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St. Paul, Minn.

December 7, 2006 11:35 AM

New attorney general makes lending abuses her first target

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Lori Swanson — Lori Swanson announced plans on Thursday to protect home buyers from unaffordable loans, excessive fees, inflated appraisals and other tactics used by unscrupulous mortgage lenders.
MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire

(AP) Clamping down on abuses in the home lending market is the first order of business for Minnesota's new attorney general. DFLer Lori Swanson, who takes over in January for departing Attorney General Mike Hatch, announced Thursday the formation of an 11-member study group to come up with proposals to stop so-called predatory lending.

She said possible legislation could include requiring more disclosure from brokers, additional regulation of players in the home loan industry, stiffer rules to make sure buyers aren't given loans they can't afford and tighter limits or bans on prepayment penalties. Swanson said predatory lending is contributing to increased home foreclosures, and not just in low-income areas. "This problem affects cities, suburbs and the entire state of Minnesota," she said.

Swanson was elected to the job in November after nearly eight years as a top deputy to Hatch, who didn't seek a third term.

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Lori Swanson — Lori Swanson announced plans on Thursday to protect home buyers from unaffordable loans, excessive fees, inflated appraisals and other tactics used by unscrupulous mortgage lenders.
MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire

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