Federal Government Civil Fraud Suit Targets Mortgage Lender and Its President

HUD Civil Fraud Actions DOJ False Claims Act / FIRREA

On April 4, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and HUD officials announced a civil fraud suit alleging FCA and FIRREA claims against a mortgage lender and its president for falsely certifying loans and other actions under the FHA’s Direct Endorsement Lender Program. Many of the allegations mirror those in prior mortgage fraud cases brought by the government, including claims that the lender failed to maintain adequate quality control processes, incentivized employees to expedite loan approval, failed to disclose to HUD all loans containing evidence of fraud or other serious underwriting problems, and made repeated false certifications to HUD. However, this is only the second time the government has brought claims based on the FHA’s annual certification process, as opposed claims based on certifications of individual loans. The complaint also alleges that the firm’s president and owner personally performed underwriting and provided false certifications to HUD in a number of instances. The government’s decision to name an individual also may evidence a new trend in its mortgage fraud enforcement practices. The government claims that to date HUD has paid more than $12 million in insurance claims on loans underwritten by the lender. The complaint does not specify total damages, but does seek more than $40 million in treble damages and penalties on the FCA claims.