The Bank of Montreal is Claiming Mortgage Fraud
The Bank of Montreal estimates it may lose as much as $30 million on a mortgage scheme that involved some of its own employees. The bank is suing a few hundred people including four of its own employees, along with mortgage brokers and, so far, seventeen lawyers in what they allege is one of the largest cases of mortgage fraud in Canadian history.
The Bank of Montreal says its securities department first noticed irregularities in several of their Western Canada mortgages back in 2006. This prompted the bank to hire a forensic accounting firm who spent the next year digging through the details to uncover what was really going on.
The forensic accounting firm realized a rather sophisticated scheme where scammers would chose the worst house in a preferred, established neighbourhood. They would then convince the bank the house was worth much more than it really was due to it’s location, and being as banks rely on software programs to determine house values, the banks would concur. The scammers would then purchase the house and pocket the difference.
To qualify for the mortgages, these scammers were paying unsuspecting people, generally new immigrants $2,000 to $8,000 for the use of their name on the mortgage. Lawyers would then step in and draw up fake documents of earnings, often showing inflated wages and high net incomes to ensure the immigrants would qualify for the mortgages. The legal documents filed by the bank shows the fraud scheme was operated by 14 inter-connected groups that generated approximately $140 million of which $70 million was in fake mortgages.
The Bank of Montreal’s documents also showed that millions of the fraudulent money was sent to countries such as India, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They also noted that in one instance alone, a home in Calgary that was bought for $900,000 was sold three years later for $2.3 million, netting the scammers a whopping $1.4 million.
A Calgary based management company had documents unravelled by the Bank of Montreal investigators showing 150 suspected counts of mortgage fraud within 16 different financial institutions. The investigators felt this was a clear sign of how inefficient the controls are in the banking system. If you have been the victim of fraud and have had your finances affected because of it, you might want to consider a private consolidation or car title loan to help get your mortgage back on track.
Addicted to Debt
Are you addicted to debt? Can you just not say “no” to spending, and snap up every new bauble that attracts your eye? If you feel like your spending is spinning out of control, you may need some heavy-duty withdrawal tactics to get your life back on the straight and narrow.
Eliminate credit and debit cards
Using plastic for purchases can give the illusion that you have more money than you really do. After all, plastic never wears out. Carrying real green makes the end of the money train a very real experience. When it’s gone, your spending is done. So, get rid of all your plastic, and start using cash to pay for all your purchases and bills.
Admit your debt load
One of the ways we fool ourselves into believing that our financial situation “isn’t all that bad” is by straight denial. We just don’t check-until the debt collector’s knocking at the door-and even then. So, pull out every bill you have stuffed away and ignored. Include your mortgage or rent, in-store credit lines, bank lines of credit, regular monthly bills like the utilities-you name it. Add those debts up to see just how much money you owe. Oh-and don’t forget mom and dad, friends, or other relations you owe money to.
Consider consolidating your debt
One of the biggest problems with debts is that there can be so many of them. That makes them hard to track, and can leave you overwhelmed. Which one do you pay? And that can lead to just giving up on paying anything. Consolidating your debts-even if the monthly payment seems big when you do-can help you get your debts under control. Knowing the amount you have to pay out each month to service that debt may also help you curb your spending urges, too.
Consider your assets
It may seem foolish to think about mortgaging an asset to pay off debts, but sometimes this is a good way to get back on track. Even if it costs you a bit more, in the long run, using assets to pay off debt can be a good choice. And, it’s an especially good choice if you’re up against the wall on your credit cards, have stopped paying your bills, or are thinking about bankruptcy.
Consider a vehicle title loan
If you have bad credit, own your vehicle, and it’s less than eight years old, you may be eligible for a car title loan. It’s an easy application you make online, and can be approved in less than 24 hours. You could qualify for as much as 40% of the wholesale value of your vehicle. And that cash can go a long way to bailing you out of financial trouble. Apply today, and your loan could be direct deposited into your account by tomorrow. You can withdraw that cash and pay off a lot of debts by tomorrow night. And get your life back on the straight and narrow.
The Big Ticket Surprise
When your eight-year old complained of a toothache, did you ever think it would turn into an $800 dental bill? Or that an investigation of a crack in your wall would turn out to hold mould, and expensive experts would have to be brought in to clean it up? Unexpected surprises can hit any of us, any time, but when your credit history is weak, or non-existent, it can really be bad news. Where can you turn for an emergency bail out, especially if your credit cards are maxed out, and you just don’t have good enough credit to increase your limit, or open a line of credit?
Consider your assets
You may have more value around your home than you think. Your vehicle-car, truck, SUV, whatever you drive-may be enough to qualify you for a car title loan. A car title loan is especially formulated for people just like you, who have poor credit histories, no credit history, bad credit, maxed out credit cards, or even bankruptcies in their past. It works because you use your car as collateral against the value of the loan. You still get to drive your car, of course, and there’s even another bonus. Because a car title loan is just that-a loan-it goes towards re-building your credit history-and so can help you get back on track to a better credit score.
Car title loan details
A car title loan is easy, fast, and private. You can make the application yourself, online, from the comfort of your favorite living room chair. If you own your car and it’s less than eight years old, you can be almost sure you’ll get approved. People just like you do, about 99% of the time. So, by tomorrow, with your car title loan approved, you could have as much as 40% of the wholesale value of your vehicle in your pocket.
How to apply
The application is straightforward, and almost always gets approved in just 24 hours or less. Your loan can even be direct deposited into your account for your convenience. And repayment is in easy monthly installments made to fit your budget. And, you’ll still be driving your car. And improving your credit rating. And paying that dental bill, or getting your house fumigated, or whatever other unhappy little emergency has taken you by surprise.
Car title loans. A surprising asset you may not have thought about before.
Frugal Canadians Opt for Web over TV
It’s finally happened. Canadians have caught up with the rest of the world when it comes to web surfing. According to Ipsos Reid, the average Canuck spends more than 18 hours a week surfing the web compared to 16.9 hours a week watching television. It’s what Canadians are doing on the web that may be surprising. They’re watching television. As more of our favourite shows migrate to the internet, so do we, so in essence, we’re not necessarily watching less television.
Although television shows are being watched on-line, the usage of radio, magazines and newspapers remains about the same. Part of the reason people are watching television on the internet is due to the rising cost of cable and satellite services, so watching television on-line for free is a logical choice. If you’re not an avid television watcher, paying $30 a month is not really a big deal, but paying $80 a month to watch one or two shows just does not make sense to most people.
As we slowly climb out of our recession shell, it’s still a good idea to save where you can and avoid extra spending or expenses. If excessive cable or satellite bills are weighing you down, then internet television just may be for you.
According to AdAge.com, US television giant CBS has sold out on its on-line advertising inventory for March Madness on Demand, bringing in $37 million dollars, up 20% from the previous year. Other major companies such as AT&T, soft drink giant Coca-Cola and credit card giant Capital One have all bought into the on-line advertising market.
Last year, 7.5 million people watched the NCAA tournament online, compared with 130 million on TV. The internet is an amazing tool and does not necessarily have to be only about television. It can also be a resource for information and provide help on any number of topics.
With more on-line content such as games, video-clips, movies and channels from abroad, these additional factors add to the growing trend. For younger generations, the internet is much more important than television than say to those over 55. Even though computers are becoming increasingly important to everyone, regardless of their age, they’re still a form of entertainment.
If you’re one of the many whose surfing is not because they dislike t.v., but rather because you haven’t paid your cable bill, you may want to consider a private secured loan to consolidate your debt and pay off that massive cable bill. It could have you back to watching the small screen instead of staring at your monitor in no time.
How Much Will a Die-Hard Sports Fan Pay?
I swear, now I’ve heard it all. The latest concept to hit sports teams and their fans, the all new ’sports mortgage’. Yep, you read right! Dedicated die-hard, long-term fans can now lock themselves into prime seats for the duration of 30 or 50 years with the Stadium Financing Capital Group. The concept goes something like this.
Being as the cost of prime seats continue to rise, even if the team is lousy, cash-strapped athletes remain frustrated by their deteriorating stadiums and struggle to keep them upgraded. They are constantly at a loss in making up for the financial shortfalls.
This new innovation in marketing benefits the big-time athletes by offering fans guaranteed top football seats. Jayhawks fans, for example, will pay as much as $150,000 US over a period of ten years to buy the seats for the next three decades. In return, the cost of the seats will remain locked in to the current 2010 prices.
This marketing fundraiser is being called ‘equity seat rights’ and has been advertised as a win-win for both the teams and the fans. The teams can bank on extra revenue and avoid borrowing money from taxpayers while the fans can be assured of the seat prices they will be paying to see their favourite teams well into the future. If one is buying seats for college or university football, the seat-fees become a tax write-off for donating to a school.
In California, fans have been given an even greater opportunity. They’ve been offered an ‘endowment seating program’ which allows 30 years to pay for 50 years worth of season football tickets. The program is going well, as it has sold more than 1,800 of the 3,000 available seats. This has generated $150 million for renovations to its own Memorial Stadium, which was built in 1923. The long-term seating programs come with annual interest payments, much like a home mortgage plus a 6% annual administrative fee.
The Chicago company behind the ’sports mortgage’ is confident that these equity seat rights will take over the personal seat license, which does not lock in ticket prices. Even during difficult recession times, the cost of professional and university stadium seat prices go up. Top Jayhawk tickets tier between $175,000 and $225,000 but a club seat will cost more than double that amount if it was paid out over a 30-year period.
In the event you are a die-hard fan looking for a long-term sports commitment or maybe you’re just in need of a loan to clean up a bad credit record, you may want to consider a car title loan. These secured loans are tailor made for people with bad credit who need cash fast.
Shop for Financing Before Shopping for Your Car
When there are two working people in a house, there is often a need for two vehicles. If you are finally getting ahead and have saved a little money to put towards a second vehicle, there are some auto financing strategies you should know about.
First, it’s always a good idea to check your credit report before anything else, especially if it’s not something you’ve done in a long time or if it’s not something you’ve ever done. Keeping an eye on your credit report is essential. It’s very important to know what you have on your record and it’s just as important for you to know what any potential lender may see. By doing this, it can provide you with the time you need to correct any errors on the report or pay off any debt owing.
Shop for financing before shopping for your vehicle. By having a perspective on your credit rating as well as your financial options, you will have the boundaries needed for a successful purchase. By understanding your financing beforehand, this will give you an idea of potential interest rates, monthly payments and length of terms and can easily guide you into a vehicle that is within your budget and ensure monthly payments are made with ease.
Check with at least one local bank. This will help provide you with a guideline on current terms and interest rates. If you’re looking at dealer financing, keep in mind they are not going to shop around for you. Once they know you’re financing through them, they often stop talking price and start talking in terms of monthly payments. This can cost more as you’re no longer focused on the actual price. The dealer may also be getting a commission from the lender, so dealer financing could end up costing you more in interest and fees.
If possible, get pre-approved. Regardless where your auto loan comes from, any lender will be able to tell you upfront if you qualify for a loan and how much you can borrow. This strategy may even help get you a better deal on a vehicle as the seller knows you’re pre-approved which makes you a serious buyer.
If you are suffering from bad credit but still need that ‘new’ car, a car title loan could be what you’re looking for. You can borrow the money you need to make the additional purchase and rebuild your credit rating while driving your much-needed second vehicle. Private lending institutions offer car title loans and provide no obligation, 24-hour on-line applications.
A Car Title Loan and You
There may be a lot of reasons that taking out a car title loan has not occurred to you before.
- Maybe you can not imagine that anyone, for any reason, would ever consider giving you another loan because of the way you blew that last one you had (and that ruined your credit rating).
- Or maybe, you just think you wouldn’t qualify because all your credit cards are totally tapped out.
- Or maybe you thought that you could only use your car title loan for certain things, and you just don’t know that you can use your car title loan for pretty much anything you might need or want.
So what is a car title loan?
A car title loan is a loan that you make against your car. That means you put your car up as collateral against the loan. That’s why it’s an easier loan to make than many other kinds of loans-and that you might not have qualified for because of maxed out credit cards, a poor payment history, bad credit or perhaps even a bankruptcy. And a car title loan can help you to improve all those things, and get a step up on life.
Let’s say you take out a car title loan-and 99% of qualified applicants are approved, so don’t think you don’t stand a good chance of getting one-you do. You may qualify for as much as 40% of the wholesale value of your car. Best yet-you keep your car, and just keep on driving it, while you have the car title loan. So you get the best of pretty much every world you can think of-you get the loan, you keep the car, you pay down your debts, and improve your credit.
How else can you use a car title loan?
Well, maybe you need to repair your car, give it a new paint job, do some custom work, replace the engine, who knows? Take out a car title loan, and use the money to fix up your ride, improve its value, and its longevity.
What do I need to qualify?
There are two main criteria to qualify. You have to own your own car (or other vehicle, of course) and your vehicle has to be less than eight years old. That’s it.
Where can I get a car title loan
Go online-any time. Fill out the application form. It’s quick, easy, and private. You’ll hear back within 24 hours, sometimes even a lot quicker than that. And the money can be direct deposited into your account, as soon as your loan is approved.
Don’t wait any longer to turn your life around, improve your credit, and get back on the fast track. It has happened for others in your same circumstances. Why not you?
Cash in 3D
Ever notice how things just happen in life and always when you are least ready for it? Your boss gave you some hard-earned down time, but you didn’t stash any cash for that weekend get-away? You’ve fallen in love-just when you thought it would never happen-but now you can’t afford a ring to propose? That 3D Blu-ray TV you have been so dying for is half-price in a fire sale, and your credit card is maxed out?
Get cash. Fast. With a car title loan.
Even if you have bad credit, no credit, or a recent bankruptcy, you can get cash fast by using your vehicle as collateral. See that 3D TV? Buy it tomorrow. A car title loan is an easy online application you make from home. Sometimes, it may be only a few hours before that cash is wired-yup, it can be direct deposited-into your account. For that weekend splurge. Or that ring for her. Or a little indulgence for yourself. Apply today, and tomorrow, you may be on your way . . . to Vegas, or a little 3D Blu-ray.
How to buy with a car title loan
If you own your vehicle, and it is less than eight years old, go online and fill out an application. You can do it at your convenience, and from the privacy of your home, with no harassing phone calls, or time-consuming visits to the bank. In 24 hours, and usually even faster than that, you’ll hear back about your application.
Almost everybody gets approved-and you can too! Think what your car is worth, and you could get as much as 40% of its value in just a few hours. To buy the things you want.
Think your car isn’t worth much?
No cash to repair your car means it’s a bit run down or beat up? No problem. Take out a car title loan to repair your vehicle. Build up its value again. And re-build your credit while you’re at it.
A dream in 3D
A car title loan can be the loan that turns your life around-from the doldrums to 3D. Change up a beat-up heap to a ride in style, a new home theatre that brings your friends milling round, or just a quick escape from the every day to give you a new outlook on things.
Whatever you need, you may be surprised at how easy it is to finance through a car title loan. Check it out.
Loans to Improve Your Credit Rating in 2010
If you’re like thousands of others, last year was a bit of a financial disaster. Paying bills late, not making credit card payments on time, phone calls coming in reminding you to pay an account were common occurrences for so many people in 2009. As a result of these, credit ratings can take a beating.
You may be asking, just how important is a credit rating anyway? A credit rating is a legal track record of your financial responsibility. This record is housed at Equifax and TransUnion Canada and your record indicates if you are worthy of receiving credit. Landlords, utility companies and other businesses who ‘lend’ you something want to know just how responsible you are.
When you have poor credit it’s generally much more difficult to obtain a mortgage, a car, loans and even a cell phone. Poor credit can seriously hamper your ability to rent an apartment, appliances or furniture. Even those places that advertise ‘no money down and no payments til next year’ will not consider poor credit because when they say ‘OAC’, that means ‘on approved credit.’
It’s a new year and why not take the opportunity to do something to improve your credit rating? Take out a loan to help toward existing debts, making home improvements or to take a mini-vacation. It may sound crazy, but by getting a loan and making payments on time will help to re-establish your credit rating, and this is a good thing.
Many people may consider a loan to lower their credit card balances. Perhaps the thought of another monthly payment may sound overwhelming, but lowering those credit card balances also works in your favor to improve your credit rating. Many people may not realize this, but a credit card balance that exceeds 75% of the credit limit is frowned upon and is reflected negatively at Equifax and TransUnion Canada. If you have a card that’s maxed or coming close to being maxed, then lowering that balance is really important.
Getting a loan to improve your credit rating only makes sense. No matter what your credit rating is, there are options.
January Bill Blues
The holidays now seem like a distant memory but the stark reminder of all those fabulous gifts that were purchased is reality. Those credit card statements are a painful reminder that overspending can rapidly sink your financial well-being.
Life may look bleak with statements that leave you with no breathing room on any credit card. The fear of having no back-up funds in case of an emergency is now a brutal truth. It may not alleviate stress, but you are not alone. Thousands of credit card users have spent their cards to the max and are worried about how to create some breathing space.
Credit cards are a great thing until they’re maxed. Paying the minimum monthly payment will keep you in the credit company’s good books, but maintaining a balance that exceeds 75% of the allowable credit will tarnish your credit rating. There’s also the fact that paying only the minimum monthly payment on a maxed card will take you several years to bring down because generally, interest rates are exceedingly high.
If you’re able to pay more than the minimum monthly payment, then do it. However, if you’re like thousands of others, even the minimum payment is difficult to budget. Now is not the time to panic; it’s the time to stay calm and do your research on what options are available to you. It may not seem likely, but out of something negative is always something positive, you just have to look.
Now, more than ever, turning over a new leaf and taking charge of your financial health is a step in the right direction. Having the will and desire will start you off in the right direction.
Take a look to see if you can pay the minimum monthly payment. If this leaves a pit in the stomach, get on the phone and call the credit card companies. These companies can be flexible and are willing to work with you, not against you. Let them know you’re working on a plan, but you are able to make a token payment. Paying something is better than paying nothing. Ignoring a statement will only lead to these companies calling you, and ignoring those phone calls only worsen the situation. When times are tough, protect your credit rating always keep the lines of communication open with your creditors.
Now is the time to work out what money comes in monthly, and what money is required to pay the monthly bills. If there’s no way you can manage on your own then explore loan options to stay afloat. There are options and having a good credit rating is not required for some loans.
BHM Financial is a trusted name in the car title loan industry and we may have the cure to help get rid of the `bill blues.’ Check out our website today, and breathe easier tomorrow!