfeiture. According to court proceedings, these defendants engaged in a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable, low-income immigrants in San Diego. All of the defendants were arraigned today in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge William McCurine, Jr.<

SAN DIEGO, CA - February 15, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Three individuals charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud for their roles in operating a fraudulent mortgage loan modification business pled guilty today in federal court in San Diego, announced United States Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura E. Duffy. According to the plea agreements, Ziad Nabil Mohammed Al Saffar and Sara Beth Bushore Rosengrant admitted that they operated the fraudulent loan audit and modification business, located in San Diego, California, under the names “Compliance Audit Solutions, Inc.” (“CAS”) and CAS Group, Inc., (“CAS Group”). Daniel Al Saffar admitted that he worked as a sales representative in connection with the operation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - February 10, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced an historic commitment to California of up to $18 billion that will benefit hundreds of thousands of homeowners in the state hardest hit by the mortgage crisis.

Washington, DC - February 8, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Vice-Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) today praised the Senate’s passage of their amendment to the STOCK Act that would increase transparency and strengthen disclosure requirements by requiring members of Congress to disclose all their mortgages. The new requirements would also apply to the President, the Vice President and most Senate-confirmable appointees.

SACRAMENTO, CA - January 30, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging two defendants with mail fraud and money laundering in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in losses of at least $180,000 to lenders. Charged are Andrey Kim, 28, of Sacramento; and Sultanmurod Rashidov, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y. Kim was indicted for another mortgage fraud scam last month. He is scheduled to appear on the new charges on January 31, 2012, before Magistrate Judge Carolyn K. Delaney. Rashidov is believed to be out of the country.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - January 19, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Raymond Foakes, 48, of Rohnert Park, California, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,085,000 in restitution for his role in a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, United States Attorney MELINDA HAAG announced.

Washington, DC - January 12, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representatives Mike Thompson (CA-1), Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) and Anna Eshoo (CA-14) led a group of 25 California Members of Congress in calling on President Barack Obama to address the housing crisis and appoint a Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The FHFA, which oversees mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been without a permanent director for two and a half years.

LOS ANGELES, CA - December 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) is distributing a public service announcement (PSA) to television and radio stations across California to warn consumers that they are at risk from scammers who offer phony mortgage modification schemes to troubled borrowers. The PSA is designed to allow media outlets to use their recognized talent to alert consumers and will run throughout the holiday season, a time of year that is traditionally high in consumer scam attempts. (The 30-second script is attached.)

LOS ANGELES, CA - December 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorneys General Kamala D. Harris of California and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada today announced that their states have entered into a joint investigation alliance designed to assist homeowners who have been harmed by misconduct and fraud in the mortgage industry.

December 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- WHAT: Attorneys General Kamala D. Harris of California and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada will make a joint mortgage-related announcement.

SACRAMENTO, CA - December 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrests of three top officers of a Stockton real estate company who took thousands of dollars in up-front loan modification fees and made false promises to lower the mortgage payments of struggling Central Valley homeowners.

Washington, DC - November 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Waters (CA), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises,...

IRVINE, CA - November 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Faris Lee Investments, the nation’s largest retail-specialized investment advisory firm, has announced the $9.7 million sale of Baldwin Park Towne Center. Built in 1987, the 24,605-square-foot, multi-tenant retail property located at 14510 Baldwin Park Towne Center includes GameStop, Verizon, AT&T, Adriana’s Insurance and Tortas Sinaloa Restaurant as tenants. The property also benefits from the fact that it is co-occupied by such national tenants as Home Depot, McDonald’s, Denny’s, and a Marriott Courtyard Hotel.

SACRAMENTO, CA - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Glenn Watkins, 31; Kevin Watkins, 26; and Frederick Davis, 41, all of Elk Grove, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud for a mortgage fraud scheme.