Real Estate & Property Law

Judge Dismisses Mortgage Foreclosure Over ‘Fraudulently Backdated’ Doc

A Florida judge has dismissed a mortgage foreclosure case filed by a national bank, finding not only that the bank couldn’t prove it owned the mortgage at the time that it filed the complaint but “fraudulently backdated, in a purposeful, intentional effort to mislead” a purported 2007 “assignment of mortgage,”…

Apr 19, 2010 6:23 PM CDT

Growing Perkins Coie Is Latest Firm to Open a New Office in Texas

A growing Seattle-based international law firm has expanded its footprint to Texas with the announcement today that it is opening a new office in Dallas. Perkins Coie is bringing in former Greenberg Traurig partner Steven Smith, who specializes in real estate workouts and lending matters, to be the partner in…

Apr 19, 2010 5:29 PM CDT

Ousted Lindquist Partner Accused of Stealing $1M from Firm & Clients

Ousted last month from Linquist & Vennum, a prominent real estate partner has been accused of stealing at least $1 million from the 200-attorney Minneapolis-based law firm and its clients between 2003 and 2010. The accusations against 56-year-old Michael Margulies are made in a disciplinary petition filed on Thursday with…

Apr 13, 2010 8:08 PM CDT

Report: FDIC and OTS Sat Back as WaMu ‘Mortgage Time Bomb’ Ticked

Federal bank regulators took a lackadaisical approach as signposts loomed pointing toward Washington Mutual’s record-breaking 2008 collapse, allowing executives to continue on a course of risky subprime lending that one WaMu executive characterized as “a mortgage time bomb,” according to information released today by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on…

Apr 12, 2010 10:59 PM CDT

Wells Fargo Settles With NAACP, But 2 Cities File New Fair Lending Suits

Wells Fargo has just settled a fair housing lawsuit brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. But the bank’s court battle over its alleged discriminatory lending practices isn’t over yet. Two cities filed amended federal fair housing complaints against Wells Fargo this week, in which they…

Apr 8, 2010 11:22 PM CDT

3 Lawyers Among 10 Charged in Alleged $10M Mortgage Fraud

Three lawyers are among 10 individuals federally charged with conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud in an alleged $10 million New York City mortgage loan scam involving straw buyers and fraudulent documents. Akin Ayorinde, a Brooklyn lawyer, and attorneys Anthony Onua and Umana Oton are accused of working with real…

Apr 6, 2010 10:24 PM CDT

ABA Says Proposed FTC Rule on Mortgage Relief Over-Regulates Attorneys

Already in the forefront of efforts to quash a so-called Red Flags Rule promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission concerning identity theft issues, the American Bar Association is now raising the alarm about another proposed FTC rule that would impact practicing lawyers. The “Mortgage Assistance Relief Services” rule again so…

Mar 30, 2010 11:21 PM CDT

Man Sues Neighbor Over Bad Vibes, Says She Must Turn Off Electronics

A man who says he suffers from “electromagnetic sensitivities” has sued a neighbor and now former friend in New Mexico state court, seeking $530,000 in damages and a court order requiring her to turn off her wireless electronic devices. The plaintiff homeowner, Arthur Firstenberg, 59, says he asked defendant Raphaela…

Mar 30, 2010 6:47 PM CDT

Trailblazing Lawyer, 91, Feels Pain of Her Pro Bono Foreclosure Clients

At the age of 91, New York’s former solicitor general is going back to her legal roots to volunteer on behalf of clients facing foreclosure. Shirley Adelson Siegel was the only woman in her class at Yale Law School, and she still stands out, the New York Times reports. “At…

Mar 30, 2010 12:40 PM CDT

New Utah Law OKs State Seizure of Federal Lands; Aim Is Supreme Court Showdown

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed two bills into law authorizing the state to seize federal lands using its powers of eminent domain. The goal, supporters say, is to win a U.S. Supreme Court showdown, the Associated Press reports. More than 60 percent of Utah land is owned by the…

Mar 29, 2010 3:51 PM CDT

Discipline Urged for Faegre Partner Over Minnesota Twins Stadium Deal Conflict

Discipline has been recommended for a Faegre & Benson real estate partner over his work on a Minnesota Twins stadium deal. Mark Savin represented a then-owner of the land on which the stadium now sits at the same time that other lawyers at his firm represented Hennepin County in an…

Mar 26, 2010 4:36 PM CDT

Lawyer Jailed in Lieu of $7.5M Bail in Alleged Real Estate Fraud

A California lawyer is in jail in lieu of $7.5 million bail, accused of participating in a fraudulent property transfer scheme that allegedly reaped $2.2 million in loans and involved the filing of falsified real estate documents. Investigators in the San Francisco County case also contend that San Jose attorney…

Mar 24, 2010 9:22 PM CDT

2 Attorneys Among 40 Defendants in $20M Texas Mortgage Fraud Case

Updated: Add at least two more lawyers to the ever-lengthening list of real estate attorneys criminally charged over their alleged participation in mortgage fraud schemes. Among 40 defendants charged by a federal grand jury indictment (PDF) announced this week in a Texas case are Daniel Ayers and Anthony Flores, reports…

Mar 17, 2010 5:24 PM CDT

Closing Attorney Gets Time in $2.4M Case, But Lawyer in $669K ‘Hedonistic’ Theft Avoids Prison

A former Georgia closing attorney and title agent who concealed the fact that prior encumbrances weren’t paid off before mortgages were issued in 17 transactions has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Trent Edward Wright, 38, must also serve three years of probation after he is released and…

Mar 15, 2010 6:11 PM CDT

Bedbug-Sniffing Dogs May Be a Real Estate Lawyer’s Best Friend

Inspections are routine before a new home purchase, but there’s a new insect in the ointment: bedbugs. Enter Cruiser, a bedbug-sniffing dog who can detect the little critters in just minutes. Real estate lawyers are increasingly recommending buyers inspect properties for bedbugs before they close, the New York Times reports.…

Mar 12, 2010 11:30 AM CST