Pennysylvania - Mortgage Fraud Resources

Pennsylvania is one of the states that are playing a leading role in combating mortgage fraud. In response to concern over the growth of mortgage fraud in the great Pittsburgh region, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Western Pennsylvania formed the Western Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Task Force in 2008, bringing together a variety of federal, state and local authorities to address the problem.  Many of these agencies are listed below.

Persons who wish to report possible mortgage fraud or predatory lending in the state of Pennsylvania can contact any of the resources listed below. The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General's is a good place to start and offers a toll-free consumer hotline for reporting mortgage fraud and other white-collar crimes. The office has legal and prosecuting powers, and is generally the place where other state agencies direct calls about mortgage fraud.

Below is a list of resources and contact information that may be helpful to those  who fear they have been victims of mortgage fraud.  However, it takes diligence and knowledge by consumers to learn how best to deal with the problem and potentially recover some of their loss..

These federal and state organizations comprise part of the list below that provides contact information for consumers who may have been affected by mortgage fraud or who wish to learn more about the issue.

The FBI has taken a lead in investigating mortgage fraud. Local FBI offices around the country work in conjunction with the offices of state and the U.S. attorneys general to prosecute criminals.

The Pennsylvania Department of Banking helps to set rules, investigate complaints and exercise enforcement/disciplinary authority over the businesses it oversees. The state Real Estate Commission and Appraiser Board each have numerous sources of mortgage fraud information for consumers and can direct them to appropriate contacts for specific questions on mortgage fraud.

Finally, the Better Business Bureau sets guidelines by which businesses should operate and takes steps to ensure that consumers are treated fairly.

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
www.attorneygeneral.gov/
Strawberry Square, 16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-3391

Bureau of Consumer Protection
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/consumers.aspx?id=255
Strawberry Square, 16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: (717) 787-9707
Consumer Hotline:  (800) 441-2555

Pennsylvania Department of Banking
www.banking.state.pa.us/
17 N Second Street, Suite 1300
Harrisburg, PA 17101-2290
Phone: (717) 787-1854
Toll-free: (800) PA BANKS (800-722-2657)
TDD: (800) 679-5070
Email: ra-pabanking@state.pa.us

FBI Field Offices
Philadelphia Division
http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/
600 Arch Street, 8th Floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Phone: (215) 418-4000
philadelphia.complaints@ic.fbi.gov

Pittsburgh Division
http://pittsburgh.fbi.gov/
3311 East Carson St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Phone: (412) 432-4000

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=pa&topic=offices
Philadelphia Regional Office
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3380
Phone: (215) 656-0500
TTY: (215) 656-3452
Email: PA_Webmanager@hud.gov

Pittsburgh Field Office
Heinz 57 Building
339 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2507
Phone: (412) 644-6428
TTY: (412) 644-5747
Email: PA_Webmanager@hud.gov

National Credit Union Administration
Region II - Capital
www.ncua.gov/AboutNcua/org/Region2.htm
1775 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3437
Phone: (703) 519-4600
Email: Region2@ncua.gov

U.S. Treasury Office of Thrift Supervision
1700 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20552
Consumer Complaints
http://www.ots.treas.gov/?p=ConsumerComplaintsInquiries
Phone: (800) 842-6929
E-mail: consumer.complaint@ots.treas.gov

Northeast Region Office
Harborside Financial Center Plaza Five, Suite 1600
Jersey City, New Jersey 07311
Phone: (201) 413-1000

National Fair Housing Alliance
http://www.nationalfairhousing.org/
1212 New York Avenue, NW Ste 525
Washington, DC 2005
Phone: (202) 898-1661
E-mail: nfha@nationalfairhousing.org

To locate your local affiliate:
http://www.nationalfairhousing.org/MemberOrganizations/tabid/2574/Default.aspx

Better Business Bureaus
Better Business Bureau - serving Northeast and Central PA
www.nepa.bbb.org/
4099 Birney Avenue
Moosic, PA 18507
Phone: (570) 342-5100
Email: info@nepa.bbb.org

Better Business Bureau of Philadelphia
http://dc-easternpa.bbb.org
1880 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1330
Philadelphia PA 19103
Phone: (215) 985-9313
Fax: (215) 893-9313
Email: info@mybbb.org

Better Business Bureau in Harrisburg
http://dc-easternpa.bbb.org
1337 North Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
Phone: (717) 364-3250
Email: info@mybbb.org

Better Business Bureau in Bethlehem
http://dc-easternpa.bbb.org
528 North New Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018-5789
Phone: (610) 866-8780
Email: info@mybbb.org

Better Business Bureau - serving Western Pennsylvania
http://westernpennsylvania.bbb.org
400 Holiday Drive, Suite 220
Pittsburgh PA 15220
Phone: (412) 456-2700
Email: info@pittsburgh.bbb.org