Loan Fraud

As one of three individuals who wrote the original conventional mortgage program for Fannie Mae back in 1971, I was very interested in an article on Dec. 16 concerning FHA loan fraud. When we wrote the conventional mortgage program we built into it a quality control feature, a check on credit and appraisal data submitted with the application. We did not expect it to eradicate fraud, but we believed it would minimize it, kind of like the police officer on the beat. We were right. Any time you lend and insure billions of dollars, it will attract fraud. All lenders, purchasers and insurers of mortgages should have quality control built into their programs.

FHA, HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are great targets for fraud. I am positive the $110 million in fraudulent loans insured, resulting in a loss to taxpayers of $25 million, would have been substantially less if quality control were in place.

NORMAN McLEOD REID

Retired Regional Vice Pres.

Fannie Mae, Granada Hills