Oakland County, Michigan, Introduces New Service to Help Fight Mortgage Fraud

Oakland County, Mich., has introduced a new online service Wednesday that allows homeowners to protect themselves from deed, title and mortgage fraud.

Michigan mortgage scams have been running rampant in recent months, and often perpetrated on senior citizens, who predatory lenders and other crooks deem to be most vulnerable, county Clerk Ruth Johnson told the Detroit Free Press.

The service, known as Fraudcheck, allows Oakland County homeowners to see whether any unauthorized documents — quit-claim deeds, home mortgages as well as home warranty deeds — have been recorded with the Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds Office officially and legally within the last 12 months.

The service is available anytime, except during limited computer updating periods. By making this information available, the area is serving notice to predatory lenders to stay away and that consumers are hereby given the necessary means to protect themselves.

Making matters worse this year, as the housing market declines nationally and in Michigan, is the rising number of foreclosure filings in the state. More and more home loan holders are falling behind on payments, with those possessing adjustable-rate mortgages particularly vulnerable.

Nevertheless, this measure should prove helpful in the ongoing home mortgage scam fight. Homeowners who want to conduct searches beyond what is available online may go to the deeds office.