Idaho AG Is Ensuring Boise Real Estate Market Is Secure
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by: Gavin J. King
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Word Count: 435
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 Time: 11:37 AM
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With foreclosures on the Boise real estate market increasing in 20009, consumer complaints of homeowners seeking loan modifications did too. As foreclosure rates have gone through the roof, so have fraud claims against people who supposedly do loan modifications, according to him Idaho attorney generals office. Of the total number of complaints filed this year, this type comprised about 20% of them.
Many of the reports of fraud being reported are outrageous, says Lawrence Wasden, Idaho's Attorney General. Many homeowners, who are desperate to keep their homes, are charged hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars, although no attempt to change their loan is made. The Attorney Generals office rapidly sought out and received three settlements and filed two lawsuits on behalf of citizens and victims. This kind of criminal act leaves nearly all homeowners in the Boise real estate market without any avenue to keep their homes.
In order to help many Boise real estate owners receive the loan modifications they were hoping for, the Attorney Generals office even brought in a counselor as a resource. To help out, free foreclosure handbooks were printed up and handed out.
The Idaho Attorney Generals office recovered just over 7.4 million dollars on behalf of Idaho taxpayers, which amounts to just over $12 per taxpayer dollar contributed by the state, according to Wasden. The attorney general also recovered $5.9 million in civil penalties, fees and costs, also the largest amount ever recovered by the office in that category. The state received $31 million in 2009 from the tobacco master settlement agreement negotiated between the office and tobacco manufacturers in 1998. Idaho has taken in an otherwise unseen $254 million as a result over the years.
While only costing the state of Idaho $833,000 and bringing in a total of $44 million, the consumer affairs operations are a very positive force for citizens in general, but specifically for those who own Boise real estate. The department was very effective in the broad range of topics it worked in last year. It prosecuted and settled consumer protection cases with Eli Lilly & Co., other pharmaceutical manufacturers and several businesses. In topics as broad as illegal monopolies to anti-trust issues, Wasden is not one to back off or step aside. They even managed to reach an agreement involving a price fixing vitamin company.
The telemarketing industry as well, has been put on notice, with the addition of over 900,000 phone numbers to the protective 'do not call" list. To add to it all, the office will soon come out with an instructional DVD on how teens can avoid being trapped by online sexual predators.
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