Charlotte-area homebuyers say Beazer offered money for high marks
Some Charlotte-area home buyers say builder Beazer Homes USA offered them money to give the company high marks in a survey, which could have resulted in bonuses for company executives. Andre Gray told The Charlotte Observer he received two letters in the mail from Beazer after buying a home in north Charlotte in 2001. One letter was a customer satisfaction survey about the builder, while the other offered him $100 to give Beazer high marks.

Beazer hit with suit seeking class action
The suit names as defendants certain company officers and directors, alleging that between July 27, 2006 and March 27, 2007, the defendants "issued false and misleading statements" about the company's business and prospects and failed to disclose to the investing public several "adverse facts." First, the suit alleges Atlanta-based Beazer (NYSE: BZH) did not have required internal controls over its lending practices and that because of alleged improper lending practices prior to and during the class period, it lead to foreclosures and other problems.

Beazer probe spotlights builder financing
While federal agencies scrutinize the lending practices of Atlanta-based Beazer Homes, other national home builders continue to promote financing incentives through the affiliated lending programs they have offered for decades. Critics say relaxed lending standards and a go-go housing market have created a system ripe for abuse. People in the industry defend builder mortgage services as convenient and safe for consumers.

FBI Investigating Charlotte Home Builder; Company Denies Wrongdoing
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a Charlotte home builder. Agents are checking out the business practices of Beazer Homes, including the arrangement of mortgage loans for buyers in its subdivisions... In just the past five years, foreclosures have climbed 62 percent in Mecklenburg County, and those foreclosures are frustrating residents.