DMcNulty
Tarpon Springs,#2Author of original report
Thu, September 15, 2011
Thomas E. Law, II., so it appears this guy is not an attorney, yet is trying to capitalize on his last name and give the appearance of having the ability to do what he states.was sending out direct mail solicitations to Floridians who were going through the foreclosure process. The company offered foreclosure consulting services, but charged a large up front fee for those services, never followed through on the services, and failed to return monies despite a money back guarantee.LAW AND ASSOCIATES LLC, CLEARWATER FLORIDA.
As the whole world knows, Lee County, Florida is leading the nation in foreclosures. The cities in Lee County that are experiencing the highest foreclosure rate are Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. According to the latest statistics, something like 1 in 86 homes in Lee County are in the foreclosure process, and not much is being done to fix the leak in the dam.
Of course, with every crisis, there will be scam artists who will try to make money from the less fortunate, and there will be those that try to stop the scam artists. The Florida Attorney General, Bill McCollum, recently filed a lawsuit against a business in Clearwater, Florida for the use of unfair and deceptive practices against the public. The company named Law & Associates, LLC was sending out direct mail solicitations to Floridians who were going through the foreclosure process. The company offered foreclosure consulting services, but charged a large up front fee for those services, never followed through on the services, and failed to return monies despite a money back guarantee.
This scam involves the company monitoring the public records for foreclosure filings. Once they obtain the names and addresses of the individuals being foreclosed upon, Law & Associates, LLC immediately starts a direct mail campaign aimed at getting the homeowner to pay the consulting fee. (Interestingly, a search of the Florida Bars website reveals that that there is no known member of the Florida Bar listed as Thomas E. Law, II., so it appears this guy is not an attorney, yet is trying to capitalize on his last name and give the appearance of having the ability to do what he states).
Either way, the distressed homeowner is told that they have 72 hours to contact the company and when they do contact the company, they are told that they are eligible for the program, but they have to come up with a consulting fee of $1,500 to $2,000 for the company to take their case.
If the distressed homeowners can come up with the funds, then they must sign a contract which pretty much waives the consumers rights to have their money back. To realize the impact of this strategy, you have to realize the vulnerability of the distressed homeowners. These are good people who are desperate to save their homes, and they have probably been around the block several times with their lenders trying to get the mortgage modified or had their payments sent back to them for one reason or another, and they just want some relief.
http://www.mortgagelawnetwork.com/2008/04/29/florida-attorney-general-sues-foreclosure-consulting-service/
DMcNulty
Tarpon Springs,#3Author of original report
Thu, August 11, 2011
LAW AND ASSOCIATES, LLC CLEARWATER FLORIDA
Madigan Alleges Florida Company Takes Advantage of Homeowners on the Verge of Losing their Homes to Foreclosure
Chicago Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today continued her aggressive legal
fight against mortgage fraud by filing a lawsuit against a Clearwater, Fla., company which operates a rescue fraud scheme that preys on vulnerable homeowners on the verge of foreclosure. This is the 14th lawsuit Attorney General Madigan has brought against mortgage rescue fraud companies.
Madigan filed suit in Cook County against Law & Associates LLC, and its managing member, Thomas E. Law, II, alleging the defendants violated the Mortgage Rescue Fraud
Act and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by falsely promising to help consumers save their homes after falling behind on their mortgage payments.
According to the complaint, the defendants charged consumers up to $1,900 and promised to provide mortgage foreclosure rescue services that they either failed to perform the services or only performed ineffective services. Attorney General Madigans Consumer Fraud Bureau has directly received one complaint relating to the defendant and 68 complaints referred from the Better Business Bureau.
In the midst of the mortgage foreclosure crisis, unscrupulous people are using so-called mortgage rescue scams to prey on vulnerable homeowners, Attorney General Madigan said. I am continuing to take aggressive action against these illegal schemes to send the message that their deceptive and fraudulent practices are not welcome in Illinois.
Madigans lawsuit alleges Law & Associates market mortgage rescue services to at-risk homeowners, encouraging them to call a toll-free number where they are told there is an upfront fee of $1,990 for mortgage rescue services. Consumers who indicate they cannot afford the charge are offered a reduced rate of $1,800 on a payment plan that must be paid in full prior to them receiving any mortgage rescue services. The defendants also promise desperate homeowners that the service fee is refundable if the company is not able to successfully negotiate an agreement with the homeowners mortgage lenders or provide a viable strategy to avoid foreclosure. The lawsuit
alleges the defendants fail to provide the services promised and fail to refund the service fee.
Madigans suit asks the court to prohibit the defendants from engaging in mortgage rescue practices. The suit also seeks a civil penalty of $50,000, additional penalties of $50,000 for every violation found to have been committed with the intent to defraud, and a $10,000 penalty for each violation committed against a person 65 years or older. Further, the suit asks the court to rescind the contracts signed as a result of these deceptive practices and offer full restitution to affected consumers.
Finally, Madigans suit asks the court to order the defendants to pay all costs
associated with the investigation and prosecution of the lawsuit. The lawsuit is part of Madigans ongoing work to curtail the foreclosure crisis and help Illinois families stay in their homes. Madigans office has sued 14 mortgage
rescue companies to stop deceptive practices and successfully participated in three multi-state settlements against major subprime lenders: Household Finance, Ameriquest and First Alliance Mortgage Company. To date, Madigans office has obtained nearly $900 million in enforcement actions against these lenders.
Last year, Madigan announced a comprehensive strategy to address the looming home foreclosure crisis in Illinois. As part of this effort, Madigans office hosted a statewide home ownership preservation summit in July 2007, bringing together more than 100 participants from the mortgage lending industry, consumer advocacy groups and government agencies to identify problems and look for solutions to mortgage foreclosures.
On the legislative front, Madigan worked to pass the High Risk Home Loan Act of 2003, and drafted the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act of 2006, which was designed to deter scam artists from preying on vulnerable homeowners on the verge of foreclosure. The Attorney General also initiated and drafted the Illinois Homeownership Protection Act, a new law that tightens controls on brokers and lenders to prevent consumers from being unwittingly locked into questionable loan terms.
Madigan also has sued mortgage giant Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., for deceptive and fraudulent loan origination practices. Additionally, she has issued fair lending subpoenas to Countrywide and Wells Fargo Financial Illinois, Inc., to determine whether these companies steered African American and Latino borrowers into higher cost or otherwise inappropriate home loans in violation of fair lending and civil rights laws.
Madigan urged Illinois homeowners who are facing foreclosure to immediately contact their mortgage company or a HUD-certified housing counselor for assistance. To get a referral to a certified housing counselor or to learn more about the steps to take to avoid foreclosure, homeowners can call Madigans Homeowners Referral Helpline at 1-866-544-7151 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-866-544-7151 end_of_the_skype_highlighting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Homeowners also can visit Attorney General Madigans Web site at
www.IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov, to access the Illinois Mortgage Lending Guide, a resource manual containing step-by-step instructions for those struggling to make their loan payments and a list of HUD-certified counseling agencies that offer default counseling services. Homeowners who do not have easy access to the Internet should call the Attorney Generals Referral Helpline to request a copy of the guide by mail.
Assistant Attorney General Kevin Rouse is handling the case for Madigans Consumer Fraud Bureau.