Complaint Review: Corporate Equity

 We were contacted by an individual going by the name of Brian Manley representing a Commercial Mortgage Lender or known as Corporate Equity to complete some Commercial and Apartment Building type appraisals for them. From day one I was suspicious of this person and the company just per some inconcistencies in our conversations, locations and phone #s, and this individual just seemed full of crap, honestly. Later in our dealings with this single individual we found that this person also goes by the name of "Al" confirming the other reports reviewed. This same individual contacted us at times from a 312-600-8291, which is still active, and 310-402-8030(A Beverly Hills, CA #) in which he stated their corporate office was at. We were able to retrieve 2 checks from this company in the form of certified checks, and bother were picked up at high end Commercial Office Buildings, 1 in Orland Park, and 1 in Warrenville. This person advised me, these were their other locations and these offices turned out to be just fronts where this person rented meeting rooms for client meetings at, I confirmed it at the 2nd check pick up. We are still owed about $2,000 in appraisal fees, and up until a few weeks ago were still in contact with this 1 single person, with excuse after excuse, lie after lie. After the delays of payment started, I was able to locate these other ripoff reports filed, just around the time of our dealings with this person.

The company Corporate Equity is not licensed with the State of Illinois or Secretary of State or California to be a mortgage broker, lender or anything for that matter. The aliases used are also not listed with the Illinois Department of Federal Regulation to be a loan officer, mortgage broker at all.

I have confirmed with some property owners in which I appraised their properties, that the individual working with them was going by the name of Al Hopkins, one owner confirmed that he took thousands of dollars from them in the form of a check, and has not closed a loan or returned a call in months. We went to the Naperville location, which is an office complex, looking for this individual, to find Corporate Equity listed on the front sign, but a new tenant in the noted suite. This new tenant, is 100% not the same company or individual but I got word that the person operating as Corporate Equity left with much past due rent. Currently I am working on some further findings but I did confirm the individual drives an Audi, most likely with the same plates noted, which are registered to a female under the age of 30 at a high end newer home in Plainfield, IL, in Kendall County.

I guarantee this person has taken many other appraisers for their services, and many other property owners for money. I hope we or someone finds this person and he gets what is coming to him, and hopefully someone can get some of their money back.  

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