Washington, D.C. – February 5, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) issued the following release today after unveiling his new bill, H.R. 4586 the Mortgage E-Verify Act.
“As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I am happy to introduce my bill, the Mortgage E-Verify Act, which would require, as a condition for modification of a home mortgage loan held by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), that the mortgagor be verified under the E-Verify program. My bill will potentially save millions by cutting down on fraudulent claims from illegal immigrants and protect taxpayers from subsidizing the restructuring or renegotiation mortgages of illegal immigrants.
“E-Verify is a fantastic program which I have supported making permanent for employers. Mandating its use as a condition for home mortgage loan modifications would help eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the system and bring integrity to the process. In fact, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement division (FinCEN) estimates that mortgage fraud increased 1,411 percent from 1997 to 2005. Furthermore, two-thirds of fraud reports in the last decade are due to falsified statements on loan documents. My bill would curb these abuses and protect the taxpayers.”
There was a major case in Nevada where a mortgage company branch manager conspired to manufacture and submit false employment and income documentation for borrowers, most of whom were illegal immigrants. Fifty-eight of the 233 fraudulent FHA loans totaling $6.2 million have, not surprisingly, gone into default, costing HUD nearly $2 million. The branch manager was found guilty on 32 counts of submitting false information to HUD, and one count of conspiracy.
