Mortgage Borrower: Is Someone Looking to Take Your Deed?

In a case that has received wide attention, an heir to a home in Queens got an email from the mortgage servicer. It was about an address change. When asked about the letter, the company said someone had paid off the loan. The owner then went to the property and saw workers throwing out his family’s belongings.

More recently, PNC Bank made the news for sending a letter to one of its loan customers. It was an alert that the bank had changed the customer’s address on bank records. But the customer hadn’t moved. Unlike the Queens case, the PNC Bank borrower’s deed hadn’t been manipulated. But the bank’s erroneous letter itself was a cause for concern.

Error—Or Was Something Sneaky Afoot?

The PNC customer went to the website to check the account. Good first move.

The loan account looked fine. No address change appeared.

The customer then called the number on the bank’s letter. In another good move, the customer checked the company’s own materials to be sure that the same number was legitimate before calling it. (A search online for the number inside quotation marks would also do the job.) The customer knew not to call a number in an unexpected notice before looking the number up and checking that it really belongs to the company.

The agent on the phone did not know anything about the strange letter. Just disregard it, said the agent. That advice didn’t alleviate the customer’s worries.

After a personal visit to a branch to find a manager who made calls on the customer’s behalf, the answer became apparent. The bank had mistakenly sent the letter because of a mismatch in the company’s own system. In the computer age, just as in the time of typewriters, mistakes do happen.

Lessons Learned From Real Mortgage Borrowers

The PNC Bank customer had set up two-factor authentication on the account. This was the right thing to do. It’s a barrier against manipulators and bots—as long as they lack access to the passcode that the bank sends to the customer accessing the account.

Another step deed holders can take is to set up alerts from the county government.

Go to the county website. Check the URL in your browser and be sure you’re on the actual government website. Find the section dealing with deed recording. If it allows you to sign up for deed activity alerts, do this today. Any changes or claims against your deed will then trigger a notice to you, usually by email.

A search for your county’s name and “deed alerts” or a more pointed search such as “_____ County Records” and “Fraud Notify” should take you to the page, if your county has one. If your county has not yet set this up, ask your local political representatives to press for it.

Do:

• Open your mail. Even the commercial mail. Look for unexpected bills or notifications.
• Read and be sure to understand any notices about your mortgage, your property taxes, or liens.

• Call the company if you can’t get into an online account or something looks amiss, or if you get odd alerts by text or email. These days, a message warning you about fraud could be a fraudulent stunt itself. Check your records to find the real phone number. Then call.
• Pay special attention to second homes that might be left unattended, or homes whose owners have died or moved out. Especially if they are unmortgaged, these homes tend to attract unwanted attention and activity.

Check now and then that your account is paid up. Call the company if it stops sending bills or charging you as usual by autopay.

If you’re enjoying your golden years with a paid-off mortgage, take note. County deed records are public. Bad actors can scour the records for titles that are free and clear—with no mortgage company to sound the alarm on deed manipulation. Keep reading to learn what you can do to guard your deed.

In Asheville, Self-Styled Housing Advocate Gets Busted

Meanwhile, in Asheville, North Carolina, a supposed housing advocate has been sentenced to at least six years in prison for pirating the title to a home.

The North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office announced in late August that a county judge had sentenced Lisa Roberts-Allen to prison time on felony charges in the complex scheme. Notary law enforcement agents working for the Secretary of State’s Office had the suspect under investigation for years.

A jury found Roberts-Allen guilty of forging a deed and obtaining property worth more than $100K by false pretenses.

Elaine F. Marshall, North Carolina’s secretary of state, explained that Roberts-Allen posed as an advocate for people struggling with housing. Under that guise, she manipulated their generational wealth.

Secretary Marshall added:

I am gratified to see justice delivered in the second trial of the three individuals who were charged in this case.

Yes, this was trial number two in this sprawling case. The court in an earlier trial sentenced a lawyer to prison time. And another lawyer involved in the case awaits a hearing on notary fraud and forgery charges.

Of note: There is a bill pending in the North Carolina General Assembly that would fund measures against deed fraud. It was supposed to become effective in July 2025, but is still with the appropriations committee. If it ever does get passed, it will boost digital security in county deed recorders’ offices. This law could be helpful in catching identity theft against resident homeowners and haltingimproper deed transfers. 

What about subscribing to a title security service? Paid security companies sell “title lock” services to deed holders who fear deed fraud. Some of these services might be helpful, but proceed with caution. 

Don’t Wait to Protect Your Deed

Scammers have found ways to extract money from real deed holders by falsifying sales or rental arrangements. Some of them transfer the deeds to innocent parties, acting before the fraud is caught.

Consider taking a look, right now, at your county’s website. Your county likely provides a deed activity alert for your name and address and will send you automated messages for anything that’s recorded against your title. The service is free. If there is ever an attempt to slap a lien on your home or transfer your deed, the county system will let you know. If something improper occurs, you’ll be able to get law enforcement on the case. Quick action saves deeds.