In Brief:Anvil Mortgage Loses License after Scam

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Superintendent of Banks Elizabeth McCaul announced last week that Anvil Mortgage Bank Ltd. of Orangeburg, N.Y., has permanently surrendered its license to do business in the state and will make $1.1 million in restitution to settle charges in a mortgage scam.

For the past three years, the bank and its principal, Eric Kotch, held “home buying seminars” in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Yonkers, and Uniondale, the attorney general’s office said, charging attendees $500 in return for arranging a mortgage loan. About 15,000 area residents paid the fees, yet fewer than 450 got loans, the office said.

“Anvil preyed on people’s desire to own a piece of the American Dream, and instead of helping them buy a home, the company left them with empty promises, broken dreams, and out $500,” Mr. Spitzer said in a statement.

As part of the settlement, Anvil has turned over its customer lists to the attorney general’s office. Anvil consumers who are eligible for refunds will be contacted by representatives of Spitzer’s office by May.

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