In the past few years, lawsuits and media coverage have brought to light the less-than-stellar practices of many mortgage lenders and servicers in the past decade. Mortgage servicers have cut corners in foreclosure procedures and made grievous errors in calculating defaults and managing homeowners' accounts. Some of the more egregious practices -- like using "robosigners" to sign off on foreclosures -- were covered by national media. Others, like miscalculating amounts due, were widespread but didn't make a big splash in the newspapers.
Below you can learn more about the most common mortgage industry abuses, as well as some of the national efforts to remedy past abuses and prevent future ones.
Abuses by the Mortgage Servicing Industry
Learn about common abuses and errors made by the mortgage industry, and national efforts to prevent them.
Common Mortgage Servicer Violations in Loan Modifications
Mortgage servicing companies sometimes make serious errors when processing loan modification requests.
Deceptive Foreclosure Practices: When Banks Treat Occupied Homes as Vacant
Banks have been locking homeowners in foreclosure out of their homes without the legal right to do so. Learn how to prevent this.
Federal Laws That Protect Homeowners During Foreclosure
New federal rules will better protect homeowners when getting new mortgages, dealing with existing mortgages, or facing foreclosure.