State files charges against foreclosure scammers

Washington’s Division of Financial Institutions has filed charges against 40 companies it accuses of misleading state consumers dealing with foreclosure. All 40 firms are also charged with failing to be licensed to operate in Washington. The 40 named companies are from across the country. The largest number, 17, are in California, while 10 are from Florida. Only two of the named companies are based in Washington: Strategic Debt Resolutions, of Seattle, and ISIS Consulting LLC, of Olympia. The state is seeking more than $1.3 million in sanctions and restitution from the 40 businesses. About 200 state consumers could see some restitution through the effort, the agency said in a news release. “DFI has received hundreds of complaints from Washington homeowners taken advantage of by these ‘rescue’ businesses,” DFI Director Scott Jarvis said in the release. Homeowners who paid advance fees up to $5,000 and received no assistance instead had their homes foreclosed, Jarvis said.