Vermont - Mortgage Fraud Resources

Individuals who are interested in reporting cases of mortgage fraud or predatory lending in the state of Vermont  can contact any of the resources listed below. The Consumer Affairs Section of the state's Office of the Attorney General is a good place to start because that office has legal and prosecuting powers, and is generally the office that any state agency will direct calls about mortgage fraud.

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

Local offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offices can help mortgage applicants find the resources they need to make smart mortgage decisions and can provide guidance to homeowners on what questions they should ask while shopping for reputable lenders.

The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance & Securities helps to set rules, investigate complaints and exercise enforcement/disciplinary authority over the businesses it oversees. It also tracks the mortgage lenders doing business in the state. The state's Real Estate Commission and Board of Real Estate Appraisers 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 all businesses should operate and takes steps to ensure that consumers are being treated fairly.

Some of the resources mentioned above, and a few other state and federal resource that can help consumers deal with mortgage fraud are listed below.

Vermont Office of the Attorney General
http://www.atg.state.vt.us/
Consumer Assistance Program
104 Morrill Hall, UVM
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone: (802) 656-3183
Toll-free: (800) 649-2424

Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration
Banking Division
www.vermontbanking.info
89 Main Street, Drawer 20
Montpelier, VT 05620-3101
Phone: (802) 828-3307
Consumer Mortgage Assistance: (888) 568-4547
Email: bankdiv@bishca.state.vt.us

Vermont Real Estate Commission
http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/real_estate/
Office of Professional Regulation
National Life Building, North FL2
Montpelier, VT 05620-3402
Phone: (802) 828-3228
E-Mail: jgriffen@sec.state.vt.us

Vermont Board of Real Estate Appraisers
http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/appraisers/
Heritage Building
81 River Street, Drawer 09
Montpelier, VT 05609-1106
Phone: (802) 828-3228
E-Mail: jgriffen@sec.state.vt.us

FBI Albany Field Office
http://albany.fbi.gov/
200 McCarty Avenue
Albany, NY 12209-2095
Phone: (518) 465-7551

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Burlington Field Office
www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=vt&topic=offices
159 Bank Street, 2nd Floor
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: (802) 951-6290
Email: vt_webmanager@hud.gov

National Credit Union Administration
Region 1 - Albany
www.ncua.gov/AboutNcua/org/Region1.htm
9 Washington Square
Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: (518) 862-7400
Email: Region1@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

Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Massachusetts, Maine & Vermont
www.bosbbb.org
235 West Central Street, Suite 1
Natick, MA 01760-3767
Phone: (508) 652-4800
Toll-free: Phone: (800) 4-BBB-811  (800-422-2811)
E-mail: info@boston.bbb.org