We are issuing this notice to raise awareness of a borrower profile recently presented to one of our members that exhibited multiple indicators of material misrepresentation. Based on the structure and coordination observed, there is a reasonable likelihood that similar scenarios may be presented to other private lenders. The transaction was positioned as a well-documented [...]
“Zombie liens” can jeopardize private lending and property transactions. Everything about the Brazos County, Texas, deal just south of Austin looked solid. The borrower had purchased a single-family home, secured financing through Ternus, completed renovations on time, and found a buyer within the target window. The title had been cleared when the borrower acquired the [...]
Assignment layering and masked entities are turning routine deals into high-risk traps. Straw buyer fraud in hard money lending often reveals itself through contract assignments within wholesale transactions. Fraudsters often try to obscure their identity by layering multiple assignments, making it difficult to trace who originally entered into the purchase agreement and who ultimately controls [...]
Our private lending startup almost lost more than half a million dollars to fraud. Here’s what you can learn from our experience. Ternus is a young private lending company that prides itself on operating differently. We’re investor-focused, values-driven, and transparent. But in March, we came terrifyingly close to losing $645,000 in a sophisticated wire fraud [...]
From comps to construction costs, lenders who question everything stand the best chance of protecting themselves from fraud. Private lenders face a material risk of fraud, and the cases have become increasingly more sophisticated. Mix in the complicated nature of lending for renovation or construction in the residential space, and you have a recipe for [...]
From subtle name alterations to false ownership claims, train (and re-train ... then train again) your team on the biggest bottom-line-busting misrepresentations. In the labyrinthine world of investment real estate, the complexities of transactions provide fertile ground for sophisticated forms of fraud. Cybercrimes (phishing, wire fraud, etc.), flipping/equity stripping schemes, identity fraud, appraisal/valuation fraud schemes, [...]
Using deceptive practices to strike the weakest point of your operations—you and your team—attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial data. Social engineering is a manipulation technique attackers use to exploit human psychology and trust. It differs from traditional hacking methods by bypassing technical barriers. It poses substantial risks for private lenders, including unauthorized access [...]
If background verification is just another checkbox in your due diligence process, you’re likely exposing your fund to unnecessary risk. Transparency and accountability are more than just industry buzzwords—they’re essential for protecting both funds and investors. As such, thorough background checks and due diligence reviews aren’t merely best practices; they’re nonnegotiable. These processes act as [...]
Market pressures mean more fraudsters and more mistakes, but there are effective strategies to combat this growing trend. In the complex world of commercial real estate, the threat of fraud looms large, impacting stakeholders at every level - from investors and developers to lenders and attorneys. The scale of fraud in real estate transactions is [...]
Discover how to safeguard you and your clients by avoiding common fraud tactics in the private lending industry. We often live with a false sense of safety when it comes to fraud: We know it can happen, but we don’t ever think it will happen to “me.” The blunt reality is fraud is happening every [...]
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