mintzerlaw

Mortgage Fraud

Houston Mortgage Fraud Attorney

The collapse of the residential housing market in 2008 was due, in part, because of lending
practices engaged in by banks and mortgage lenders throughout the United States.
Mortgage default and foreclosure rates hit historic highs. As the nation’s
economic climate worsened, investigators on the state and federal levels
began to uncover a pattern of fraud that permeated the housing
industry in the years leading up to the collapse.

Today, prosecutors in Texas and on the federal level have invested considerable resources into
investigating and taking to court those suspected of committing housing fraud.
Texas legislators approved the creation of a Residential Mortgage Fraud
Task Force headed by the state attorney general to crack down
on fraudulent activities.

Real Estate Fraud in Texas

The Texas Department of Banking defines mortgage fraud as making a materially false or
misleading statement on a loan application knowing or intending to
mislead the lender.

Housing Fraud Penalties

Houston criminal lawyer Rand Mintzer knows that federal prosecutors usually seek prison sentences
for those convicted. Potential sentences can be as long as 20 years depending
on the circumstances of the offense.

Prosecutions under Texas fraud laws usually involve felony charges that can result in prison sentences,
probation and fines. State prosecutors frequently ask the judge imposing a sentence
to order that the convicted person pay restitution.

Defense Against Charges of Home Lending Fraud

Defending against one’s charges requires an accomplished criminal defense attorney like Rand Mintzer
who understands the state and federal laws and the manner in which investigators and prosecutors
build a case against the accused. Prosecutors usually rely upon documents such as appraisals,
lending applications and disclosure statements to establish the fraudulent conduct.
Frequently, defense lawyers must rely upon experts in money lending and
mortgage underwriting to attack the evidence against the accused.