By Juan Castillo

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

A Round Rock-based real estate firm defrauded homebuyers by falsely promising them ownership when the houses were actually owned by the firm’s owner and his wife, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday.

In a lawsuit filed in Travis County, Attorney General Greg Abbott alleges that Fern Hernandez Realty Inc.; its owner, licensed real estate broker Jose Fernando “Fern” Hernandez; and his wife, Odessa S. Hernandez of Georgetown; participated in a scam that targeted Spanish-speaking homebuyers.

Jose Fernando Hernandez declined to comment Wednesday.

State investigators said Hernandez advertised his brokerage services on Spanish-language television and radio. Fern Hernandez Realty sometimes did business as Su Casa el Sueño Americano, which means “your house the American dream.”

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By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

For decades, when troubled homeowners and banks battled over delinquent mortgages, it wasn’t a contest. Homes went into foreclosure, and lenders took control of the property.

On top of that, courts rubber-stamped the array of foreclosure charges that lenders heaped onto borrowers and took banks at their word when the lenders said they owned the mortgage notes underlying troubled properties.

In other words, with lenders in the driver’s seat, borrowers were run over, more often than not. Of course, errant borrowers hardly deserve sympathy from bankers or anyone else, and banks are well within their rights to try to protect their financial interests.

But if our current financial crisis has taught us anything, it is that many borrowers entered into mortgage agreements without a clear understanding of the debt they were incurring. And banks often lacked a clear understanding of whether all those borrowers could really repay their loans.

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Housing group alleges bias by town of Sunnyvale |
News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
| Mesquite News

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KVUE News reports that residents at the Cottages at Wells Branch Parkway say raw sewage has leaked into some apartments and into a creek behind the complex. They also say this isn’t the first time this has happened. More on this story…

Tenants needing repairs should send a letter to the landlord immediately by certified mail, return receipt requested. In such emergency situations, tenants can give as little as 24 hours notice that the repairs need to be completed. When the conditions involve sewage or flooding, the tenant may repair and deduct immediately after giving proper notice to the landlord. See ATC’s Repairs fact sheet for details.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced a series of proposals to ensure that HUD’s core housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

“The evidence is clear that some are denied the opportunity to make housing choices in our nation based on who they are and that must end,” said Donovan. “President Obama and I are determined that a qualified individual and family will not be denied housing choice based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”

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$600,000 Settlement Ends Discriminatory Policies at Housing Complex for Persons with Disabilities

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By TERRI GRUCA / KVUE News

Foreclosures in Central Texas are hitting record highs. In Travis County alone there has been a 58 percent increase in foreclosure postings in the last year.

On the first Tuesday of every month, the steps of the Travis County Courthouse fill with people looking to score a deal. However, those deals are another family’s heartbreak.

This Tuesday, 850 properties were being foreclosed on and potentially up for auction.

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that it is charging a Wichita Falls, Texas landlord with violating the Fair Housing Act by publishing advertisements that discriminate against families with children. HUD alleges landlord Kay Rios posted a classified ad in a local real estate publication that read “no drugs, no pets, no children.”

The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discriminating based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. This includes publishing print, broadcast or internet advertisements that indicate a preference or otherwise discriminates against families with children.

“Families with children have every legal right to rent a home as do those without children,” said John Trasviña, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This case should remind every landlord that the Fair Housing Act is very clear – it’s against the law to deny a person or family housing in this country simply because they have children.”

The Austin Tenants’ Council filed a complaint with HUD alleging Rios violated the Fair Housing Act. The HUD charge will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds that discrimination has occurred, he or she may award damages to the complainant for its loss as a result of the discrimination. The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief to deter further discrimination, as well as payment of attorney fees.

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By SCOTT FARWELL / The Dallas Morning News

In an age when smoking has been outlawed in most public places – government buildings, bars and pool halls – a person’s home is one of the few places you can puff in peace.

Until now.

A Dallas woman has filed a lawsuit seeking six figures from a former neighbor and landlord for damage she says was caused by cigarette smoke wafting through adjoining walls of her high-end townhome.

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