Tom Miller, other attorneys general form mortgage fraud task force

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Ten state attorneys general and four federal agencies have announced the formation of a task force to combat mortgage fraud.

According to a statement issued by Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, targets of the enforcement effort include equity skimming, bogus foreclosure rescue, straw purchases and unethical lending practices.

The group is headed by McKenna and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Other members include the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Missouri and Ohio, as well ass representatives from the Department Justice, federal treasury, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Trade Commission.

McKenna says the task force is the result of meetings on July 15 in Washington, DC, between federal regulators and a number of state attorneys general.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.