Mortgage loan fraud can be divided into two broad categories: Fraud for property and fraud for profit. Fraud for property is generally undertaken by borrowers against lenders, while fraud for profit is typically undertaken by lenders against borrowers. The collapse of America's housing market and the subsequent "pulling back of the veil" behind dubious lending practices clearly showed that the lender-style of fraud, fraud for profit, is well-ahead of the borrower-style in frequency and complexity.

Fraud for property generally involves the deliberate misrepresentation or omission of information with the intent to deceive or mislead a lender into extending credit that would likely not be offered if the true facts were known. Although this has generally been used as a label for home buyers attempting to purchase homes for their personal use, the rise of sub-prime mortgage brokers and other financial intermediaries has greatly expanded this type of fraud; to the detriment of both buyers and lenders.

Fraud for profit is often committed with the complicity of industry insiders such as mortgage brokers, real estate agents, property appraisers, and settlement agents (attorneys and title examiners). A comprehensive, detailed list of fictitious activities undertaken by these actors can be located in our glossary of terms.

If you suspect fraudulent activity on the part of a lender, or any other financial intermediary, blow the whistle now! Go to the Making Home Affordable government website, maintained by the White House, the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. The federal governments Department of Housing and Urban Development. And always, always always, be on the look-out for the following scams:

1. Beware of anyone who asks you to pay a fee in exchange for a counseling service or modification of a delinquent loan.
2. Scam artists or con artists often spot homeowners who are endeavoring to meet their mortgage commitment or anxious to sell their homes. It is imperative that every homeowner educate themselves and learn to recognize and be careful to avoid scams.
3. Beware of people who pressure you to sign papers immediately, or who try to convince you that they can “save” your home if you sign or transfer over the deed to your house.
4. Do not sign over the deed to your property to any entity or individual unless you are working straight with your mortgage company to forgive your debt.
5. Never make a mortgage payment to anyone other than your mortgage company without their approval.

Links:

3rd paragraph: glossary of terms –> /resources_glossary.php

4th paragraph: Making Home Affordable government website –> http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/beware.html

According to information provided by Freddie Mac, current mortgage rates are not following the forecasts by industry experts that called for higher rates in 2010.

15 year fixed mortgage rates are in the 4.25% range, their lowest rates since April of 1991. 30 year fixed mortgage rates have been averaging around 4.8%, still at the one of its lowest points historically. One year adjustable mortgage rates have dropped to their lowest point this year. 5 year adjustable loan rates have also remained steady.

Current interest rates are holding at historic levels still. In fact, rates on 15 year fixed-rate mortgages recently set another record low rates. Mortgage credit conditions are also improving. Homeowners who were up to date on their mortgage payments outnumbered borrowers who were defaulting on home loans.

Economists had expected mortgage interest rates to rise in 2010, beginning with the Federal Reserve’s completion of $1.25 trillion mortgage-backed security purchase program. However, since then mortgage interest rates continue to remain low. Between the months of March and May, 30 year fixed mortgage rates have gone down a full 0.2% and 15 year fixed mortgage rates have gone down 0.14%.

Why are Mortgage Rates Still Low?

Some mortgage industry professionals are concerned that these rate drops may not necessarily be a good sign for our economy. They think that mortgage rates are not increasing because the European economic crisis is pushing investors to more reliable U.S. mortgage investments, which can keep rates low.

It's worth noting that mortgage rate declines in the past have proven fleeting, with rates moving higher after potentially permanent economic solutions have been identified.

While these low rates are good news for buying or refinancing a home, it’s also worth noting that not all borrowers will have equal opportunity to lock-in these low rates. In order to get the lowest mortgage rates available, borrowers typically will need a credit score of at least 720 and a good down payment to buy a home, or sufficient home equity to refinance.

Written by R. Smith: Mortgage Refinancing, Mortgage Quote, New Homes San Diego

With the recent economic crisis, one of the hardest hit industries is the real estate business. This was proven to be true in the past years when economic recession affects everyone worldwide.

Since many investors and home buyers back off in buying properties, in order for the real estate industry to survive they have to find ways to attract potential clients to purchase homes they were offering. Today, the most accessible way to advertise and market any kind of business is to use the power of the internet to reach out to your potential clients. The internet has been a big helped to home buyers in their search for their dream home.

In the eyes of your clients you have to project yourself as "the expert" given the fact that you are a real estate professional. Selling not only your company but yourself as well is a great way to catch the attention and to earn the trust of your every client. It is not a matter of being "the best" in order for you to be successful but it is a matter of how you present yourself to clients.

Being a real estate professional or agent, you are already an expert in your field.Let the world know how proficient you are in your field. How are you going to do that? Just give useful and valuable information to your target audience. Most likely, people surf the internet to find solutions to their problems. Now your goal here is provide something to your prospects that will help solve their problems.

The simplest, and potentially most beneficial thing to do is create a quality website that provides information potential clients want. By using search engine optimization tools and techniques, you can make your website more visible to web searchers. Online home searchers will usually type key search terms like, Homes for Sale Baltimore Maryland, Redmond Washington Real Estate, or Charlottesville VA Real Estate. One of the primary focus's of the creation of your website should be on creating content that will have keywords internet searchers will use.  Writing relevant and informative articles to your target market is an effective way of doing this. Provided you have optimized your articles with keywords that people are using so to find your information.Marketing your real estate business has never been this easier and home buyers are now hassle-free in searching for their perfect home.