Angry resident paints giant lemons on her condo's windows in protest
ABC13 Eyewitness News
(6/15/05 - HOUSTON) — A homeowner has found an unusual way to speak out against her homebuilder...Heather Michelson headed to court over large yellow lemons painted on the window of her quarter million dollar Montrose condo. It was art -- and a statement. "The only voice I had," she said. "I put lemons up and I moved out." ... "I had bloody noses at night, nauseous, dementia," recalled Michelson. "I was fatigued. I'd sleep for 18 hours a day." The symptoms, she says, disappeared when she moved out... Janet Ahmad with Homeowners for Better Building explained, "Anyone can be a builder in Texas. But only in Texas are the home builders unregulated and the buyer is regulated."

Report Mortgage Fraud: WWW.NAMB.org
FINANCIAL CRIMES REPORT TO THE PUBLIC
                               
                    MORTGAGE FRAUD - MAY 2005
The increased reliance by both financial institutions and non-financial institution lenders on third-party brokers has created opportunities for organized fraud groups, particularly where mortgage industry professionals are involved.

Audit slams housing agency
A report finds potential fraud, other problems widespread in city department
For more than a decade, Houston's Housing and Community Development Department chose projects based on its directors' whims, allowed for massive defaults on loans and created opportunities for conflicts of interest and fraud, an independent review of the department concludes.

 The Associated Press
Appraiser sentenced in real-estate fraud
SPOKANE — A real-estate appraiser has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and must repay $287,796 to his victims of real-estate fraud... Hansen, who operated his own appraisal business, inflated appraisals on homes purchased by vulnerable buyers, U.S. Attorney James McDevitt said.

Tougher mortgage fraud penalties eyed
Mortgage fraud is on the rise, and the Texas Legislature may take a giant step to squash it. Instead of penalizing mortgage fraud perpetrators under general fraud laws, a pending bill would establish specific punishments for mortgage fraud, including imprisonment for up to 20 years and fines of up to $10,000 for knowingly making false statements...Early mortgage defaults, a sign of fraud, are problems in large Texas cities. Houston ranked as the third-worst city for loans originated between 2002 and '05. Dallas-Fort Worth ranked sixth. San Antonio tied for No. 11 with Columbus, Ohio, making these cities "potential fraud hot spots," according to the institute.